The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Tricky Triangle for the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono.
You can tune into the race at 2:30 p.m Sunday on USA Network.
Last season, Denny Hamlin put Kyle Larson into the wall in the final laps to steal the victory.
Hamlin leads all drivers with seven career victories at Pocono.
Combine that with his 2024 speed and it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see Hamlin at the top of the odds board.
Among the top seven drivers on the board, just Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. (+750) have visited victory lane at Pocono.
Here are my favorite bets:
Denny Hamlin to win (+450, FanDuel)
Hamlin is easily the driver to beat at Pocono.
He’s been fast at the track from the jump, winning his first two career races there.
Hamlin struggled at Pocono for much of the 2010s but regained his speed over the past few years.
Over the past seven races, Hamlin has three victories and five top-five finishes.
He crossed the finish line first in the 2022 race, but NASCAR disqualified him after failing post-race inspection.
![Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Mavis Tire Toyota, walks the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 13, 2024 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/denny-hamlin-driver-11-mavis-85396883.jpg?w=1024)
A 14th-place finish in 2021 resulted from pitting from the lead coming to the white flag.
He’s had race-winning speed in every Pocono race since 2020.
Hamlin has been one of the best drivers in 2024.
A trip to his best track could spell trouble for the rest of the field.
William Byron top-five finish (+160, bet365)
Byron has had a tough stretch, finishing 15th or worse in four of his past six races.
The short flat tracks don’t suit his strengths, but he’s been a top contender at Pocono.
Byron has five top-10 finishes in 10 starts at the track.
He’s led 13-plus laps in three of the past four races, including a race-high 60 laps in last year’s race.
Byron pitted from the lead with three laps to go in the 2021 race.
Last season, he might have had the car to beat, but pit strategy led to a poor finish.
It’s about time Byron strung together a strong stretch of finishes.
I expect a strong performance from the No. 24 team at Pocono.
Bubba Wallace finishing position Under 14.5 (-115, Caesars)
It wasn’t long ago that Wallace was on the right side of the playoff cutline.
Now, he sits 51 points below with a win likely being his only path to the postseason.
It’d be a stretch to win at Pocono, but I expect a solid showing from Wallace, who has four races with 23XI Racing at Pocono and has yet to finish worse than 14th.
That includes three straight finishes of 11th or better.
Betting on Wallace to finish in the top 10 isn’t a bad option, but I feel much better about him finishing 14th or better.
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Alex Bowman over Joey Logano (-105, bet365)
Two weeks ago, Logano removed himself from the playoff cutline with a victory at Nashville.
That put Bowman in a tough spot, but he emerged victorious at the Chicago Street Course.
Bowman and Logano have had similar speed in 2024, with Bowman a little better overall.
Once you look at the Pocono numbers, Bowman has the advantage.
He has finished 11th or better in four of the past five races, including a victory in 2021.
Logano has finished 20th or worse three times in that stretch.
Overall, Bowman has finished ahead of Logano in six straight Pocono races.
That streak should continue Sunday.