NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott is making too many mistakes.
The 2020 series champion appeared to have a machine capable of challenging for a top-five finish last Sunday at Circuit of The Americas. Instead, Elliott was black-flagged during the esses and served the pass-through penalty. He later lost more time after spinning out.
The NextGen era has been tough on the 28-year-old driver. After suffering a snowboarding incident and incurring a one-race suspension last season, Elliott has endured a slow start in 2024. He only has one top-10 finish in six outings and has not visited Victory Lane since October 2022.
Can he break the skid at Richmond Raceway on Sunday night?
He hasn’t yet. His best career finish at the short track was P2 in 2018.
Below, we’ll preview the top storylines heading into Sunday night’s Toyota Owners 400, go over the odds, and give our best bets for the seventh race on the 2024 NASCAR schedule.
Thank you @chaseelliott pic.twitter.com/NF21FlZhH8
— Tanner Light (@TannerLight1) March 25, 2024
Toyota Owners 400 Storylines
- William Byron, the lone Cup driver with multiple trips to Victory Lane, will attempt to win back-to-back races at contrasting venues. Last week, he dominated at COTA’s road course. Can he adjust and win again on a short track?
- Tyler Reddick, who has three top-10s in six outings this season, seeks to breakthrough at Richmond. In seven starts, his best performance came in 2020 (P11).
- A Winston Cup-era winner at Richmond, Ryan Newman will return as a 46-year-old driver on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. It marks the fourth straight year Newman will compete in Friday night’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150.
Ryan Newman won the 2017 Camping World 500 at Phoenix seven years ago today. 🏁
It was his final Cup series win. #Rocketman 🚀🏁 pic.twitter.com/rvm09IJefb
— NASCAR Legends (@LegendsNascar) March 20, 2024
Toyota Owners 400 Driver Odds
Here is an early look at the drivers’ odds for the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:
| Driver | NASCAR Cup Series’ Toyota Owners 400 | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Denny Hamlin | +450 |  |
| Christopher Bell | +450 | |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +650 | |
| Kyle Larson | +950 | |
| Ty Gibbs | +950 | |
| William Byron | +1100 | |
| Chris Buescher | +1200 | |
| Brad Keselowski | +1200 | |
| Ryan Blaney | +1400 | |
| Kyle Busch | +1400 | |
| Tyler Reddick | +1600 | |
| Chase Elliott | +1800 | |
| Ross Chastain | +2000 | |
| Joey Logano | +2200 | |
| Bubba Wallace | +4000 | |
| Alex Bowman | +5000 | |
| Josh Berry | +6600 | |
| Chase Briscoe | +6600 | |
| John Hunter Nemechek | +6600 | |
| Michael McDowell | +6600 | |
| Daniel Suarez | +8000 | |
| Erik Jones | +10000 | |
| Austin Dillon | +10000 | |
| Ryan Preece | +10000 | |
| Austin Cindric | +10000 | |
| Carson Hocevar | +10000 | |
| Noah Gragson | +10000 | |
| Corey LaJoie | +20000 | |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +30000 | |
| Todd Gilliland | +30000 | |
| Zane Smith | +50000 | |
| Justin Haley | +50000 | |
| Ty Dillon | +50000 | |
| Daniel Hemric | +100000 | |
| Kaz Grala | +1000000 | |
*Odds current at time of publication
Toyota Owners 400 Predictions and Picks
Here are our best NASCAR bets for the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway:
Denny Hamlin (+450)
With the playoffs clinched after winning at Bristol two weeks ago, Hamlin, the event’s odds-on favorite, returns to short-track racing at a facility where he has compiled 22 top-10 finishes in 34 career appearances at the .75-mile asphalt oval track.
Kyle Larson (+950)
Last spring’s winner at Richmond, Larson, who won at Las Vegas earlier this season, has registered 10 top-10s in 18 career events at Richmond.
Kyle Busch (+1400)
With six wins, 19 top-fives and 28 top-10s in 36 races at Richmond, Busch could be in a position to to break his recent slump, placing P22 or worse in three consecutive outings. His frustrations were evident at COTA.
“Kyle is just frustrated with the way that the start of the year has gone.” @KevinHarvick on the incident between Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell at COTA. @KaitlynVincie | @MambaSmith34 | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/7d4mH9J96f
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) March 28, 2024
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