William Byron took advantage of the bad weather Sunday night.
Byron rallied from a poor start to earn his circuit-best fourth win during the rain-shortened Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart.
With Cup drivers putting on an early show at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Byron made contact with Corey LaJoie on Lap 80 and fell back to P36. Over the next 165 laps, however, Byron fought back to take the lead, aided by his driving skill and his crew chief’s strategy.
“It was awesome,” Byron told NBC Sports. “I felt like the first stage was really fun.
“I was certainly edgy back in traffic, but (crew chief) Rudy (Fugle) made a good call, and we got it towards the front, and sometimes that’s what it takes.”
Not only did Byron earn a trip to Victory Lane, he also moved to the front of the points standings, leading Martin Truex Jr. by 21 points.
Is Byron evolving into the next Cup star?
Below, we’ll preview the top storylines heading into Sunday’s Crayon 301, go over the odds, and give our best bets for the 20th race on the NASCAR calendar.
The insane streak of William Byron never winning with the same paint scheme twice miraculously continues. All 8 paint schemes have been different, despite how similar the Homestead and 2023 Atlanta cars are pic.twitter.com/EuQDJ1uX3C
— Texachev (@Texachev1) July 10, 2023
2023 Crayon 301 Storylines
- Chase Elliott was not much of a factor at Atlanta and remains winless this season, lowlighted by injury and suspension. Is time running out on the 2020 Cup champion?
- Daniel Suarez placed a season-best P2 at Atlanta and moved into 15th place in the points standings. Can he continue to hold on to a playoff spot?
- Bubba Wallace’s “secret” prevented him from making a qualifying run at Atlanta. His Quaker State 400 performance certainly wasn’t low-key. Neither was the fact he’s three points out of the playoff picture.
Frustrated @BubbaWallace doesn’t get to run a qualifying lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway due to issue that he says is a “secret.” pic.twitter.com/9yC5xEssSQ
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) July 8, 2023
Crayon 301 Driver Odds
Here is an early look at the top drivers’ odds from one of the top online sportsbooks:
| NASCAR Drivers | Quaker State 400 Odds | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Bell | +550 |  |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +650 | |
| Denny Hamlin | +700 | |
| Kyle Larson | +900 | |
| Kyle Busch | +900 | |
| Kevin Harvick | +900 | |
| Chase Elliott | +1100 | |
| William Byron | +1200 | |
| Ryan Blaney | +1400 | |
| Joey Logano | +1500 | |
| Tyler Reddick | +1800 | |
| Ross Chastain | +1800 | |
| Brad Keselowski | +2200 | |
| Aric Almirola | +2200 | |
| Bubba Wallace | +2800 | |
| Daniel Suarez | +3500 | |
| Alex Bowman | +4500 | |
| Ty Gibbs | +5000 | |
| Ryan Preece | +5500 | |
| Chris Buescher | +6500 | |
| Chase Briscoe | +7000 | |
| Erik Jones | +10000 | |
| Austin Dillon | +10000 | |
| AJ Allmendinger | +10000 | |
| Austin Cindric | +15000 | |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +25000 | |
| Michael McDowell | +25000 | |
| Justin Haley | +25000 | |
| Harrison Burton | +30000 | |
| Cole Custer | +50000 | |
| Ryan Newman | +100000 | |
* Odds current at time of publication
Crayon 301 Predictions and Picks
Here are our best NASCAR bets for the Crayon 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
Christopher Bell (+550)
Favored to win Sunday’s Crayon 301 at the 1.058-mile track, Bell is scheduled to take part in NASCAR’s new splitter tests at New Hampshire next Monday and Tuesday. With the tests aiming to improve short-track racing, Bell was one of the officials’ top picks to collect data.
Kevin Harvick (+900)
The 2014 Cup series champion has captured 60 career races. As a youngster, he developed his driving skills on short tracks in California. A retiring Harvick needs a proper career sendoff. New Hampshire knows how to throw a party.
Ty Gibbs (+5000)
Now that Gibbs has fallen out of the playoffs race, it’s time to see what the rookie is made of. New Hampshire fits his aggressive driving style and he needs a win. Desperately.
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