2024 The Great American Getaway 400: NASCAR at Pocono Odds, Picks & Predictions
They say you can always go home when things aren’t going your way.
After back-to-back races of coming absurdly close to my biggest NASCAR betting payday ever and some of the worst bad beats imaginable, I couldn’t be happier to write this intro while overlooking my home track - Pocono Raceway - from the press box.
Whether it was attending my first-ever NASCAR race in my early 20s or covering one a half decade later, “The Tricky Triangle” has been kind to me.
With Pocono being a unique, 2.5-mile, three-corner oval, there isn’t a ton of data to consider outside of track history, and the comp track of Michigan, which we last visited 11 months ago. That said, the big dogs eat in Long Pond, Pa., with the best equipment and most skilled drivers usually making up the front rows.
Let’s get back in the saddle and make some money in the mountains with my best bets for The Great American Getaway 400 and full card for a weekend of racing.
2024 The Great American Getaway 400: NASCAR at Pocono Odds, Picks & Predictions
Top 3: Denny Hamlin (+160 via FanDuel) | 1u
The sport’s current heel and arguably most important driver, Denny Hamlin, is in a tier of his own at Pocono. If you count his 2022 disqualification for illegal tape, he’s won four of the last seven races in Pennsylvania and eight in total, including his first Cup Series victory in 2006.
The Virginia native is No. 1 in both the Pocono Next-Gen total speed rankings and comp track Michigan’s Next-Gen total speed rankings, courtesy of ifantasyrace.com. After a string of disappointing finishes for the No. 11 team, Hamlin has had this race circled.
“Man, going to Pocono; There's no wet weather tires at Pocono, and there's no wet weather tires at coming at Indy,” Hamlin said to close his podcast, “Actions Detrimental. “These next two weeks; It's on, baby. It's on."
I’ll take the 43-year-old for his word and back him both on the T3 ticket at +165 and the 5-1 outright at FanDuel.
Top 10: Josh Berry (+375 via Caesars) | .5u
Cup Series rookie Josh Berry has never run “The Tricky Triangle” in the Cup Series. However, he’s been bad-fast in all three of his Xfinity Series starts. That includes last year when he qualified his No. 8 Jr. Motorsports (JRM) Chevrolet on the pole, swept the stages and led 51 laps. Although he didn’t come away with the victory after a late-race skirmish, he was No. 1 in green flag speed, speed by segment and driver rating.
His crew chief, Rodney Childers, also knows how to rig a car for this high-horsepower package, as Kevin Harvick’s last win came at Michigan, and he finished fourth at Pocono last season. Let’s take the shot on Berry for a T10 at nearly 4-1 odds at Caesars.
Ty Gibbs (+100 via BetRivers) vs. Chase Elliott | 1.5u
It’s never ideal to fade NASCAR’s golden boy, Chase Elliott, but this matchup against Ty Gibbs should be closer to a pick-em.
Gibbs has finished runner-up in both his two Xfinity Series starts at Pocono. He also beat Elliott head-to-head last season, finishing fifth to the Georgia native’s 10th. Moreover, the No. 54 car was fifth in the total speed rankings to Elliott’s 15th and had an average running position of 8.6 to the No. 9 car’s 14.1.
With Gibbs also being 2-0 against Elliott in his two Cup Series starts at comp track Michigan, I like him to get the best of him here again in Long Pond this weekend. At an even-money price tag, I’m laying 1.5 units down, saying that he does.
Other Cup Series Bets on My Card:
Denny Hamlin Outright (+500 via FanDuel) | 2u
Ty Gibbs Outright (+1400 via BetRivers) | .5u
Ty Gibbs T5 (+225 via Caesars) | .5u
Trackhouse (-115 via Caesars) vs. RCR | 1u
Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 (Xfinity) Bets on My Card:
Jesse Love Outright (+2200 via Caesars) | .3u
Jesse Love T5 (+270 via Caesars) | .5u
Brandon Jones T5 (+400 via Caesars) | .5u
Brandon Jones T5 (-110 via Caesars) vs. Taylor Gray | 1.2u
CRC Brakleen 175 (Truck) Bets on My Card:
Corey Heim Outright (+200 via ESPN BET) | 2u
Ross Chastain T5 (-125 via Caesars) | 1.2u
Ty Majeski (+100 via BetRivers) vs. Rajah Caruth | 1.25u
Tail Seth’s Plays on the BP App @Between_SethFF
Seth Woolcock is a featured writer and editor at BettingPros. For more sports betting and fantasy sports analysis from Seth, check out In-Between Media & follow him on X/Twitter @Between_SethFF.