Credit One Bank unveils new NASCAR American Express with exclusive benefits for racing fans

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (“NASCAR”) and Credit One Bank^® are kicking off the 2022 racing season with the launch of a new credit card designed for the ultimate race fan, the Credit One Bank NASCAR® American Express® Card.

Credit One Bank and NASCAR, who recently extended their multi-year sponsorship, have designated American Express as the new payment network for the co-branded credit card. Credit One Bank has served as an Official Partner and issuer of co-branded credit cards for NASCAR since 2016 while American Express joins as the Official Credit Card Payment Network of NASCAR starting with the 2022 racing season.

“Helping our customers access more of what they love is a tenet of everything we do,” said Mamta Kapoor, Head of American Express and NASCAR Partnership Marketing at Credit One Bank. “NASCAR has some of the most passionate fans in the world. We are proud to continue to give those superfans unique opportunities to earn cash back rewards while gaining access to exclusive experiences with their new Credit One Bank NASCAR American Express Card.”

In celebration of the partnership and new card launch, a Credit One Bank and American Express-themed pace car will be present on the race track during the historic Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this weekend.

“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Credit One Bank with the addition of this new card for NASCAR fans on the American Express Network,” said William Stredwick, Senior Vice President, Global Network Services, American Express. “This partnership extends our brand, giving more customers access to the benefits, offers and protections of American Express.”

The Credit One Bank NASCAR American Express Card offers fan-focused benefits* including:

Discounts on select NASCAR race experiences: tickets, parking, merchants, and more
Free access to NASCAR Scanner for the 2022 race season (via Desktop or NASCAR mobile)
Opportunities to win tickets to races with VIP treatment
Cash back rewards on everyday spend categories

Card Members can also enjoy a wide range of unique discounts from leading brands through Amex Offers, early access to concert and event tickets from American Express Experiences, and additional benefits offered by American Express partners, including Retail & Return Protection, Travel Accident Insurance, and Extended Warranty Coverage.

“Announcing this new partnership with American Express and a multi-year renewal with long-time partner Credit One Bank continues building on the NASCAR fan experience,” said Michelle Byron, Vice President of Partnership Marketing, NASCAR. “We’re giving fans unique ways to experience the sport and show their support for brands that celebrate the best racing in the world.”

For more information about the Credit One Bank NASCAR American Express Card as well as terms and conditions, visit CreditOneBank.com/NASCAR.

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Staff Report

Chase Elliott topped the Busch Light Clash practice leaderboard Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pushing his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a 13.455-second lap at 66.89 mph.

Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford had the second-best time (13.457 seconds, 66.88 mph), while teammate Chase Briscoe was third fastest (13.47 seconds, 66.815 mph) in the No. 14 entry. Justin Haley and Kyle Busch round out the top five, while Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Landon Cassill, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin completed the top-10 performers

The practice field was broken up into three groups of 12 cars apiece. Each group then had three eight-minutes sessions on track over the course of the two-hour practice.

This practice marked the first on-track competitive appearance for NASCAR’s Next Gen car.

Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota set the initial pace in Group 1, turning a lap around the quarter-mile track in 13.835 seconds at 65.052 mph. Bell ended up 20th out of the entire 36-driver field.

Up next for the NASCAR Cup Series is single-car qualifying, also Saturday, at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The main Busch Light Clash event is then Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on FOX after a series of four heat race and two last-chance qualifying races. Learn more about the format here.

Posted on February 4, 2022December 5, 2022 by Zack Albert

LOS ANGELES — Friday was a rare quiet day for a NASCAR weekend. Engine sounds were nearly nil, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum provided a historic backdrop as teams made themselves at home – turning what’s normally a tailgating area into a makeshift garage.

Friday was orientation day ahead of Sunday’s Busch Light Clash (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), a chance for teams, broadcasters and crew to get acquainted with the famed surroundings. Some of the most curious onlookers were the drivers, who loaded in early to walk the grounds and see the temporary quarter-mile track for themselves.

The LA Coliseum has hosted plenty in its nearly 100-year-old lifetime, and it’s a peerless list. But there may be no apples-to-apples comparison for what’s about to happen with Sunday’s season-opening exhibition, one that has come a full revolution from wild idea to closed-course reality and one that could usher in a new era of change.

