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Kyle Busch became the second Cup Series driver to post three victories in a row this season with last Saturday night’s win at Richmond. Chase Elliott turned in his best effort of the year by taking third, and Denny Hamlin was in the thick of things in third place. I liked Joey Logano's +1000 betting odds as my top-valued pick, and he made things interesting by finishing fourth.
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The following is a look at a trio of the top favorites to win Sunday’s race in Talladega along with my top-valued pick at longer odds as provided by <a class="adv" href="javascript:GoTo(Dimes)">5Dimes</a>
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Geico 500 Race Favorites<br />
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<b>Brad Keselowski +650 </b>
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The betting odds get shaken up this week given the wide-open racing conditions at this track. Keselowski's current form may drain a bit of value from his odds to win on Sunday with four-straight runs of eighth or higher after finishing sixth or lower in three of the first five Cup Series events this season. His best run was second at Atlanta in the second race of the year, and the No. 2 Ford is holding down fifth-place in the current Cup Series standings with 303 total points. Keselowski posted his fifth career point-race victory at Talladega in the second race here last season after taking seventh in this race.
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<b>Denny Hamlin +900 </b>
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With last week’s strong finish at Richmond, Hamlin moved his No. 11 Toyota into sixth place in the standings with a total of 286 points. This was his fourth run of the year inside the top five through the first nine point-race events and his second finish inside the top three. Hamlin's only career victory at Talladega was in this race in 2014, but since then he has finished outside the top five in six of his last seven trips around this track. His current form may add value to his odds, but an average finishing position of 18.3 at this venue drains some away.
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<b>Joey Logano +900 </b>
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Logano took a step in the right direction at Richmond in what has been a quiet season for the No. 22 Ford. The most significant thing in his favor coming into this race is just one finish outside the top 10 through the first nine races to hold down second place in the standings with 359 total points. This type of consistency might pay off this week at a very demanding track, and another plus is the 92 laps he led at Richmond. Running at the front of the pack that long last Saturday night could carry over to this Sunday. Logano’s trip around this track in this event last year came to an early end in a wreck, but he did manage to take fourth in the second race of the season here. He won the second race at Talladega in 2015 and 2016, while finishing outside the top 20 in this race the past three years.
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