2020 Auto Trader EchoPark Automotive 500- 10/25/20 Nascar Cup Series Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Denny Hamlin +550- Denny will roll off from the 7th position on Sunday afternoon at the Texas Motor Speedway. Denny won the 1st race at Texas in the spring of 2019. Since, Denny has finishes of 28th in the 2nd race in 2019 and finished 20th in the July race this season. Denny had an issue in the July race and 4th fastest car in traffic leading 11 laps. Hamlin is only 20 points above the cut line in the 2020 standings. I feel as if Denny has a better shot to win here at Texas on Sunday than he will at Martinsville next week. Consider Denny at a reasonable price on Sunday at Texas.

Chase Elliott +1200- Elliott will begin Sunday’s race at Texas on the 2nd row in the 4th starting spot. Chase is 5th in the 2020 point standings, 8 points below the cutline into the round of 4 at the final in Phoenix. Chase has 3 top 10 finishes over the last 7 Cup races at the Texas Motor Speedway, but over the last 2 races at Texas has finishes of 32nd and 12th respectfully. Elliott will have an excellent chance to win on Sunday and needs it to get above the cut line. The best situation for Chase is to get out and stay out front Sunday. I was concerned at Kansas last week how the car handled back in traffic, but I still think Chase is worth a shot.

Ryan Blaney +1300- Blaney will start from the 10th position on Sunday for the Auto Trader EchoPark Automotive 500. Blaney is out of the playoff picture is ending the 2020 season on a high note. Blaney finished 7th last Sunday at Kansas which has been one of the worst tracks for him since coming into the Cup Series. Over the last 7 races at Texas, Ryan has the 2nd best average driver rating of 110.4 and an average finish of 11th. The starting track position isn’t the best for Blaney on Sunday but if the team brings the speed from Kansas one week ago, then he should be top 5 by the end of stage 1. Take a shot on Blaney on Sunday.  

Brad Keselowski +1700 – Brad will be my longest shot on Sunday afternoon. Keselowski will roll off from the 3rd starting spot and currently sits 4th in the 2020 standing 8 points above the cut line. Over the last 7 races at Texas, major issues have plagued Brad and #2 team but did earn a 9th place finish in the July race earlier this season. Brad and crew chief do very well at managing the longer 500 mile races especially when it comes to the pit strategy. We didn’t see tire wear become too much of a factor back in July as Austin Dillon outlasted the field on old tire to bring home the victory. I can see Brad and team working out the strategy on pit road and winning Sunday’s race.