The NASCAR Cup Series goes short track racing this Sunday when Martinsville Speedway hosts the Cook Out 400.
I'm looking at some long shots to help you spice up your tickets for this week's NASCAR action.
Here are my free betting picks for the Cook Out 400, featuring Ryan Preece.
Cook Out 400 sleeper picks
- Chase Elliott (+900)
- Ryan Preece (+2800)
- Todd Gilliland (+10000)
Picks were made on 3-24 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
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Cook Out 400 sleeper predictions
Sleeper pick to win: Chase Elliott
+900 at DraftKings
These +900 odds may not scream "sleeper pick," but everything is relative.
Chase Elliott is the sixth choice on the Cook Out 400 board, and is longer than teammates Kyle Larson (+550) and William Byron (+800), but I'd argue that he shouldn't be.
Elliott ran second at Phoenix two weeks ago and briefly looked dangerous at Darlington before getting shuffled back on strategy and failing to recover. Still, I wouldn't say Elliott was in a slump right now.
The No. 9 pilot has been no worse than fourth across his last four starts at Martinsville, placing in all but one of eight stages in that span while leading 235 laps.
Sleeper pick to win: Ryan Preece
+2800 at DraftKings
RFK Racing clearly found the speed they were searching for at Darlington last week, as Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher ran 1-2 for a good chunk of the Goodyear 400 before Tyler Reddick ultimately caught and passed them.
Ryan Preece checked in 13th, but I believe he can leapfrog his RFK teammates this week and perhaps even threaten for the win.
The Clash at Bowman Gray may not count in the points standings, but the fact that Preece won that short track event should signal that he can bring a good car to Martinsville.
"The Paperclip" has been kind to Preece in the past, with the No. 60 driver averaging a ninth-place finish over his last four races here.
Sleeper pick to win: Todd Gilliland
+10000 at DraftKings
Todd Gilliland has never won a Cup Series race, and has hit the Top 10 just under 10% of the time through 148 career races. However, he finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in two races at Martinsville last year, so he clearly moves up on this oval.
He's 14th in average finish among active drivers at this course, so these 100-1 odds are quite generous.
Even if Gilliland doesn't win, he could at least add some intrigue to a Top 10 parlay ticket at +450.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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