“We haven’t been calling this a race, we’ve been calling this an event, and that’s what’s different about this weekend versus our traditional weekly races,” said Tony Stewart, a team owner who will join the FOX Sports booth for Sunday’s call. “Different cities, different race tracks … were races. This is an event. This is different. This is not just a race. This is an event at a very special place, a very special venue.

“What’s going to make it a success is if everybody leaves here and feels good about the product and what they saw. The time they were here, if they left here and felt like they were entertained, that’s what’s going to make it a success. It doesn’t have to be 40 passes for the lead, it doesn’t have to be two-wide racing, three-wide racing. If people leave here and they feel good about this event, that is going to make this event a success.”

Friday’s walk-through provided hints that this weekend promises to be far from the routine. The Olympic torch burned bright at the east end of the stadium. Bass-heavy sound checks from race break performer Ice Cube resonated. The LA skyline, San Gabriel Mountains and the Hollywood sign offered iconic long-range scenery.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

The LA Coliseum has hosted motorsports events before – motocross, rallycross and off-road racing to name a sampling. But this endeavor marks something all-new, even though the speedway surface almost seems like it’s in a natural habitat within the coliseum bowl.

“Back in the ’70s and ’80s, we did the Mickey Thompson off-road show, we’ve done rock ‘n’ roll shows, so flipping the field from one event to another isn’t foreign for us at all,” said Joe Furin, the coliseum’s general manager. “If NASCAR can engineer something within these parameters, we’re all in. … From the venue perspective, in some ways, we’ve done what we can do. I think they’re going to put one heck of a show on. I think if you’re sitting up in those stands and when you hear those engines rumbling, you’re not just going to hear it, you’re going to feel it come through the concrete and it’s going to shake you.”

MORE: How the LA Coliseum track was built

Cars will make the track rattle for practice and qualifying Saturday, the initial tune-up for Sunday’s heats and 150-lap main event. Friday offered a quieter time to get familiar with the venue, and for those instrumental in making the track come alive to soak it all in.

“If you think about the window between September when we announced this and Feb. 6, it’s a small window – not only to announce a race and be racing, but then to build a track inside of it, too,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president of strategy and innovation. “As a vision of the team’s and then to actually be able to promote it, build the track and then actually execute it on Sunday will be something really special. I’m really excited and proud of the team for where it’s at today. I’ll be more excited and proud once we drop the checkered flag on Sunday.”

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — 23XI Racing announced Friday the partnership with the iconic and globally recognized Jordan Brand to sponsor the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD team for the 2022 season. With the partnership, Kurt Busch will join team co-owner Denny Hamlin as a Jordan Brand athlete. Jordan Brand will serve as the primary partner on the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for multiple races and as an associate partner for the entire season. In addition to branding on the car, the Jumpman logo will be included on the shoulders and belt of Busch’s fire suit and featured prominently on the back of his black, elephant-print accented helmet.

“Adding Jordan Brand to the No. 45 team and Kurt Busch is a big step for our team,” 23XI Racing President Steve Lauletta said. “As a new team that is continuing to grow, we have the unique opportunity to do things differently as we grow our brand to be one that is identified as more than just a racing team. Partnering with Jordan Brand, which is recognizable around the world, allows us the opportunity to utilize both of our platforms to introduce new fans to our team.”

“The addition of Jordan Brand to the No. 45 team is big and being the second driver in NASCAR alongside Denny as a Jordan Brand athlete is a real honor,” Busch said. “The roster includes athletes that are known for excitement and success and that’s what I intend to bring to the track each weekend. As the 23XI team continues to grow, this partnership will help ensure we reach new audiences and I look forward to an impactful relationship.”

The Jordan Brand will make its debut with Busch and the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD team at the Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022 and will have its first primary race later this season.

Posted on February 4, 2022February 6, 2022 by Staff Report

The NASCAR stars are in Los Angeles, but not every one of them will qualify for Sunday’s Busch Light Clash (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

There are 23 spots for the 150-lap showdown at the quarter-mile track built inside the venerable Los Angeles Coliseum. Drivers will be Advancing to the Clash throughout Sunday via a series of heat races and last-chance qualifying races.

In short: The top four finishers from each of the four heat races (3 p.m. ET, FOX) Sunday advance into the Busch Light Clash. Those who don’t qualify that way will compete later (4:10 p.m. ET, FOX) Sunday in two last-chance qualifiers. The top three finishers in each LCQ race will also advance, for a total of 22 spots (16 from heat races, six from last-chance qualifying races). The final spot is reserved for the driver who finished highest in 2021 points who has not yet qualified.

