NASCAR bettors hit triple-digit underdog in back-to-back weeks
For what might be the first time ever, a triple-digit long shot won a NASCAR Cup Series race in back-to-back weeks.
Austin Dillon won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on Sunday at odds of up to 130-1 a week after Cole Custer cashed tickets at odds up to 300-1 when he won the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway.
“It’s never happened before, as far as my memory goes,” said longtime Las Vegas oddsmaker Ed Salmons, Westgate sportsbook vice president of risk.
The Westgate had zero tickets on Dillon. But a William Hill bettor in Nevada hit a $50 wager that paid $5,000 (100-1) when Dillon stayed in front after a restart with two laps to go and beat rookie Tyler Reddick to the checkered flag at Texas Motor Speedway.
Out of state, a DraftKings bettor turned $40 into $5,000 on Dillon at 125-1, and a FanDuel bettor won a $50 wager on Dillon at 130-1 that paid $6,500.
Salmons, Westgate’s NASCAR guru, said long shots winning in back-to-back weeks was largely a fluke.
“It has to do with the track and when the leaders pit, and a caution has to come out,” he said. “If the leaders pit with 50 laps to go and the other guys stay out there and pray a caution comes out. A whole bunch of circumstances have to happen.
“You’re talking two guys whose average running position the whole race was between 14th and 18th and a guy whose average running position was two or three restarts 16th because of the way the caution starts.”
Dillon stayed in front on three late restarts, the first after an incident with 29 laps left that shuffled the fast car of Ryan Blaney to a lap back.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
