Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500: NASCAR betting odds, preview, and value picks

Atlanta Motor Speedway is the site for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (3:00 p.m. ET, FOX), the fifth race of the NASCAR Cup Series season. And while the venue is a familiar one, fans and bettors should brace themselves for a race unlike they’ve ever witnessed at this track.

The course was modified since the July 2021 Cup Series event, becoming a high-banked 1.5-mile oval akin to a miniature Daytona or Talladega. The asphalt the drivers will be competing over is brand-new, serving to level the playing field even further.

Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson are the co-favorites for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at a sky-high +1000. We looked at the numbers for driver performance at both Atlanta and superspeedways, and came up with three underdogs worth a wager this Sunday.

Denny Hamlin (+1200)

There’s a solid case to be made for Denny Hamlin at Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday.

The No. 11 Toyota driver has a prior win at this course, when he led 105 laps here in 2012. In his last five visits to Atlanta, Hamlin has three Top 5s, and placed in all 10 stages.

He is a three-time Daytona 500 champion and a two-time winner at Talladega, so Hamlin knows his way around superspeedways too.

As long as he qualifies well on Saturday afternoon, Hamlin is a major threat in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

Kyle Busch (+1300)

Kyle Busch has been no better than second in his last 35 trips to superspeedways, but his prowess at Atlanta might put him over the top at a nice price this Sunday.

Busch has two career victories at this oval, and boasts an average finish of 4.4 over his last five races here. In those five heats, “Rowdy” scored stage points in nine of his 10 chances, and led 107 laps.

The No. 18 Toyota driver has been in the hunt in three of the Cup Series’ first four races this year, tallying three Top 10s. Only Aric Almirola has that many Top 10 results this season.

Kevin Harvick (+1600)

Kevin Harvick received plenty of attention at Phoenix last week, when he tied Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt at 18 consecutive Top 10s at a given racetrack (both Petty and Earnhardt reached the mark at North Wilkesboro Speedway). Perhaps that sixth-place effort will give him something to build on at Atlanta, where’s he’s also exceled in his career.

Harvick had seven straight Top 10s at Atlanta prior to an 11th-place finish here last July. That included victories in February of 2018 and June of 2020. No active driver has led more laps at this course than the No. 4 Ford pilot (1,348), and none can boast more Top 5s (nine).

Harvick is third among active Cup Series participants in average finish at superspeedways (min. 10 starts), so the new configuration could work in his favor.