Motorsports
Talladega betting odds as NASCAR Cup Series returns from Easter break
Daytona Motor Mouths: Kurt Busch to NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2026? Will the NASCAR Cup Series return to Rockingham in the near future? What about Kurt Busch and his 2026 Hall of Fame chances? NASCAR drivers return to Talladega Superspeedway after a two-week break. Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are favored to […]


Daytona Motor Mouths: Kurt Busch to NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2026?
Will the NASCAR Cup Series return to Rockingham in the near future? What about Kurt Busch and his 2026 Hall of Fame chances?
- NASCAR drivers return to Talladega Superspeedway after a two-week break.
- Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are favored to win, with odds of +1000.
You know how your Aunt Mae always warned about you diving into the deep end of the pool too soon after eating a big meal?
Well, this ain’t that.
But in a kinda-sorta way, it’s close.
The Cup boys have had two weeks off, and in the middle of that, they presumably stuffed themselves on salty ham and plenty of fixin’s, including some green-bean casserole and equally filling mac-and-cheese. Burp.
So after that, it’s a perfect time to e-a-s-e your way back into the pool, right? Wrong.
Welcome to the first Talladega week of 2025. And as a pseudo plate-race, welcome to one of a handful of chances you get each year to pluck a longshot and secure your future, with that security depending on your level of commitment — anything from a second home in the mountains to a 12-pack for your buddy’s backyard cookout.
When you start at +1000 at the top of the board, man oh man, you know there’s some money sitting out there somewhere. Let’s take a look.
Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano? What do gamblers know that we don’t?
+1000: Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney
+1200: Kyle Busch
+1400: William Byron, Austin Cindric
+1500: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott
Kez has been horrible all year, which means he’ll probably win Talladega. Why he’s so high up the board this week: He finished second in both ‘Dega races last year but more importantly, he leads all current racers with six career wins there. Logano? No clue, except he’s overdue.
Next up: Bubba Wallace and Michael McDowell are Talladega tempters
+1750: Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe
+2000: Tyler Reddick
+2250: Michael McDowell, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman
+2500: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher
You have some pretty serious plate-race talent here and at a decent price. If so inclined, it might be worth a few pieces of folding money on any of these fellas. Me, I like … well … damn, all of ’em. Except Reddick, perhaps. Yes, he won at Talladega last year and was second at the Daytona 500, but more often than not, he has no luck at the biggest tracks.
Might have a Talladega sleeper here
+3000: Josh Berry, Todd Gilliland
+4000: Carson Hocevar, Ty Gibbs, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Preece
+5000: Austin Dillon, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley
+6000: Riley Herbst, Ty Dillon, AJ Allmendinger
You know who has the fifth-best finishing average at Talladega over the Next Gen era? That’d be Erik Jones. Do you dare bet him to win? Probably not, but for what it’s worth, he’s at +700 for a top-5.
Big odds, big money. Big waste?
+7500: Zane Smith, John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer
+10000: Shane van Gisbergen
+15000: Anthony Alfredo, BJ McLeod, Cody Ware
I’m quite certain none of these fellas will win. But I’d bet you a dollar to a doughnut one of them, at least, finishes top-10.
— Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com