NASCAR Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 odds, favorites for Texas Motor Speedway

The NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 begins this weekend and the odds for Texas are out. We have a pair of championship favorites at the top. Another intermediate track, but Texas Motor Speedway is unlike any other track on the schedule. Also, this race is 400 miles, not 500 miles as it has been in the past.

In fact, this is a track that drivers and fans both have come to loathe at times. It is great when your driver wins, but at times, the racing is lacking. However, we’ve seen how this Next Gen car performs on 1.5-mile tracks, it’s great. Also, tire wear should, hopefully, be a factor this week.

There is a new right-side tire compound due to the excessive blowouts a year ago. Goodyear brought a new tire, they tested it earlier this year and we will see how it performs on Sunday.

Ahead of practice and qualifying, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are at the top of the NASCAR odds at Texas. Larson and Hamlin seem to be on a collision course for the championship race. At 9-2 odds, according to BetMGM, the two will try to pick up their second wins of the postseason and lock themselves into the Round of 8 early at Texas.

However, drivers like William Byron (7-1), Martin Truex Jr. (8-1), and last year’s winner Tyler Reddick (8-1) will try to prevent that from happening. In that top-5 group, a couple have to prove they can get back into mid-season form.

Truex Jr. almost got eliminated last round. As for Byron, I’m not sure he has what it takes, despite five wins on the season.

NASCAR odds for Round of 12 at Texas

Those five drivers above are all in the Round of 12 battle. Larson, Hamlin, and Reddick all had wins last round. So, let’s take a look at the rest of the playoff drivers remaining in the field.

Christopher Bell enters this weekend after earning three straight pole awards. Is he going to do it again this Sunday? At 11-1 odds, he is one to watch. His car just doesn’t have that long-run speed it needs at times to compete.

Then you have Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch at 12-1 odds. Blaney and Busch have won at Texas in the past. I like Blaney in this round a lot, he makes his 300th career Cup Series start on Sunday. I think he gets a win or at least a pair of top-5s to propel him to the Round of 8.

Chris Buescher (15-1) and Brad Keselowski (16-1) are the story of the season. If Brad can get it done and break his winless streak at Texas, it will be a storybook season for RFK. Speaking of breakout seasons – with how well he’s done on the 1.5-mile ovals this season, Bubba Wallace gets 18-1 odds for this race. He even leads Ross Chastain (22-1), who won at Nashville this season.

Is there a path for either of these drivers to make the Round of 12?