The NASCAR Cup Series season is nearing its halfway point, and after a trip to Mexico City last week, the action pivots to the “Tricky Triangle” at Pocono for today’s Great American Getaway 400 (2:00 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video). Who will take the win in the 17th race of the season? Read on for Pocono predictions and picks.
Bet on NASCAR Odds at BetOnline and Bovada
If you like to bet on NASCAR odds each week, look no further than BetOnline and Bovada.
Both of these sites offer odds on NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series races, and you can also find series championship odds at both sites.
Why do we recommend both books instead of just one? Line shopping is a valuable part of successful sports betting, and one book may have a better number for one driver, while the other book may have a better number for another driver, so both can be useful on race day.
Additionally, line movement may occur at different times at different books. Therefore, you may get a more favorable line at one book over the other depending on the timing. Use these books in a cooperative manner to maximize your value and chances of success with NASCAR betting.
If you would like to learn more about these sports betting sites and the sportsbook bonuses you can get at them to bet on the Great American Getaway 400 and other NASCAR races, we have in-depth sportsbook reviews for each of them and several other top online sportsbooks.
Will Returning Hamlin Secure In-Season Challenge Top Seed?
Next week, the bracket portion of the new NASCAR In-Season Challenge will kick off with the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Saturday’s race will be the first of five In-Season Challenge races, followed by the Grant Park 165 (the Chicago street race), Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma), Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 (Dover), and Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis).
The winner of the In-Season Challenge, which will feature a March Madness-style single elimination bracket, will receive $1 million.
Today’s Great American Getaway 400 is the last of three seeding races for the tournament, with seeds determined by each eligible driver’s best finishes at Michigan, Mexico City, and Pocono (with the second-best finish as the top tiebreaker).
Though he missed last week’s Viva Mexico 250 due to the birth of his son, Denny Hamlin is currently penciled in as the #1 seed thanks to his win at Michigan and the ineligibility of Mexico City winner Shane van Gisbergen.
Hamlin can lock up that top seed at Pocono, which is like a second home to him. Hamlin’s seven Cup Series wins at Pocono are more than any other driver, and after taking pole for the Great American Getaway 400, an eighth is in his sights.
Odds to Win the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Great American Getaway 400
Odds are courtesy of Bovada.
- Denny Hamlin +300
- Ryan Blaney +800
- Tyler Reddick +800
- Christopher Bell +900
- Kyle Larson +900
- William Byron +1100
- Chris Buescher +1200
- Brad Keselowski +1800
- Carson Hocevar +1800
- Ty Gibbs +2000
- Chase Briscoe +2200
- Chase Elliott +2200
- Joey Logano +2800
- Bubba Wallace +3500
- Ross Chastain +3500
- Alex Bowman +4000
- Erik Jones +4000
- Austin Cindric +4500
- Kyle Busch +4500
- Cole Custer +6600
- John Hunter Nemechek +6600
- Daniel Suarez +8000
- Ryan Preece +8000
- Josh Berry +10000
- Noah Gragson +10000
Great American Getaway 400 Predictions and Picks
Chase Elliott to finish in the top ten (-125 at Bovada)
Elliott has yet to win this season, but he has been the picture of consistency, finishing in the top 20 in every single race and 15th or better in 13 of 16 races.
He’s converted that consistency into only seven top-ten finishes, whereas the three drivers ahead of him in the standings all have double-digit top tens. But he has run well at Pocono recently, and after finishing fourth in yesterday’s Xfinity Series race, he should round off a solid weekend with a good Cup Series showing.
It is worth noting that in his other instance of double duty this season, he followed up a top-five Xfinity Series finish at Darlington with a top-ten finish in the Cup Series race there.
Chris Buescher to finish in the top five (+175 at Bovada)
Buescher, who finished second at Michigan, is battling for the top seed in the In-Season Challenge. With a win, he would be the top seed even if Hamlin were to finish second, because Hamlin did not race in Mexico City.
Buescher, whose first career Cup Series win came at Pocono in 2016, will start on the front row with Hamlin, and beyond the stakes of the In-Season Challenge, he is currently 13th in points with three drivers behind him all owning wins (Cindric – 15th, Berry – 19th, SVG – 30th). He needs to push for wins and at the very least keep churning out strong results, and he will this week.
Kyle Larson to finish in the top five (+175 at Bovada)
Larson finished 36th in Mexico City after a lap 7 crash caused by Kyle Busch, which saw him drop 67 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron in the regular season championship race. But look for him to bounce back at the Great American Getaway 400 even though he will start 24th.
His Viva Mexico 250 result was his fourth finish of 30th or worse this season. In the race following each of the first three instances, he had an improvement of 29 spots (32nd at Circuit of the Americas to third at Phoenix), 36 spots (37th at Darlington to first at Bristol), and 29 spots (37th at Charlotte to eighth at Nashville). That puts a push for the top five well within his reach, and at these odds, the value is there.
Denny Hamlin to win the Great American Getaway 400
It has been a while since there was a winner pick for a Cup Series race, as the focus has been on value and not just picking a race winner just to pick a race winner. But this is a spot where the race winner pick is also a high-value pick. He’s the winningest driver at Pocono, he’s the polesitter for today’s race, and his recent performances there could not be much better.
These are Hamlin’s results in the last six editions of this race:
- 2019: 1st
- 2020: 1st
- 2021: 17th (led on the penultimate lap but was short on fuel)
- 2022: disqualified after winning the race
- 2023: 1st
- 2024: 2nd
If you don’t feel compelled to back Hamlin for the win, a top-three finish is evens at Bovada, which is also excellent value given his success at Pocono.
Other NASCAR Betting Content
Did you enjoy this Great American Getaway 400 breakdown? Throughout the season, you can find predictions, picks, and expert NASCAR betting insight for many Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series races, as well as updates on the latest championship odds.
Are you new to betting on NASCAR? Check out our NASCAR betting guide to get your knowledge up to speed before you bet on the upcoming action.
In addition to our dedicated betting guide, several of our sports betting guides are useful for wagering on NASCAR odds. That includes our guide to golf finishing position bets, which are similar in scope and approach to NASCAR finishing position bets.