Follow along for live updates as we’ll post the lineups for the heat races, then the results from both the heat races and last-chance qualifying from the Los Angeles Coliseum, with the final Busch Light Clash starting lineup at the bottom of the page updated in real time.

Note: The heat race lineups were determined by Saturday night’s single-car qualifying speeds.

Qualifying Heat Race No. 1: Results (‘A’ notes driver to advance to The Clash)

Finishing Spot	Car Number	Driver
1	18	Kyle Busch (A)
2	99	Daniel Suarez (A)
3	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (A)
4	12	Ryan Blaney (A)
5	11	Denny Hamlin
6	1	Ross Chastain
7	38	Todd Gilliland
8	10	Aric Almirola
9	78	BJ McLeod

Qualifying Heat Race No. 2: Results (‘A’ notes driver to advance to The Clash)

Finishing Spot	Car Number	Driver
1	8	Tyler Reddick (A)
2	14	Chase Briscoe (A)
3	3	Austin Dillon (A)
4	41	Cole Custer (A)
5	23	Bubba Wallace
6	48	Alex Bowman
7	19	Martin Truex Jr.
8	21	Harrison Burton
9	6	Brad Keselowski

Qualifying Heat Race No. 3: Results (‘A’ notes driver to advance to The Clash)

Finishing Spot	Car Number	Driver
1	31	Justin Haley (A)
2	24	William Byron (A)
3	20	Christopher Bell (A)
4	9	Chase Elliott (A)
5	16	AJ Allmendinger
6	4	Kevin Harvick
7	17	Chris Buescher
8	51	Cody Ware
9	7	Corey LaJoie

Qualifying Heat Race No. 4: Results (‘A’ notes driver to advance to The Clash)

Finishing Spot	Car Number	Driver
1	22	Joey Logano (A)
2	5	Kyle Larson (A)
3	34	Michael McDowell (A)
4	43	Erik Jones (A)
5	2	Austin Cindric
6	15	Ryan Preece
7	45	Kurt Busch
8	77	Landon Cassill
9	42	Ty Dillon

Last-Chance Qualifier Race No. 1: Results (‘A’ notes driver to advance to The Clash)

This lineup was determined by Sunday’s heat races.

Finishing Spot	Car Number	Driver
1	11	Denny Hamlin (A)
2	4	Kevin Harvick (A)
3	16	AJ Allmendinger (A)
4	51	Cody Ware
5	17	Chris Buescher
6	1	Ross Chastain
7	7	Corey LaJoie
8	38	Todd Gilliland
9	78	BJ McLeod
10	10	Aric Almirola

Last-Chance Qualifier Race No. 2: Results (‘A’ notes driver to advance to The Clash)

This lineup was determined by Sunday’s heat races.

Finishing Spot	Car Number	Driver
1	15	Ryan Preece (A)
2	23	Bubba Wallace (A)
3	21	Harrison Burton (A)
4	6	Brad Keselowski
5	2	Austin Cindric
6	77	Landon Cassill
7	42	Ty Dillon
8	45	Kurt Busch
9	48	Alex Bowman
10	19	Martin Truex Jr. (DNS)

Cars advancing to the Busch Light Clash main event (6 p.m. ET):

Starting Spot/Driver	How determined
1 Kyle Busch	Heat Race No. 1 winner
2 Tyler Reddick	Heat Race No. 2 winner
3 Justin Haley	Heat Race No. 3 winner
4 Joey Logano	Heat Race No. 4 winner
5 Daniel Suarez	Heat Race No. 1 second place
6 Chase Briscoe	Heat Race No. 2 second place
7 William Byron	Heat Race No. 3 second place
8 Kyle Larson	Heat Race No. 4 second place
9 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Heat Race No. 1 third place
10 Austin Dillon	Heat Race No. 2 third place
11 Christopher Bell	Heat Race No. 3 third place
12 Michael McDowell	Heat Race No. 4 third place
13 Ryan Blaney	Heat Race No. 1 fourth place
14 Cole Custer	Heat Race No. 2 fourth place
15 Chase Elliott	Heat Race No. 3 fourth place
16 Erik Jones	Heat Race No. 4 fourth place
17 Denny Hamlin	Last Chance Qualifier No. 1 winner
18 Ryan Preece	Last Chance Qualifier No. 2 winner
19 Kevin Harvick	Last Chance Qualifier No. 1 second place
20 Bubba Wallace	Last Chance Qualifier No. 2 second place
21 AJ Allmendinger	Last Chance Qualifier No. 1 third place
22 Harrison Burton	Last Chance Qualifier No. 2 third place
23 Martin Truex Jr.	2021 Points Provisional

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Fancam experience is back for the 2022 Busch Light Clash, giving fans the chance to find themselves in the crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and share it with their friends.

