Racing in the streets of Chicago spurs heavy betting action at sportsbooks

Despite the Cup Series venturing into the unknown of the Chicago streets for the inaugural Grant Park 220, betting action – much of it sharp – came early and often at Las Vegas’ Westgate SuperBook, the first sportsbook each week to hang NASCAR odds. “For a race that has no history behind it, I'm shocked at the action we've had so far,” Ed Salmons, the SuperBook’s vice president of risk management, said Tuesday of the bets the book had written across the eight states in which it operates. Heading into the weekend, Chase Elliott sits atop the oddsboard, his familiar residence for road course races. A sharp bettor in Arizona played Elliott at Salmons’ +700 opener, prompting an adjustment to +500 before the No. 9 Chevrolet was nudged back up to +550. Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick also drew early wagering interest, and professional money induced significant moves on the SuperBook oddsboard for Kyle Busch (from +1400 to +1000), AJ Allmendinger (+1400 to +900), and William Byron (+1600 to +1000). “Then we've had some sprinkles on these [foreign] guys. Whenever they come over, it's automatic, these people bet these guys. So they were betting this Shane van Gisbergen at 100-to-1, down to 60-to-1,” Salmons said “Little bit of money on Jenson Button. Good luck. He was 200 (to 1), now he's 100.” CHICAGO: Full weekend schedule | Buy tickets, see more info Here is a partial list of drivers’ odds to win Sunday’s Chicago Street Race from three sportsbooks – the SuperBook and NASCAR partners Barstool at BetMGM: [table id=61 /] Does uncertainty translate into opportunity? Some bettors are staying away from the Chicago Street Race (“I wouldn’t know where to begin,” says one pro gambler), or at least proceeding with caution (“my card will be much lighter on Sunday than typical races simply due to the lack of historical data,” said Action Network’s PJ Walsh). Others see the uncertainty as opportunity. “I'm very interested in [brand-new races on unique layouts],” said Blake Phillips, a sharp NASCAR bettor.  “It's really difficult for anybody to have a good expectation of what's going to happen because none of these drivers have ever raced there before. “The sportsbooks don't know, either. So anytime there's general uncertainty, your job as a bettor is not to be right, but to be a little bit less wrong than the sportsbooks. You have the advantage of being able to pick and choose; sportsbooks don't. They have to hang a line for everything.” While Phillips says he’ll place most of his action after he gathers information from Saturday’s qualifying and practice sessions, he does have a few drivers circled, including the favorite as a candidate to fade. Elliott’s reputation as an excellent road course racer naturally leads to his short price – too short, in Phillips’ mind. “When you're putting so much emphasis on one driver, that creates value,” he said. “I just don’t see Chase Elliott dominating this weekend. “It could happen, and I'm prepared to put my foot in my mouth, but I like to see these kinds of races where books are leaning so heavily on a driver that has a reputation,” Phillips continued, “because there's a lot of opportunities for that to not pan out.” Instead, Phillips, whose bread is buttered with matchup bets rather than in the outright market, is giving strong looks to drivers with the ability to adjust to the uncertainty. Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Tyler Reddick are on his radar. RELATED: Supercars star van Gisbergen set for debut NASCAR’s kind of town Salmons expects Sunday’s Grant Park 220 (5:30 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock) to be a well-bet event because of several factors: top drivers with big potential payouts, the excitement of the inaugural Chicago Street Race, and its placement during a slow time on the sports calendar. “I think this race will write decent money just because [bettors think they can get lucky on a longshot],” Salmons said, “and it's pretty exciting running through a city like this.” With the green flag dropping Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, the race doesn’t face much competition from other sports. Salmons witnessed something similar last weekend. “The Nashville race started at 4:00 (in Vegas), 7:00 East Coast time. That was great for handle,” he said. “Two hours before the race, it was just nonstop NASCAR betting.” With just one baseball game on, plus a USFL game, “NASCAR took the front-center stage as far as betting, which was great to see.” Marcus DiNitto is Managing Editor at Gaming Today. He’s been covering sports business for 25 years and sports betting for 12. NASCAR is among the many sports Marcus enjoys betting but often loses on. Follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.