Sunday is jam-packed with both Formula 1 and NASCAR in action this week. Open-wheel drivers will take on the 3.6-mile Silverstone Circuit in the British Grand Prix. The stock car racers will tackle the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway for the fourth race in its run as a superspeedway.
Both of these races offer some fun to bettors with plenty of ways to get in on the action. Here are six betting picks for Sunday’s F1 and NASCAR races. Each offers solid value and will give you unique ways to watch each race.
Max Verstappen to win the British GP and record the fastest lap (-120 via DraftKings)
No one has knocked Max Verstappen from the top of the podium over the last five races. In fact, no other team has found a way to win a race against a Red Bull driver. So far this weekend, the Dutch racer has topped the practice charts in both FP1 and FP2 and it seemed even still that he had left some speed on the track. At this point, it is almost a foregone conclusion that Max will win anytime he takes the green flag. His -400 price to win on BetMGM is all the proof you need of that. With that in mind, you need to get creative if you want to profit from a Verstappen victory.
Knocking his odds down to a more respectable vig by adding Max to post the fastest lap is the way to do exactly that. Verstappen has blazed the quickest lap in four races this season including last week. With a full 25-second lead over second place, Max decided to box for soft In tires with one lap to go in Austria. He defied his strategist in the process, but in the end, he achieved his goal of gaining a championship point by completing the quickest circuit of anyone on the day.
Alexander Albon Podium Finish in the British GP (+1600 via Caesars)
It has been two racing seasons since Alexander Albon has seen a podium. In 2020, he piloted his Red Bull to two third-place finishes. However, he has failed to crack the top three since he began driving for Williams last season. His best finish this season came in Montreal where he crossed the finish line in seventh place. There is some hope here as in four career starts at Silverstone, Albon has finishes of fifth and eighth place. This is a long shot for a reason.
The driving force behind this pick is the surprising speed of both Williams drivers in both FP1 and FP2. Between the two, Albon posted the third fastest times in each session. If he is able to carry that speed into FP3 and qualifying, there is a strong chance he can hold on and break his podium drought.
Red Bull to have the fastest pit stop in the British Grand Prix (-150 via DraftKings)
As much as you can expect Red Bull drivers to win races, their pit crew is equally as fast. In five of the nine races this season, Red Bull Hondas have been on and off of pit road faster than anyone else. They also own the fastest pit stop of the season, completing the service of Sergio Perez in just 2.07 seconds in Barcelona. We are lucky to see this offered with as little juice as it is, which is the reason to pounce on it until the price adjusts later in the season.
Winning Car Number of the Quaker State 400 Under 11.5 (+140 via Caesars)
Given Atlanta’s superspeedway configuration, anything is possible. With that in mind, taking this bet gives you a wide band of heavy hitters for the second-best odds in this market. Among them is Ross Chastain the No.1 who was the last Cup Series regular to win a race. Also in the mix is Chase Elliott in the No. 9 who is one of three drivers to have won on the new Atlanta track. In addition to them, Austin Cindric (No.2), Austin Dillion (No. 3), Brad Keselowski (No. 6), and Kyle Busch (No. 8), all have at least one superspeedway win under their belts.
Cole Custer Top 10 Finish in the Quaker State 400 (+300 via Barstool)
For the first time this season, Cole Custer will make a start in a Cup Series car. After a disappointing Cup career, Custer was relegated to full-time Xfinity status this season. Despite a slow start, the No. 00 has ripped off ten straight top-10 finishes, including two wins in the minor circuit. The last of which came in the weather-shortened Chicago street course. His bullish run in Xfinity has earned him a seat in the Rick Ware No. 51 car this week. For this pick, we are taking advantage of a favorable number in a juiced-up market. Custer cashed this bet last year, finishing ninth in his only start on this track in its superspeedway form.
Ty Gibbs to finish Top 5 in Alsco Uniforms 250 and Top 5 in Quaker State 400 (+868 via Caesars)
This week Ty Gibbs, the reigning Xfinity Series champion, will step back down and pull double duty in Atlanta. He will occupy the No. 19 on Saturday for his grandpa Joe Gibbs instead of his traditional No. 54 Toyota of last season. The young phenom racked up 11 wins over the course of his two full-time seasons in his Xfinity ride including one on the Atlanta superspeedway configuration. In 55 career starts, Gibbs has 28 top-5 finishes.
The weakest link in this special is his potential to cash this in the Cup race. Gibbs does have five top-10 finishes in his rookie season, but so far has not cracked the top 5 on Sunday. However, he was running up front in Talladega before he ran out of fuel. On top of that, he managed a ninth-place finish here in the Spring. It doesn’t take a lot to turn that into a top 5 finish on a superspeedway.