For those who participate and submit an entry in the sweepstakes, Busch Light is giving away two cases of Busch Light per month for a year to one lucky winner (21+).

Through Fancam’s photo technology, a 360-degree, high-resolution image of the Coliseum will allow fans to experience the track layout in a virtual, first-person setting.

Fancam goes live Monday, Feb. 7 after the race, and fans can tag themselves at: https://nascar.fancam.com. Fans can sign up now to be notified via email once Fancam is live.

Can’t attend the race in LA? You can still join in on the fun and see the Coliseum for yourself! NASCAR Fancam participation is offered free of charge and is your chance to see the transformation of the world-class venue with your own eyes.

Don’t forget to tune in to the inaugural Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday Feb. 6 (FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to see who wins the main event.

2022 BUSCH LIGHT® CLASH FAN SCAVENGER. No Purchase Necessary. Open to US residents 21+. Ends 3/7/22. See Official Rules at NASCAR.fancam.com for prize and details. Msg & data rates may apply. Void where prohibited.

Posted on February 4, 2022February 7, 2022 by Staff Report

Emmy-award-winning 100,000 Cameras will be on hand in LA for the inaugural Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Sunday (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM), giving fans a special opportunity during one of NASCAR’s most historic events.

100,000 Cameras, also known as 100K Cams, utilizes the lenses of fans, teams, and other personnel to capture first-hand footage of memorable moments, later turning it into a visual masterpiece. Come race day, fans are encouraged to record their unique Clash at the Coliseum viewing experience wherever they are watching — in person or on television — and upload the videos to social media using the #100KCams hashtag.

A variety of fan-generated content, footage from teams and in-car cameras and live broadcast material will all be consolidated after the race to produce a documentary-style video recapping the 2022 Clash. Don’t miss your chance to contribute!

The premier viewing of 100,000 Cameras: NASCAR Clash Edition will air on FS1 Thursday, Feb. 17 at 10 p.m. ET.

Posted on February 4, 2022April 14, 2023 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Foundation and All Kids Bike discussed Friday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum the organizations’ partnership valued at a quarter of a million dollars that will benefit 50 schools the Los Angeles Unified School District by bringing Kindergarten PE Learn-To-Ride programs.

The programs will be used to help promote cycling, foster overall health and give the children in these programs the chance to “experience the joy of two wheels.” All 50 schools will receive a fleet of 24 Strider Balance Bikes, pedal-conversion kits, helmets, a teacher instruction bike and an eight-lesson curriculum, created for children to learn to ride bikes.

It was fitting the LA Coliseum served as the backdrop Friday, only two days before the first ever Clash at the Coliseum held inside the football stadium. Later on Friday, the two organizations and driver Ross Chastain will include a bike delivery and demonstration at John W. Mack Elementary School, along with a giveaway for two students to receive tickets for Saturday’s Clash at the Coliseum qualifying day.

“The NASCAR Foundation is excited to collaborate for the first time with All Kids Bike,” NASCAR Foundation chairman Mike Helton said in a press release. “Joining forces with programs that have core values similar with our own is invaluable. The Los Angeles market is home to many passionate NASCAR fans and a huge part of our greater racing community. It will be an incredible opportunity to give back and show our commitment to this area.”

All Kids Bike is a national movement led by the Strider Education Foundation with a mission to teach every child in America how to ride a bike in kindergarten PE class. Their Kindergarten PE Program aims to develop spatial awareness, promote confidence, along with mobility, safety and environmental awareness in young children through learning the skills to ride a bike. All Kids Bike has already touched the lives of students in more than 450 different schools across the United States. Through its collaboration with The NASCAR Foundation, the program will now have the opportunity to touch 60,000 young lives, all located in the LA Unified School District.

“We’re excited about this partnership with The NASCAR Foundation,” All Kids Bike founder and board member Ryan McFarland said. “Both organizations seek to improve the lives of children by increasing their health, but there’s the added bonus here of accomplishing that goal by introducing a child to their first vehicle, a bicycle. And as seen time and again, that first vehicle becomes much more than just a bicycle in the imagination of a child, often becoming a fire truck, an airplane or, quite often, a race car. It seems so fitting for us to make this announcement with a speedway as the backdrop.”

