Grant Park 165 Predictions: Chicago Double for Van Gisbergen?

• Christopher Bell is already doing a rain dance in advance of Chicago race.

• Shane van Gisbergen looks to extend his mastery in the Windy City.

• Michael McDowell thinks NASCAR Cup veterans will be competitive.

Grant Park 165 Betting Odds

Odds taken from BetMGM Sportsbook. Head over to BetMGM to place your bets and get up to $1,500 in bonus bets paid back!*
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Our Picks for the Grant Park 165

• Michael McDowell to win the race at (+1300) at BetMGM

• AJ Allmendinger to finish in the top three at (+375) at BetMGM

Grant Park 165 Predictions

Christopher Bell Hoping for More Wet Work on Chicago Street Course

One of four drivers to share the NASCAR Cup Series victory lead with three through 19 races, Christopher Bell has proven to be fast on both wet and dry pavement this season.

In the fourth race of the season, Bell won decisively at Phoenix on dry asphalt. At New Hampshire on June 23, he won his third race of the season, leading the last 64 laps of the rain-interrupted event on wet tires.

Last year, Bell led a race-high 37 laps and won the first two stages on the Chicago Street Course in the wet, before getting shuffled back during a cycle of pit stops as the track dried.

Small wonder Bell says, “Yeah, I think at this point, I’d probably prefer the rain. Going into the Chicago Street Race (last year), we had a really good practice, and I was looking forward to a dry race. And then the wet, and when we started the race, we just took off and were really good.”

We’re not backing Christopher Bell at (+600) at BetMGM on a dry track, and the forecast for the weekend is for mostly sunny skies. But if a storm happens to pop up before race time on Sunday, we’d be inclined to place a bet on the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Bet on Christopher Bell (+600) at BetMGM

Shane van Gisbergen Looks to Extend Road Course Mastery in Chicago

Last year, New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen made a spectacular NASCAR national series debut, winning the Cup Series first-ever Chicago Street Race.

Now racing full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, SVG already has won two straight road course races this season, at Portland on June 1 and Sonoma a week later.

On Saturday, the Kiwi will try to make it three in a row in the Xfinity Series. On Sunday, he’ll defend his win in the Cup Series race.

Though we think the three-time Australian Supercars champion will be a contender on Sunday, we think the Cup veterans will be just as competitive. Hence, we’re avoiding the betting favorite at (+550) via BetMGM.

Bet onShane van Gisbergen (+550) at BetMGM

It’s Michael McDowell’s Time to Shine on Street Course in Windy City

On July 21 of this year, the NASCAR Cup Series will race on the oval, rather than the road course, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

As a consequence, McDowell won’t have a chance to defend the victory on the Grand Prix Course that propelled him into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs last year.

But McDowell is adept at road course racing, and he should be a contender in Sunday’s Grant Park 165 on the streets of Chicago.

What makes McDowell even more attractive is the price. Michael McDowell is available at (+1300) via BetMGM, but we think that number will shrink after he qualifies in the top 10 on Saturday.

We also like all-but-forgotten road course ace AJ Allmendinger to finish in the top three at (+375) via BetMGM.

Bet on SMichael McDowell (+1300) at BetMGM

How to Watch the Grant Park 165

• What: Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series Race

• Where: Chicago Street Course

• When: Sunday, July 7, 4:30 p.m. ET

• How to Watch: NBC