The NASCAR Cup Series is back after a one-week respite as the drivers head to tricky Talladega Superspeedway for the 2025 Jack Link’s 500 on Sunday, April 27.
The chaotic pack racing that's prevalent at the 2.66-mile oval has shaped this week's NASCAR odds and free betting picks. See which drivers we're putting our stock in this Sunday below.
Odds to win 2025 Jack Link’s 500
| Driver |  |
|---|---|
| Ryan Blaney | +1000 |
| Kyle Busch | +1100 |
| Joey Logano | +1100 |
| William Byron | +1200 |
| Brad Keselowski | +1200 |
| Kyle Larson | +1400 |
| Denny Hamlin | +1400 |
| Chase Elliott | +1600 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1600 |
| Christopher Bell | +1600 |
| Austin Cindric | +1600 |
| Chase Briscoe | +1600 |
| Bubba Wallace | +2000 |
| Alex Bowman | +2000 |
| Michael McDowell | +2200 |
| Todd Gilliland | +2500 |
| Ross Chastain | +2800 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +2800 |
| Chris Buescher | +3000 |
| Ty Dillon | +3500 |
Odds as of 4-26.
Jack Link’s 500 field
Ryan Blaney is about as consistent a driver as you'll find when it comes to superspeedway racing, and that's why he's high on the betting board for the Jack Link's 500, albeit at a much bigger price than usual when it comes to NASCAR betting favorites.
In close pursuit among the 39 drivers lining up for this race are Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and William Byron. With the exception of Byron, each of these five drivers has at least one win here since 2018, although Byron boasts two runner-up finishes in that span.
Jack Link’s 500 expert picks and predictions
Odds listed below courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of 4-26.
Jack Link’s 500 pre-qualifying favorites
Ryan Blaney (+1000)
The Team Penske driver has an astounding five Top-2 finishes in his last 11 Talladega tries, three in the last five. He also has victories in 2019, 2020, 2023. Ryan Blaney finished seventh in the Daytona 500 and fourth in Atlanta this season.
Brad Keselowski (+1200)
Brad Keselowski has finished 23rd or worse in three of his last six Talladega starts, however, he finished runner-up in both races last season and is a six-time race winner on the high-banked 2.66-mile oval.
William Byron (+1200)
William Byron has eight Top-12 finishes in his last 10 Talladega starts, including a runner-up finish in the spring of 2021 and fall of 2023 and placed third last fall. He won the last two Daytona 500s.
Jack Link’s 500 sleepers
Austin Cindric (+1600)
Despite finishing 21st, 26th, and 23rd in the spring race, Austin Cindric has finished ninth, fifth and 32nd in the fall race. He also had a chance to win at both Daytona and Atlanta this season.
Christopher Bell (+1600)
Great value here. Christopher Bell finished sixth lastfFall, was third in both Daytona races last season, and won this season in Atlanta.
Chase Briscoe (+1600)
Chase Briscoe finished 10th, fourth, 13th, 12th, and 30th, respectively, in his last five starts here. He also qualified on the pole and finished fourth in the Daytona 500.
Todd Gilliland (+2500)
He’s been quietly good here. Todd Gilliland has finished seventh, 10th, 12th, eighth, and 23rd, respectively, in his last five Talladega starts. He was 27th and 15th in the two drafting track starts this season.
Erik Jones (+4500)
Jones has seven Top-10 finishes in his last 10 Talladega starts, including four Top-6 results in the last six.
John Hunter Nemechek (+7000)
He has two Top-10 finishes in as many tries on drafting tracks this season and two eighth place finishes in four career Talladega starts.
Jack Link’s 500 fades
Joey Logano (+1100)
Joey Logano is a three-time Talladega winner, but even of his last nine races here have seen him finish 24th or worse, with just one Top-10 finish in his last 10.
Kyle Busch (+1100)
Kyle Busch has finished third, first, and 26th, respectively, in the last three spring Talladega races. However, those are also his only Top-5 finishes in his last 15 Talladega starts.