Said Los Angeles Unified chief academic officer Alison Yoshimoto-Towery: “The NASCAR Foundation’s donation to All Kids Bike is helping thousands of Los Angeles students get physically fit, become mentally strong and build confidence in life. With the 2028 Olympics coming to Los Angeles, I’d like to see every Kindergartener learn to ride a bicycle through the amazing All Kids Bike program to foster community and global citizenry.”

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. / PORTLAND, Ore. – On Thursday, Team Penske and long-time partner Freightliner, part of Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), made history by using the pre-production, fully-electric Freightliner eCascadia semi-truck to pull a full-sized Team Penske race-car hauler to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before this weekend’s Busch Light Clash event.

The electric semi-truck pulled the trailer from a Penske Truck Leasing (PTL) location in Ontario, California, to the inaugural race at the LA Coliseum as part of Freightliner’s primary sponsorship of the No. 2 Freightliner eCascadia Ford driven by NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender Austin Cindric. The eCascadia will remain on display throughout race weekend to give fans a firsthand look at the battery-electric truck.

“Team Penske has been evolving with Freightliner since 1984,” said Team Penske transportation director Chris Yoder, who oversees 20 Freightliner trucks at the team’s Mooresville, North Carolina, headquarters and piloted the eCascadia during the historic drive. “I think it’s safe to say we’ve operated every model road tractor Freightliner has produced since 1984. Yesterday’s trip with the eCascadia will mark the pinnacle of our partnership. Together we’ve innovated and developed on the ground floor and this trip is symbolic of the next journey we plan to take together, a carbon-neutral future with a focus on sustainability.”

Said DTNA general manager of product strategy and market development Mary Aufdemberg: “At Freightliner, we’re driven to deliver purposeful innovation for our customers and there’s a tremendous sense of pride to see the innovative all-electric Freightliner eCascadia used by our longstanding partners at Team Penske to make racing history. We look forward to cheering them on this weekend.”

The eCascadia used by Team Penske is part of the Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet, which includes 20 battery-electric trucks in operation by PTL and its customers. The fleet began operation in 2019 and was supported by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), which focuses on improving air quality in the South Coast Basin of Southern California and partially funded the project.

“We’re committed to leading our industry in the transition to commercial electric vehicles and providing increasingly more sustainable truck options to our customers,” PTL president Art Vallely said. “We continue to test new and innovative vehicles in our fleet, and we have been impressed with the performance of these Freightliner vehicles.”

To date, PTL has accumulated more than 480,000 miles of use on the trucks, providing DTNA valuable feedback for the final series production coming in late 2022. The two companies share a passion for long-term sustainability and carbon neutrality, making the development process even more meaningful with Team Penske ready to author the next chapter in an incredibly successful partnership on the racetrack.

A leader in global transportation systems, PTL constructed charging infrastructure across six locations in California. Technology partners also involved in this project included Team Penske sponsors such as Shell, Hitachi and Siemens. Currently, PTL operates 10 Freightliner eCascadia day cab tractors and 10 Freightliner eM2 fully electric box trucks running regular routes to customers around Southern California with a focus forward on sustainability.

Cindric and the No. 2 Freightliner eCascadia Ford team kick off the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season Sunday with the inaugural running of the Busch Light Clash, an exhibition run inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on a specially designed and constructed quarter-mile track inside the iconic venue.

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Marcus DiNitto

There’s a tight bunch of drivers atop the oddsboard for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, a testament to the notion that nobody — oddsmakers included — knows what to expect when 23 cars race around the quarter-mile track inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Not only is this the first time the Cup Series has competed on a layout this short, but the Clash also marks the debut of the Next Gen car, throwing another wrench in the handicapping process.

The uncertainty surrounding the Clash, though, is precisely where one sharp NASCAR bettor believes he can find his edges. In fact, he’s putting stats aside and basing his wagers on overreactions he spots in the betting market.

“I don’t think handicapping is really possible for this race,” Blake Phillips told NASCAR.com. “I’m not really going to be betting on projections, but more on uncertainty. I’m more interested in the fact that I don’t think anyone really has any idea what’s going to happen. So when I notice what appears to be a strong opinion in the market, a lot of times I’m going to fade that.”

