Greg just scored his 7th win of the season but gets a large boost via Denny Hamlin’s Southern 500 triumph. It nets him $800 and moved him to the overall lead ( -$329) this year as he’s had two big wins in 3 weeks now.
CJ also got a win for $320 where Eric went more conservative for $108.
Eric and CJ had 1-2-4 with Greg 1-6.
Eric has now had 15 wins on the season with CJ 12.
Next up is Richmond to where Eric and CJ went with just the top favorites.
Martin Truex Jr swept both Richmond races in 2019 and was runner-up last Fall. He also won at Phoenix this spring and fifth at Richmond in April too.
Denny Hamlin should have won this race as well as at Martinsville earlier this season and is coming off of a win in the Southern 500 last week.
Kyle Busch has six straight top eight results including a top two in nearly half of his last 11 Richmond starts.
If anyone is going to stop them, then look no further than the Penske camp.
Brad Keselowski is hard to bet against at Richmond. He won the lone race on the Virginia short track last year and has seven top 10’s in his last 10 starts there. Keselowski, also had a top five finish in Phoenix and third in Loudon too. None of us picked him though.
Joey Logano has two straight third place finishes and a runner-up in the spring race of 2019 gives Logano three top threes in his last four Richmond starts. He was second in Phoenix, sixth in Martinsville, third in Richmond, fifth at Dover and fourth in Loudon on short tracks this year. Both CJ and Eric grabbed him.
The top sleepers are Christopher Bell who enters as arguably the top in the category with being on a hot streak for the season and finishing fourth on this very track this spring.
Aric Almirola is too. This could be the spot that helps Almirola advance to the next round. He has three top eight finishes in his last five Richmond starts including an eighth place run last year and sixth back in April.
Surprisingly enough, I’m not high on the Hendrick camp. Richmond hasn’t been a kind track to Kyle Larson lately. He’s not had a top five finish in his last five Richmond starts including being 18th in April. Chase Elliott is another odd one. Three of Elliott’s last four Rihcmond starts have seen him finish 12th or worse.
Same for Kevin Harvick. He’s had a rough year despite a playoff berth and was seventh in this race last year and 24th in the spring race.
Race Odds
4-1…M Truex Jr. (Eric, Greg, CJ)
5-1…D Hamlin (Eric, CJ)
6-1…Kyle B (Eric, CJ)
7-1…J Logano (Eric, CJ)
9-1…K Larson (Greg, CJ)
10-1…B Keselowski
11-1…K Harvick (Greg)
12-1…C Elliott
15-1…C Bell (Greg)
16-1…W Byron
18-1…R Blaney
20-1…A Bowman
30-1…A Almirola (Greg) and Kurt B (Greg)
50-1…R Chastain (Greg) and A Dillon (Greg)
60-1…M DiBenedetto and T Reddick
80-1…C Custer
100-1…R Stenhouse Jr.
130-1…C Buescher and D Suarez
150-1…C Briscoe, Newman and D Wallace Jr.
200-1…E Jones
250-1…M McDowell
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400: RACE 28 PICKS
Greg DePalma
M Truex Jr…4-1…$50 ($200)
K Larson…9-1…$50 ($450)
K Harvick…11-1…$25 ($275)
C Bell…15-1…$25 ($375)
A Almirola…30-1…$10 ($300)
Kurt B…30-1…$25 ($750)
R Chastain…50-1…$10 ($500)
A Dillon…50-1…$5 ($250)
RECORD: 7 for 27
TOTAL: -329
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400: RACE 28 PICKS
Eric Smith
M Truex Jr…4-1…$60 ($240)
D Hamlin…5-1…$60 ($300)
Kyle B…6-1…$40 ($240)
J Logano…7-1…$40 ($280)
RECORD: 15 for 27
TOTAL: -510
FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400: RACE 28 PICKS
CJ Radune
M Truex Jr…4-1…$55 ($220)
D Hamlin…5-1…$45 ($225)
Kyle B…6-1…$40 ($240)
J Logano…7-1…$30 ($210)
K Larson…9-1…$30 ($270)
RECORD: 12 for 27
TOTAL: -924
Weekly Race Points Standings
Week 26 Darlington
1 Greg +700/-329
2 Eric +20/-510
3 CJ +160/-924
WEEKLY PICKS ARCHIVES
RACE FUTURES: COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500
COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500 WINNER: DENNY HAMLIN
COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500: RACE 27 PICKS
Eric Smith
K Larson…3-1…$40 ($120) …2nd
M Truex Jr…6-1…$18 ($108) …4th
Kyle B…8-1…$14 ($112) …35th/Acc.
D Hamlin…8-1…$12 ($108) …1st
W Byron…12-1…$10 ($120) …34th/Acc.
A Bowman…18-1…$6 ($108) …26th
RECORD: 1 for 1
TOTAL: +20
COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500: RACE 27 PICKS
Greg DePalma
D Hamlin…8-1…$100 ($800) …1st
W Byron…12-1…$30 ($360) …34th/Acc.
R Blaney…14-1…$20 ($280) …22nd
A Bowman…18-1…$20 ($360) …26th
Kurt B…33-1…$30 ($990) …6th
RECORD: 1 for 1
TOTAL: +700
COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500: RACE 27 PICKS
CJ Radune
K Larson…3-1…$80 ($240) …2nd
M Truex Jr…6-1…$40 ($240) …4th
Kyle B…8-1…$40 ($320) …35th/Acc.
D Hamlin…8-1…$40 ($320) …1st
RECORD: 1 for 1
TOTAL: +160
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