Ahead of the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, Kyle Busch has a favorite in mind. It’s the man who won the Chicago Street Race in his NASCAR debut. Shane van Gisbergen will have a good shot at the checkered flag.
Van Gisbergen shocked race fans around the world when he went out and won his debut race. He drove on the wrong side of the car than he was used to and had very little preparation compared to his competitors not to mention no NASCAR experience.
As far as Kyle Busch is concerned, SVG should be seen as the favorite this weekend. While Las Vegas doesn’t exactly agree, he might not be wrong.
“I would say he is the favorite going in,” Busch said to NBC Sports. “For sure. I would say that the gap will be closer from Chicago to the rest of the field that he had. He had us all beat by six to eight-tenths of a second a lap. I would say going into Indy we should all be within two to three-tenths, but he will still be the best guy.”
Of course, Rowdy isn’t a slouch on the road course. It isn’t his specialty, but he’s gotten the job done in the past the twists and turns. The Verizon 200 will feature another talented Supercars driver in Brodie Kostecki, and he will be Busch’s RCR teammate. Kostecki is going to pilot the No. 33 Chevy and could stick his nose into things on Sunday.
Mike Rockenfeller, Jenson Button, and Kamui Kobayashi will also be among the road course ringers at the Brickyard.
Kyle Busch slotted with SVG by Las Vegas
It is interesting that Rowdy feels so sure about SVG being the favorite. As far as the bookmakers are concerned, Busch has just as good of a chance to win as the New Zealander. While he might not believe it, that’s what the numbers say.
Both drivers are listed at 10-1 odds. However, the real story is the fact that Martin Truex Jr. is such a favorite at 4-1 odds. As the series points leader, he’s been so good over the last two months. Will that continue in the Verizon 200?
In the last 10 races, Truex has finished in the top-5 seven times, including two wins. He has an additional top-10 during that stretch with two off-races at Chicago and Atlanta.
Kyle Busch has been on a similar streak as Truex in those 10 races. However, the Michigan DNF makes his record look a little worse. Busch has five top-5 finishes, including one win as well as two top-10 finishes in that time. Three off-races have sunk his chances at the regular season championship.
So, who comes out on top in Indy? Can SVG go two-for-two like Kyle Busch believes?