Entering Turn 4 on the final lap of Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Cup Series champion Michael McDowell led the field after receiving pushes from fellow Ford drivers Brad Keselowski and Noah Gragson.
Within view of the start/finish line, McDowell, who started on the pole, attempted to block Keselowski and he lost control of his machine, crashing out and placing P31. Tyler Reddick took advantage of the mele and earned the checkered flag.
McDowell, who has just two wins in 475 career Cup starts, suffered another setback.
“Heartbroken, man,” McDowell said, as reported by NASCAR.com. “It’s super unfortunate. So disappointed. Yeah, you just want to get to the finish line there, and we had an opportunity to win the race. And I haven’t seen the replay and I’m just going off of what I felt and saw. I’ve moved up to block Brad’s run, and when I pulled back down, I just, just wasn’t clear, you know? Barely got my bumper and turned me, you know, but just unfortunate because we had a good chance of getting the Dark Horse Mustang in Victory Lane.”
Below, we’ll preview the top storylines heading into Sunday’s Würth 400, go over the odds, and give our best bets for the 11th race on the 2024 NASCAR schedule.
What a win for Tyler Reddick, feel for Michael McDowell, he was so close to winning at Dega #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/mY0RpHkaQE
— Purg_Sports (@Joey_Purg) April 21, 2024
Würth 400 Storylines
- Can the Truex clan pull off another double-play? Last year, Martin Truex Jr. led all but one of the final 69 laps to capture the Cup race after his brother, Ryan, claimed the Xfinity Series event.
- After a P26 at Talladega, Kyle Busch’s slump continues, posting five finishes of 20th or worse in his past eight outings. The two-time Cup champion ranks No. 17 in the regular-season standings, 12 points out of the final playoff spot.
- Anthony Alfredo is coming off a career-best weekend, placing P6 in the Cup event and equaling his top Xfinity Series finish (P3). How close is the fourth-year driver to finally earning his first national series win?
Unloading in Dega. 😎@dudewipes | @anthonyalfredo pic.twitter.com/wqOyLVLuex
— Beard Motorsports (@BeardOil62) April 19, 2024
Würth 400 Driver Odds
Here is an early look at the drivers’ odds for the Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:
| Driver | NASCAR Cup Series’ Würth 400 Odds |
Play |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +450 |  |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +675 | |
| Denny Hamlin | +800 | |
| William Byron | +800 | |
| Ross Chastain | +800 | |
| Christopher Bell | +1000 | |
| Chase Elliott | +1200 | |
| Ryan Blaney | +1200 | |
| Ty Gibbs | +1600 | |
| Alex Bowman | +1600 | |
| Tyler Reddick | +1800 | |
| Kyle Busch | +1800 | |
| Chris Buescher | +2000 | |
| Joey Logano | +2200 | |
| Brad Keselowski | +2200 | |
| Bubba Wallace | +3300 | |
| Josh Berry | +5000 | |
| Chase Briscoe | +5000 | |
| Daniel Suarez | +8000 | |
| Erik Jones | +8000 | |
| Noah Gragson | +10000 | |
| Michael McDowell | +10000 | |
| Carson Hocevar | +10000 | |
| John Hunter Nemechek | +10000 | |
| Ryan Preece | +10000 | |
| Austin Dillon | +10000 | |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +10000 | |
| Jimmie Johnson | +10000 | |
| Austin Cindric | +15000 | |
| AJ Allmendinger | +15000 | |
| Corey LaJoie | +20000 | |
| Justin Haley | +20000 | |
| Todd Gilliland | +25000 | |
| Zane Smith | +25000 | |
| Harrison Burton | +50000 | |
| Daniel Hemric | +50000 | |
| Kaz Grala | +100000 | |
*Odds current at time of publication
Würth 400 Predictions and Picks
Here are our best NASCAR bets for the Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway:
Kyle Larson (+450)
The regular-season points leader started from the rear at Talladega because of a qualifying snafu. With one win and 11 top-10s in 15 career outings at Dover, it’s a good place for Larson, the odds-on favorite, to rebound.
Tyler Reddick (+1800)
Reddick has proven he can win on road course and now superspeedways. With five consecutive top-10s, his team looks primed to conquer the Monster Mile.
Brad Keselowski (+2200)
With back-to-back P2s, Keselowski appears close to ending his prolonged winless skid. Ford, which has yet to record a win in its newly designed Mustang Dark Horse, needs the owner/driver to come through – fast.
Tyler Reddick’s reaction to winning the 2024 GEICO 500 @ Talladega. pic.twitter.com/bhW5ZURD2G
— Andrew (@Basso488) April 22, 2024
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