Hollywood Casino 400 Predictions, Picks, Betting Odds (Cup Series)

• OK, we concede. Kyle Larson is the last driver you should bet against at Kansas.
• Joey Logano needs a “Hail Mary” in one of the next two Cup Playoff races.
• William Byron can rival Kyle Larson in speed, but he’s not the closer Larson is.

Hollywood Casino 400 Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook

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NASCAR Cup Series drivers are headed for Kansas Speedway for the second race in the Round of 8 of the Playoff in the sport’s top division.

This is the round in which the field of eight drivers will be trimmed to the Championship 4 after the upcoming events at Kansas and Martinsville (Oct. 31). The final four drivers will compete for the series title on Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway.

Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 will be contested over 267 laps (400.5 miles), with stage breaks scheduled after 80 and 160 laps. Joey Logano is the defending winner of the race.

Hollywood Casino 400 Predictions

After Convincing Victory at Texas, Kyle Larson Is Our Favorite to Win Again

We’re convinced. We didn’t have Kyle Larson last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, figuring some of the other teams in the garage had made inroads into the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team’s superiority.

We were wrong. Larson led 256 of the 334 laps in the Lone Star State and picked up his eighth victory of the year. He also earned an automatic transfer spot into the Championship 4 race at Phoenix.

This week, we won’t make the mistake of discounting Larson’s chances. We concede that he is unparalleled on the 550-horsepower intermediate speedways.

So even though you won’t get rich betting on the favorite, we’re backing Larson this week at +240. Having secured a spot in the final race, he can race with abandon at Kansas, and that makes him doubly dangerous.

Oh, and by the way, Larson is starting from the pole.

After Engine Failure at Texas, Joey Logano Needs a “Hail Mary”

Last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, things went from bad to worse for Joey Logano. In the first two stages of the 500-mile race, he failed to score a point.

The coup de grace came on Lap 298 when the engine in Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford exploded. It was the first engine failure for Logano since 2014.

The resulting 30th-place finish left Logano eighth (last) on the Playoff grid, 43 points below fourth-place Kyle Busch in the final transfer position. Realistically, Logano needs to win either at Kansas or Oct. 31 at Martinsville to advance to the title race.

It won’t happen on Sunday. Even though Logano has three victories in 24 starts at Kansas—including last year’s Playoff race—he’s not going to win the Hollywood Casino 400. You might be tempted to back him at +1400 (DraftKings), but that’s a temptation you should resist.

If You’re Looking for an Alternative to Kyle Larson, Try William Byron

Luck wasn’t with William Byron during this year’s Playoff. He was eliminated from title contention during the Round of 12—but not because he didn’t have speed.

Byron has been fast throughout the Playoff. He just hasn’t had the finishes to go with his strong starts. But last Sunday at Texas, Byron was the only driver in the same zip code as race winner Kyle Larson.

Byron finished second to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, and if you’re looking for an alternative to the meager return Larson affords at Kansas, Byron is available at +900 (DraftKings).

We also like him to finish in the top 3 at +240 as a hedge against Larson winning the race.

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