The anticipation for the door-to-door competition expected for the Wurth 400 was drawn out to Monday due to rain, but the event at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway always makes for high-intesity racing.
The Monster Mile’s one-mile concrete surface is a stark contrast to last week’s 2.6-mile track at Talladega Superspeedway. Kyle Busch, who won last week and is a three-time Dover winner, will start on the pole along with Christopher Bell on the front row.
There have been nine different winners in the past 10 races at Dover, and seven different winners from six different organizations through the first 10 races this season.
Our auto racing experts preview the Wurth 400, break down key betting trends and present their best bets to win on Monday.
WURTH 400
The Place: Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway
The Date: Monday, May 1, 2 p.m. ET
The Distance: 400 miles (400 laps)
Defending Champion: Chase Elliott
TV: FS1
Radio: PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
FIVE BEST BETS
Kyle Larson (+400 at BetMGM)
Larson is one of eight drivers in Monday’s field who has won previously at Dover, and his average finish of 6.929 at the track is the best among active drivers. After opening at +500, Larson’s odds have shortened a bit as he has been backed by the second-most money to win with 11.6 percent of the action.
Chase Elliott (+600)
Elliott (2018, 2022) is the only two-time winner among the past 10 Dover races. This is only his third race back from the broken leg he sustained in a snowboarding accident. Elliott sits 31st in the standings and needs a win to secure his playoff eligibility. His 9.750 average finish at Dover is second only to Larson and includes nine top-5 finishes in 12 career starts. Elliott opened at +700 and has been backed by the most total bets in the field with 9.2 percent along with 9.6 percent of the total money.
Martin Truex Jr. (+900)
It has been a while since Truex Jr. has visited Victory Lane, but he’s tied with Busch among active drivers with three wins at Dover. The New Jersey native won his first Cup Series race at Dover in 2007, and Truex Jr. also won here in 2019. However, his last points-paying victory came at Richmond in September 2021.
Kyle Busch (+1200)
Busch offers intriguing odds considering his three career victories at Dover and that he’s coming off a win last week. He’s the sportsbook’s biggest liability this week, with those odds shortening considerably from +1800 with Busch drawing 8.7 percent of the total bets and leading the field with 11.8 percent of the money.
Kevin Harvick (+1200)
Harvick is seeking to snap a 22-race winless drought, but does have five top-10 finishes this season. He leads active drivers with 1,666 total laps led at Dover and he has 23 top-10 finishes in his 42 career starts at the track.
“Dover is one of those racetracks where if we don’t win, we feel like we’ve let everybody down,” Harvick said. “It’s been a great racetrack for us and we’ve had some really dumb luck there with lug nuts and valve stems, but outside of those few races, it’s been a very successful racetrack for us. Dover is just one of those grind-it-out-type of races.”
LONGSHOT PICK
Josh Berry (+4000)
Filling in for Alex Bowman, who was injured during a spring car race over the weekend, Berry will be pulling double duty with the Xfinity and Series Cup races. Berry also filled in during Elliott’s six-week absence, so he’s getting plenty track time. Berry opened at +3300 but has drawn modest action with 2.0 percent of the bets and 1.3 percent of the money.
–Field Level Media
