NASCAR Hollywood 400 Race Odds & Picks

• The Hollywood 400 is set for Sunday, October 20th, at 2:30 PM EST
• The race will take place the Kansas Speedway in Kansas, Missouri.
• Chase Elliott is the defending champion at this race but Kevin Harvick has the best average driver finish at this track.

The NASCAR drivers are heading to Kansas Speedway this weekend for the Hollywood 400. The race will take place on Sunday October, 20th at 2:30 PM EST.

Kevin Harvick has the best average finish of any active driver at this track. Is he a good bet to cash in this weekend?

Odds to Win Hollywood 400

*Odds taken 10/16/19

Truex Jr. to the Top Spot

After nearly picking up his third win in four weeks as the runner-up at Dover a couple of weeks ago, Truex finally ran into some trouble at Talladega. The driver of the No. 19 Toyota ended up placing 26th after getting involved in a wreck in last week’s 1000bulbs.com race.

Now he will look to get his season back on track in a race that he won just two years ago in 2017. In terms of all of the active drivers, Truex Jr. has the best average finish at Kansas in all starts 2017 (five races). He’s led a healthy 15.53% of the laps too.

After wrecks, only 6 cars were left at the end of the 2006 IROC race at Daytona. This is the wild last two laps as these guys hit each other over and over again.

(And this weird collection of drivers shows why IROC was awesome: Kenseth, Hornish, Truex, Papis, Kimmel, Taylor) pic.twitter.com/oALENSwmmW

— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) October 9, 2019

With two wins, a second and a fifth in his last five starts at Kansas, he’s a good bet to compete for the win this weekend.

Harvick Has a Good History at Kansas

Kevin Harvick is another name that’s among the favorites that I would consider betting. Few people have done better at this track than him over the last few years.

Not what you want to see out the passenger-side window. ?@KevinHarvick | #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/plV0KVgPc1

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 14, 2019

Among all active drivers, Harvick has the best average finish at Kansas. At 9.81, he’s the only driver that’s under 10. In 27 starts here, he has three wins and 14 finishes inside the top ten. While he’s missed the top ten in two straight, he placed eighth or better here in the five straight race prior, winning twice.

Jimmie Johnson For a Top 10?

Speaking of value, there is some intrigue with Jimmie Johnson at Kansas this week. While the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet has struggled all season, he had registered three straight Top 10 finishes before a crash cost him en route to a 38th place finish at Talladega last weekend.

For the second time in 2019, Hendrick Motorsports has swept the the top-four starting positions in qualifying.

1st: @chaseelliott
2nd: @AlexBowman88
3rd: @WilliamByron
4th: @JimmieJohnson pic.twitter.com/kgGlYiTMBz

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) October 12, 2019

A two-time winner of the Hollywood Casino 400, Johnson is worth a small play at long odds. Don’t bet him to win the race outright but I wouldn’t be surprised if another Top 10 finish was in the cards for him.

Past Five Winners at Hollywood 400

Don’t Bet on Hamlin

Hamlin is another driver coming off a disappointing finish last week after he was caught up in a collision. Hamlin rallied to place third, but he is still looking for his first victory since August 17th, which came at Bristol.

For the second time in 2019, Hendrick Motorsports has swept the the top-four starting positions in qualifying.

1st: @chaseelliott
2nd: @AlexBowman88
3rd: @WilliamByron
4th: @JimmieJohnson pic.twitter.com/kgGlYiTMBz

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) October 12, 2019

My concern here is that he doesn’t have a great track record at Kansas. He has two fifth-place results in his last four but his average finish here in his last seven starts is 16.4. I’ll pass on him this week.