COTA is a 95-lap, 2.4-mile road course where clean air matters, restarts matter more, and the pit cycle can flip the whole board in one stop. It’s also been a rotating winner’s circle with five different winners in five Cup races here, so I’m not trying to “get cute” with this card. 

NASCAR Best Bets: DuraMax Grand Prix at COTA

The Favorites

Shane Van Gisbergen (+120 at DraftKings)

This is SVG in a tier by himself. He’s won the last five road/street races on the Cup schedule (Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Roval), and he led 278 of 484 laps in that stretch, that’s 57% at the front. COTA is basically the only road course he hasn’t cashed at in Cup yet, and even then, he’s shown the speed here (led 23 laps in 2025). Add in the confidence boost of a 6th at Atlanta last week, and you’re paying the SVG tax because it’s still the right bet.

 

 

 

Mid-Tier Targets

William Byron (+1100 BetMGM)

If you’re hunting for win equity at a real number, Byron is the first click. He won COTA in 2024, finished 2nd last year, and he has the most laps led here all-time (71). COTA rewards drivers who can control the race from the front when the strategy stabilizes, and the 24 has proven he can do exactly that.

Tyler Reddick (+1600 at FanDuel)

Reddick is not just a “COTA profile” play right now. He’s on a heater, winning the Daytona 500 and then backing it up with another win at Atlanta in double overtime. And this is his best track. He leads COTA in average finish (4.6), has four top-fives in five starts, and is tied for the most top-10s here (five). He’s also been a weapon in qualifying, top-four in all five COTA starts, which matters a ton when track position is king.

Chase Elliott (+2200 at DraftKings)

Elliott is the steady-hand road course bet at a number that’s starting to look disrespectful for this track. He’s a COTA winner (2021) with a 6.3 average finish and three top-fives in four starts. If this race comes down to restart execution and not over-driving corner exits, Elliott is exactly the kind of driver who can quietly be there at the end.

Longshots Worth a Look

Ross Chastain (+3300 at Caesars)

Chastain’s COTA history is elite for this price. He won here in 2022, owns a 5.6 average finish across five starts, and he’s tied for three top-fives at the track. This is the kind of number you take when the driver has already proven he can finish the job at this exact venue.

Alex Bowman (+4000 at BetMGM)

Bowman is the definition of “longshot with a top-tier track profile.” He’s tied for the most top-10s at COTA (five), and his 5.2 average finish is second-best among all drivers with five starts. At +4000, you’re buying a guy who repeatedly puts himself in the mix here, even without leading a ton of laps.

YOLO Dart of the Week

Austin Cindric (+5000 at BetMGM)

Cindric makes sense as the one bomb because he has actual COTA proof of life: two top-10s here, plus 17 laps led, which tells you he’s been capable of getting up front when the race breaks right. At +5000, you’re betting strategy, track position, and a Penske road-course skill set are showing up at the right time.

 

 

 

Props That Pop

Tyler Reddick Top 5 (+200 Caesars)

This is the cleanest number on the board. Reddick won at COTA in 2023, and he was 3rd here last year, so the track fit is real. Now layer in the fact that he opened 2026 with wins in the Daytona 500 and the Autotrader 400. He’s on fire, and this is the exact place that keeps him in the mix.

Chris Buescher Top 10 (+120 Caesars)

This is basically betting on a pattern that keeps repeating. Buescher has gone 7th (2025), 8th (2024), and 8th (2023) at COTA. That’s three straight top-10s here, and +120 is a fair payout for “do the same thing again.” 

Chris Buescher Top Ford (+160 at DraftKings)

Same logic, better ceiling. If Ford is fighting itself more than the field, Buescher is the one who repeatedly shows up at COTA with a top-10 result. +160 is playable.

Austin Cindric Top 10 (+325)

This one is the “I want upside at a real number” play. Cindric has shown he can hit at COTA with a 6th (2023) and 8th (2022), so the ceiling exists. Yes, the last two runs are rough, but that’s why you’re getting +325. I’m buying the talent and the road-course skill set, not pretending last year’s 25th is a lock either way.

Chase Elliott (-114 BetRivers) over Kyle Larson

Same team, same equipment, totally different COTA results lately. Elliott has two top-4s in his last three COTA starts (4th in 2025, 4th in 2022), while Larson’s last three here are 32nd, 17th, 14th. At a coin-flip price, I’m taking the guy who keeps finishing races up front at this track.

Kyle Busch (-114 BetRivers) over Ty Gibbs

Kyle Busch at COTA is steady and live: 2nd (2023), 9th (2024), 5th (2025), and he led 42 laps here last year. Gibbs can pop (3rd in 2024), but he also cratered to 34th in 2025. At -114, I’ll take the floor and the track history that doesn’t swing wildly. 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

This card is simple: pay for SVG, take the Reddick heater seriously, and use COTA history to grab value on the mid-tier and props. The track has proven it can crown anybody, but it also leaves a very clear paper trail on who consistently runs inside the top 10 here