Jockey Made in America 250 (Cup Series) Predictions, Picks & Odds

• Look to double-duty drivers to find a winning combination at Road America.
• We have a Kyle Larson prop that as close to a sure thing as you can get.
• Want a sleeper for the Cup race? Former Road America winner Christopher Bell.

Sixty-five years ago, Tim Flock dusted the rest of the field in the only NASCAR Cup Series race ever held at Road America—until this year.

Drivers in NASCAR’s premier series will race on Sunday at the 4.048-mile road course that winds through the countryside in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.

Sunday’s Jockey Made in America 250 will be contested over 62 laps (250.976 miles), with stage breaks scheduled after 14 and 29 laps.

How to Watch Jockey Made in America 250

Double-Duty Drivers Should Have an Edge in Road America Inaugural

Pencil in Kyle Busch as a potential winner in Sunday’s Jockey Made in America 250 at Road America. Busch will get plenty of seat time throughout the weekend, and that will pay dividends in the NASCAR Cup Series race.

Busch (+800 via DraftKings Sportsbook) is running Saturday’s Henry 180 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, and he’ll get practice and qualifying reps in both series. Busch has never raced at Road America, but he has a penchant for scoring “firsts” in NASCAR, which is sending its premier series to the 4.048-mile road course for the first time in 65 years.

Full-time Xfinity Series driver and road course ace AJ Allmendinger (+2500) also will compete in both weekend races. Allmendinger won an Xfinity race at Road America in 2013, finished second to Austin Cindric last year and won a Champ Car event at the track in 2006. He’ll be a threat.

Cindric (+4000) and Kevin Harvick (+3000) also will run both races, as will Justin Haley (+100000), who crashed hard in last Sunday’s Xfinity Series race at Pocono and sat out the Cup event later that afternoon.

But Busch and Allmendinger are the double-duty drivers with the strongest chance to win at Road America.

There’s No Sure Thing, But This Prop Involving Kyle Larson Is Close

Consider this: in his last eight NASCAR Cup Series points races, Kyle Larson has won three times and finished second four times.

In his only non-podium result, Larson was leading on the final lap at Pocono and heading for a fourth straight Cup win last Saturday when his left front tire went flat. Larson hit the wall in the last corner but still finished ninth.

A day later, he was runner-up to Kyle Busch in the second leg of the weekend doubleheader at the Tricky Triangle.

The bottom line is that, barring calamity, Larson probably will finish either first or second at Road America on Sunday. Remember that he already has a road course win to his credit this season, at Sonoma.

So betting on Larson to finish in the top three on Sunday (+100 via DraftKings Sportsbook) seems like a no-brainer. Even a “disappointing” third will get the job done.

Former Road America Winner Christopher Bell Could Be a Surprise

Christopher Bell has special fondness for Road America—and for good reason. Before moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series, he won an Xfinity race there in 2019.

For a driver who grew up racing sprint cars and midgets on dirt, Bell has adapted well to road course racing.

We’re not saying the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is likely to win on Sunday, but he’s +140 to finish in the top 10, and that’s a bet we can live with. After all, he was the surprise winner at the Daytona Road Course in the second race of the 2021 season.

Overall, Bell’s road course record in the Cup Series hasn’t matched his results in Xfinity, but he’s learning, and Road America suits his style.