Kyle Larson (+1400)
Kyle Larson is only 3-for-49 in terms of earning Top 5s on superspeedways. In fact, his last 10 finishes at Talladega are 39th, 40th, 40th, 37th, fourth, 18th, 33rd, 15th, 21st and fourth. He finished 20th in Daytona and third in Atlanta.
Denny Hamlin (+1400)
He can win at any given time on a superspeedway. Denny Hamlin has seven Top-7 finishes in his last 13 Talladega tries, including a third place run in the 2023 fall race. But my concern is he’s struggled in this spring race, finishing 31st, 11th, 14th, 36th, fourth, 32nd, 18th, 17th, and 37th in his last nine tries.
Tyler Reddick (+1600)
Tyler Reddick won this race last year and was runner-up in the Daytona 500, but the win is his only Top-5 finish in 10 Talladega starts.
Chase Elliott (+1600)
Chase Elliott has two trips to victory lane in his last 11 Talladega starts. However, he's trending the wrong way on superspeedways. Elliott’s pair of Talladega finishes in 2022 were seventh and first, respectively, while being 12th and seventh in 2023 and 15th and 29th last year. He placed 15th in the Daytona 500 and 20th in Atlanta.
Bubba Wallace (+1800)
Bubba Wallace won here in 2021. My only pause is that and his ninth-place finish here last fall are his only finishes better than 14th at Talladega in his 14 Cup tries.
Jack Link’s 500 prop pick: Alex Bowman Top 5 finish
Alex Bowman (+2000 outright) finished fifth at Talladega last spring and sixth in the season-opening Daytona 500. At this price, a Top 5 finish is worth a flier.
Pick: Alex Bowman Top 5 finish (+250 at DraftKings)
Popular motor sports futures odds
Talladega Superspeedway track analysis
Talladega is similar to Daytona, and now Atlanta too, which is why you’ll see the similar trends here. In saying that, don’t overthink it this week.
Chevrolet has won four of the last six Talladega races. With the Next Gen car, they’re 12-for-20 in superspeedway victories (5-for-6 in 2022, 3-for-6 in 2023, 3-for-6 in 2024 and 1-for-2 this season).
Ford has won 12 of the last 20 Talladega races and scored the last two victories last season on superspeedways with Harrison Burton (Wood Brothers) and Joey Logano (Penske) at Daytona and Atlanta, respectively.
By comparison, Toyota has only won four times in the last 31 Talladega races overall, but one was last spring from Tyler Reddick.
Jack Link’s 500 trends
- The last seven winners started 19th, 19th, 16th, 17th, 10th, 18th, 32nd. Thirteen of the previous 14 races were won by the Top 6 rows. Only two pole winners (Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2017, Denny Hamlin 2020) won in the last 40 Cup races at Talladega. Those are the only two front-row starters to win since 2011’s playoff race (27 races).
- Previously, five of the 13 races before were won by front-row starters. On top of that, only one Daytona pole winner has won there since 2011 (Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2016) too.
- Since 1995, only eight drivers have earned their first or second career wins at Talladega.
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Jack Link’s 500 info
| Location: | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, AL |
| Date: | Sunday, 4-27-2025 |
| Start time: | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FOX |
Previous Jack Link’s 500 winners
Tyler Reddick picked up Toyota's first Talladega spring victory since 2014 (Denny Hamlin) last year.
| Year | Winner |
| 2024 | Tyler Reddick |
| 2023 | Kyle Busch |
| 2022 | Ross Chastain |
| 2021 | Brad Keselowski |
| 2020 | Ryan Blaney |
| 2019 | Chase Elliott |
| 2018 | Joey Logano |
| 2017 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 2016 | Brad Keselowski |
| 2015 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
How to make Jack Link’s 500 picks
NASCAR betting is a nuanced process that can take any number of factors into account, and spans several different types of bets. Fortunately, our How to Bet NASCAR guide walks you through the basics, including how to read odds, different markets that are available, and what to consider when making your bets.
