Go Bowling at The Glen Picks, Predictions, Odds 2023: Elliott Favored to Win Way Into Playoffs

Can another driver earn their spot into the playoffs with a win at WGI this weekend? Read on for our Go Bowling at The Glen picks and predictions based on the best available NASCAR odds.

The NASCAR Cup Series will run on another road course on Sunday, but, Watkins Glen International is a very different track compared to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course where Michael McDowell earned his shocking win last week. Other playoff hopefuls will aim to achieve a similar outcome in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen.

The last two times that NASCAR has raced at Watkins Glen, Kyle Larson came away victorious. Last year’s win was somewhat controversial, as he bumped Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott on a late-race restart to assume control. This time, Elliott needs a win to lock himself into the playoffs and enters the weekend as the betting favorite to do just that.

As far as the track is concerned, WGI is the fastest road course that NASCAR visits in terms of speed. The esses, bus stop, and downhill carousel are the most noteworthy features that make this track unique. The Finger Lakes-based track consistently delivers exciting action year after year.

Here are our best bets and 2023 Go Bowling at The Glen picks for Sunday’s action at the Watkins Glen International (odds via our best sports betting apps; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Go Bowling at The Glen best bets

• Outright winner: Daniel Suarez (+1300 via ) ⭐
• Top-10 finish: Alex Bowman (+125 via ) ⭐⭐⭐
• Driver matchup parlay: Chase Elliott (-160) vs. Kyle Larson + A.J. Allmendinger (-155) vs. Austin Cindric + Ty Gibbs (-275) vs. Bubba Wallace = +264 via BetMGM ⭐⭐

Go Bowling at The Glen odds

Go Bowling at The Glen picks

Outright winner: Daniel Suarez (+1300 via BetMGM) ⭐

If not for a horrendous final pit stop, Daniel Suarez could very well have been the one kissing the bricks with a playoff-clinching win last week. Instead, he had to settle for a third-place result and remains in a virtual must-win scenario as far as his postseason aspirations are concerned. He is priced as long as 13-1 to win the Go Bowling at The Glen and could be worth a look at that number.

When one thinks of top drivers at Watkins Glen, Suarez probably doesn’t come to mind. Despite never having won there before, he has turned in a slew of solid runs. Suarez has finished inside the top five in three of his five previous Cup Series starts here. This includes a fifth-place run just last year. 

Although Trackhouse Racing has failed to maintain last year’s season-long consistency and success, the organization continues to be a factor each time NASCAR visits a road course. Suarez’s lone career win to date came at Sonoma, the other high-speed road circuit that the series visits. His showing last week at Indy bodes well for what the No. 99 car will bring to the table at WGI.

Despite being somewhat of an afterthought in the betting market, Suarez’s outright odds offer a considerably greater return than other reasonable candidates to win this weekend. Bettors can maximize that return by wagering at BetMGM, where the +1300 odds are up to three dollars greater than those found at our other best sports betting sites.

Top-10 finish: Alex Bowman (+125 via bet365) ⭐⭐

Only two races remain in the regular season, and there are still two Hendrick Motorsports drivers on the outside of the playoff cutline looking in. Chase Elliott is the betting favorite to win his way in at The Glen, but it’s worth considering how one might be able to profit off of his teammate, Alex Bowman, who is also a solid road racer.

With little to be found in terms of intriguing driver matchups, we have elected to zero in on a top-10 finish prop for Bowman this week.

Bowman just finished fifth at the IMS Road Course last week. Dating back through the start of the 2020 season, Bowman has three top-fives and eight top-10s in 17 road course starts. His average finish spanning those 17 races is a solid 12.6.

Elliott may be garnering attention in the betting market, but HMS will be throwing plenty of extra juice at Bowman’s No. 48 car this week. An outright win to lock himself into the playoffs may be a lot to ask, but a plus-money price for a top-10 is very appealing. 

Compared to our other best sportsbooks, at which Bowman is priced as short as -135 for a top-10 finish, bet365’s odds offer the greatest return.

Driver matchup parlay: Chase Elliott (-160) vs. Kyle Larson + A.J. Allmendinger (-155) vs. Austin Cindric + Ty Gibbs (-275) vs. Bubba Wallace = +264 via BetMGM ⭐⭐⭐

Parlays aren’t something we dabble in too often when it comes to betting on NASCAR, but the driver matchups menu at BetMGM sort of lends itself to such a strategy this week. The head-to-head that immediately stands out is Ty Gibbs as a massive favorite up against his Toyota stablemate, Bubba Wallace. In order to inherit a greater return than the -255 straight price, why not throw in two additional legs with arguably the top two road racers in the field?

Eventually, we just had to work Chase Elliott into our Go Bowling at The Glen best bets. The -160 straight odds for this matchup against teammate Kyle Larson are a bit over-inflated. Larson may have won here the past two years, but he hasn’t been running up to par recently. Meanwhile, Elliott continues to be a top contender at every single road course.

After a very disappointing run at IMS last weekend, A.J. Allmendinger is in desperate need of a rebound. Even if he doesn’t win to lock himself into the playoffs, one has to believe that the veteran Kaulig Racing driver will be better. Despite the recent struggles, it’s somewhat easy to get behind the elite road racer, especially up against the sputtering Austin Cindric.

As mentioned already, Gibbs is the driver that stands out amongst the BetMGM matchups. He only finished 26th in his first Cup Series appearance at Watkins Glen last year, but his overall road racing acumen and stats are much better than those of Bubba Wallace, who is not a fan of the tracks with left and right turns.

By combining the three head-to-head selections together, bettors can have action on a parlay at +264 odds. For those perhaps interested in a more conservative approach, note that an Elliott + Gibbs parlay comes with +121 odds while the Allmendinger + Gibbs combination is priced at +124.

Go Bowling at The Glen race info

• Date: Sunday, August 20, 3 p.m. ET
• Location: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY
• TV: USA Network
• Defending winner: Kyle Larson

Go Bowling at The Glen picks made 08/19/23 at 10 a.m. ET

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