EchoPark Texas Grand Prix Preview and Best Bet
NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix
Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. ET (FS1) at 2:30 p.m. ET at Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas
Race Info
NASCAR’s Cup Series will resume this upcoming Sunday when the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix takes place at the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas.
Drivers must complete a total of 68 laps for this race.
For this event, there are three stages.
Stage 1 concludes with the 15th lap.
Stage 2 ends with the 32nd lap.
The remaining 36 laps bring the final stage to its conclusion.
Just like in previous weeks, an entry list has been released for this event.
So unless unforeseen things happen, we are already aware of who the competitors will be in this race.
There is a change, however, regarding how the starting lineup will be determined.
For most of the previous races, a predetermined formula established the starting lineup.
But for Sunday's Texas Grand Prix, there will be qualifying.
This qualifying will take place on Sunday at 10:35 a.m. ET.
Qualifying will follow practice, which will happen on Saturday, beginning at 10:05 a.m. ET.
Track Info
The reason why qualifying and practice are necessary is that this is the first time that drivers will have competed on this track for NASCAR’s Cup Series.
This course and track were constructed for Formula 1.
Despite the lack of driver history in this track, it is significant and beneficial to know that this is a road course.
There are 20 turns in one lap and each lap consists in 3.426 miles.
So in completing 68 laps, drivers will have accumulated about 233 miles.
Race car drivers regard this track as a difficult one.
On the track, there are corners that demand low speeds from drivers and others that demand high speeds.
This variety in the construction of the track makes preparation for it difficult, which is another reason why drivers require practice on the track before they enter qualifying.
It is also hard to prepare a car for a track that consists in elements — like low-speed and high-speed corners — that are so varied in what they demand from drivers.
Betting Approach
Obviously, we can’t look at driver history at this particular track because this event is a first for NASCAR’s Cup Series.
In order to gain a clear betting perspective, we can and need to account for the fact that this track is a road course.
There are other road courses on NASCAR’s circuit — at Sonoma, for example.. So there exists sufficient empirical data in order to justify an informed betting approach to Sunday’s event.
Drivers To Avoid
One driver to avoid is Kyle Larson.
It may be tempting to invest in Larson in some form because he is enjoying a strong season so far: he ranks 5th and is coming off of two second-place finishes.
However, he is historically weak on road courses. In seven road races, Larson has zero top-five finishes and an average finishing position of 15.4.
Brad Keselowski is another guy to avoid trusting at this track. Historically, he is very hit-or-miss on road courses, often alternating between stretches where he fails to sniff the top-10 and individual races where he achieves a top-10 finish.
His driver rating (since February of 2018) on road courses is even lower than Larson’s.
While he has produced a few positive efforts, there are much more consistent options out there.
Joey Logano’s recent driving rating on road courses is similarly low. So avoid him as well.
My Guys
The two clear-cut road course champs are Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott.
Both have dominant driver ratings on road courses. In nine road races each, the former has two wins while the latter has five.
While Truex Jr., has fewer wins, he has five top-five finishes. So he is at least consistently in the thick of things, which is the kind of consistency we should look for.
Best Bets: Truex Jr. To Win & Elliott To Win (Odds TBA)
NASCAR Cup Series: EchoPark Texas Grand Prix
Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. ET (FS1) at 2:30 p.m. ET at Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas
Race Info
NASCAR’s Cup Series will resume this upcoming Sunday when the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix takes place at the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas.
Drivers must complete a total of 68 laps for this race.
For this event, there are three stages.
Stage 1 concludes with the 15th lap.
Stage 2 ends with the 32nd lap.
The remaining 36 laps bring the final stage to its conclusion.
Just like in previous weeks, an entry list has been released for this event.
So unless unforeseen things happen, we are already aware of who the competitors will be in this race.
There is a change, however, regarding how the starting lineup will be determined.
For most of the previous races, a predetermined formula established the starting lineup.
But for Sunday's Texas Grand Prix, there will be qualifying.
This qualifying will take place on Sunday at 10:35 a.m. ET.
Qualifying will follow practice, which will happen on Saturday, beginning at 10:05 a.m. ET.
Track Info
The reason why qualifying and practice are necessary is that this is the first time that drivers will have competed on this track for NASCAR’s Cup Series.
This course and track were constructed for Formula 1.
Despite the lack of driver history in this track, it is significant and beneficial to know that this is a road course.
There are 20 turns in one lap and each lap consists in 3.426 miles.
So in completing 68 laps, drivers will have accumulated about 233 miles.
Race car drivers regard this track as a difficult one.
On the track, there are corners that demand low speeds from drivers and others that demand high speeds.
This variety in the construction of the track makes preparation for it difficult, which is another reason why drivers require practice on the track before they enter qualifying.
It is also hard to prepare a car for a track that consists in elements — like low-speed and high-speed corners — that are so varied in what they demand from drivers.
Betting Approach
Obviously, we can’t look at driver history at this particular track because this event is a first for NASCAR’s Cup Series.
In order to gain a clear betting perspective, we can and need to account for the fact that this track is a road course.
There are other road courses on NASCAR’s circuit — at Sonoma, for example.. So there exists sufficient empirical data in order to justify an informed betting approach to Sunday’s event.
Drivers To Avoid
One driver to avoid is Kyle Larson.
It may be tempting to invest in Larson in some form because he is enjoying a strong season so far: he ranks 5th and is coming off of two second-place finishes.
However, he is historically weak on road courses. In seven road races, Larson has zero top-five finishes and an average finishing position of 15.4.
Brad Keselowski is another guy to avoid trusting at this track. Historically, he is very hit-or-miss on road courses, often alternating between stretches where he fails to sniff the top-10 and individual races where he achieves a top-10 finish.
His driver rating (since February of 2018) on road courses is even lower than Larson’s.
While he has produced a few positive efforts, there are much more consistent options out there.
Joey Logano’s recent driving rating on road courses is similarly low. So avoid him as well.
My Guys
The two clear-cut road course champs are Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott.
Both have dominant driver ratings on road courses. In nine road races each, the former has two wins while the latter has five.
While Truex Jr., has fewer wins, he has five top-five finishes. So he is at least consistently in the thick of things, which is the kind of consistency we should look for.
Best Bets: Truex Jr. To Win & Elliott To Win (Odds TBA)