While betting the outright market (the driver to win the race) is “a little bit of a fool’s errand” on Sunday, he said, Phillips will try to pick off value in matchups (betting one driver to finish ahead of another).

“It’s going to be a purely exploitative strategy, similar to what I’m going to do on superspeedway tracks, anywhere where there’s a lot of randomness involved,” Phillips said. “I’m going to be looking for areas where I can exploit randomness. I just truly don’t think that anybody has a handle on what’s going to happen this weekend. So the books have an unenviable position of having to put a price on it, and I have the enviable position of being able to pick and choose if any of ’em look good to me.”

Hint: Look for underdogs in the matchups.

Modeling Randomness

Like every other observer of the sport, Jim Sannes — a quantitative NASCAR betting and fantasy analyst at numberFire — expects the unexpected come Sunday. He believes he can adjust his model to account for it, however, and that he’s found some value on the oddsboard.

“I’m running (race simulations) as if it were a higher-variance, short, flat track. In other words, I’m taking a model similar to what I’d use for Richmond and Phoenix and jacking up the volatility within it,” Sannes said in direct message. “This likely would have been the case, anyway, given that it’s a new car, but once you add in that it’s a brand new track with heat races that aren’t set yet, it kind of necessitates making things a bit more unpredictable.”

Ryan Blaney wins 9.6% of Sannes’ sims, which translates to odds of +941. Christopher Bell projects to have a 6.2% chance of taking the checkers at the Coliseum, equivalent to +1512. Based on those projections and the odds below and elsewhere, Blaney and Bell are solid plays in the outright market.

DRIVER	Barstool	BetMGM	DraftKings
Chase Elliott	+600	+600	+650
Kyle Larson	+600	+600	+750
Denny Hamlin	+650	+600	+600
Martin Truex Jr.	+700	+700	+600
Kyle Busch	+800	+800	+800
Ryan Blaney	+1100	+1000	+1200
Joey Logano	+1100	+1000	+750
William Byron	+1300	+1200	+1400
Brad Keselowski	+1600	+2000	+1800
Christopher Bell	+2000	+1800	+2000
Kevin Harvick	+2000	+1600	+1800
Alex Bowman	+2200	+2000	+1800
Kurt Busch	+2500	+2500	+2500
Austin Cindric	+2800	+3300	+4000
Aric Almirola	+4000	+4000	+4500
Ross Chastain	+4000	+4000	+7000
Tyler Reddick	+4000	+3300	+4000
AJ Allmendinger	+5000	+8000	+8000

“I’m very on board with the Blaney and Bell love,” Sannes continued, “… Blaney (+1300 at FanDuel) always runs well in Martinsville and Phoenix, which helps me get into him here. And Bell’s strength dating back to the Xfinity Series on this track type helps a bunch for me, too. Add in that he’s more experienced with heats and such, and I actually do think he’s very much worth an outright bet at +2400 (at FanDuel).”

While Sannes’ numbers also show value on Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, +600 feels too short for any driver in this race and concern about “adaptability for an older driver” is enough to stay away from the No. 4.

Should bettors learn from practice and qualifying before firing?

Sunday’s Busch Light Clash is preceded by a practice session and single-car qualifying Saturday, and four qualifying heat races plus two last-chance qualifiers on race day. While the NASCAR betting market tends to adjust to data gleaned from practice and qualifying, Phillips is dubious about what handicappers can take from the preliminary events this weekend at the Coliseum.

From a betting perspective, “I don’t honestly know how much we’re gonna learn from practice and qualifying,” Phillips said. “The shortened practice and qualifying sessions I don’t think are going be as informative as the previous longer sessions, where you have drivers go out for really long runs and you might get 20-lap average data.”

Sannes, though, plans to re-run his simulations after practice and qualifying in an effort to extract additional betting value, particularly as race teams adjust to the Next Gen car.

“My model gets stronger if I include practice and qualifying data,” he said. “That’s less true for Daytona, but I do still think the single-lap speeds for qualifying there are interesting because having more speed gives you more navigation power. But for the Clash and the non-superspeedways earlier in the year, it’ll be really nice to have the extra data to add in given the uncertainty of the new car.”

Marcus DiNitto is Senior News Editor at Gaming Today. He’s been covering sports business for 24 years and sports betting for 11. NASCAR is among the many sports Marcus enjoys betting but often loses on. Follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.