NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Predictions, Odds, & Longshot Picks (Feb. 2)

• NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray goes green this Sunday at Bowman Gray Stadium
• Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin love these short tracks. Could a Christopher Bell or Kyle Busch crash the party?
• Below, see our NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray predictions, odds and longshot NASCAR picks

The NASCAR Cup Series starts off with a non-points event this Sunday, February 9th with the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray. The green flag drops at 8 PM ET with live coverage on FOX Network.

The short 0.250-mile track races at a tight pace, setting the stage for plenty of uncertainty. Last February, the drivers started off at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Denny Hamlin won the race that mattered. Ty Gibbs led the most laps with 84. However, the twist is this flat track has not seen a NASCAR top level race since 1971.

The oddsmakers are expecting several of the short-track mavens to contend on Sunday night:

NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Odds

At +750 odds (15/2), the implied probability for co-favorites Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin is 11.76%. Joey Logano and Christopher Bell lurk not too far behind at 10.53%.

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Odds as of Feb. 1 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Register with the DraftKings promo code to wager on the Clash at Bowman Gray. 

NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Predictions

Kyle Larson looks really good here. Larson has won his fair share of short-track races. The same can be said for Denny Hamlin. Hamlin won the race in Los Angeles last year. The Joe Gibbs Racing cars were extremely quick diving into the corners. Their pull-away speed was noteworthy. Bowman Gray may not be all that different. It is also why Christopher Bell cannot be overlooked here. Even normally slower cars like Chase Briscoe’s are a possibility to contend. These are all drivers that can run around 13 to 13.3 seconds.

Chase Elliott can drive fast, but the question remains. Can Elliott stay on the track? Last year, Elliott’s night ended after 77 laps. The No. 9 has not been in victory lane on a track less than a mile in three years (Martinsville – Spring 2022). The Hendrick Motorsports driver rides in at +1500 on DraftKings.

In a race expected to be a little slow (good thing it is only 150 laps), the average speed is far less than the qualifying speeds around 67-69 mph. Do not be surprised if Ty Gibbs comes really close to getting the victory. Gibbs was fast and led the most laps.

Looking for a top 3 bet? Look no further than Gibbs at +370. The driver knows tracks like this well. If he qualifies well enough, then look out!

It is even crazier to think that Gibbs is still one of the youngest drivers in NASCAR. Despite this, his experience keeps growing, and the learning curve is yielding dividends. While Christopher Bell is a trendy Top 3 pick at +250, Gibbs may carry more value.

• Best Bet to Win: Denny Hamlin (+750 at DraftKings)
• Top 3 Finish: Ty Gibbs (+370 at DraftKings)

NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Longshots

Sadly, drivers like Chase Briscoe and Kyle Busch are not longshots for this track. Briscoe and Busch are both hovering around +1000. The two drivers easily could wind up in the Top 5 when all is said and done on Sunday night. Track temperatures will be very low on Sunday night. Air temperatures will likely be around 40-45 degrees come the main event.

Two drivers on the longer side of things may just be Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace. Over the past two clashes, their green flag speed ranked in the Top 10 for both. Throw out 2022 and Bubba Wallace is very dangerous here potentially.

I like the chances of Bubba Wallace a little more than most. He had very good but not great speeds at Phoenix and has had some nice runs at Los Angeles. Also, Wallace has performed well at Bowman Gray.

Still, like Alex Bowman is a huge risk, Wallace is, too. Both drivers can perform well if they qualify well.

If both can avoid trouble early or get mucked in traffic, Wallace especially has a pretty good chance.

NASCAR Longshot Picks:

• Alex Bowman (+2500)
• Bubba Wallace (+4000)