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Best NASCAR Long Shots Today at COTA 2025: Sleepers & Value Bets for EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Pictured: NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) during practice for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Photo by Michael C. Johnson / Imagn Images.

Ahead of the first road race of the Cup Series season, we're offering our best NASCAR long shots for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix today at 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX) at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Shane van Gisbergen is the favorite by the latest NASCAR at COTA odds, but we're looking further down the oddsboard with five sleepers to win today's race.

💰 Best NASCAR long shots & COTA sleepers at EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

It can be tougher to find value on road courses, where the favorites often secure early track position and frustrate the field behind them. But changes to this year's race at the Circuit of the Americas could lead to some surprising results today.

Here are our best value bets to win today's EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix with raceday odds of at least +2500 across our best sportsbooks.

🎯 AJ Allmendinger (+2800 via FanDuel)

It wouldn't be a weekly long shots article without Allmendinger, right? A mainstay in our NASCAR AI predictions, the longtime road-racing specialist finished fifth in his first race at COTA in 2021 and sixth in last year's race here despite starting 14th.

He'll open today's race two spots better at 12th, and I genuinely like his chances of crashing the party with a win at these +2800 odds via FanDuel, which would turn a $10 bet into a $280 profit if he wins this road race.

Bet $5 on AJ Allmendinger to win the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and receive $150 in bonus bets with our FanDuel promo code.

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🎯 Chris Buescher (+4400 via FanDuel)

Our NASCAR betting expert Isaiah Sirois gave out Buescher as his best bet to win today's race in his EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix predictions ahead of Saturday's qualifying session, when he was dealing at no better than +2500 odds.

His odds have ballooned to nearly 45/1 after qualifying 24th, but that spells a value opportunity for the most consistent road racer in the field - he boasts the highest average finish across his 17 career starts on such courses with 13 top-10 finishes.

Buescher finished eighth in each of his last two races here. If he wins today, he'd turn a $10 bet at FanDuel into a $440 profit.

🎯 Michael McDowell (+5000 via Caesars)

This is another one of Sirois' best bets for today's race, and it's hard not to like McDowell's chances given his success at road courses like this one.

Behind the wheel of the No. 34 car for Front Row Racing, McDowell finished in the top 10 in 10 of his 17 road course starts in the Next Gen era - including a win at the Indy Road Course and a runner-up finish at Sonoma. That bodes well for his chances of turning a $10 bet into a $500 profit at Caesars.

Bet $1 on Michael McDowell to win the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and receive ten 100% profit boosts with our Caesars promo code.

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🎯 Austin Cindric (+5000 via BetMGM)

I know that Cindric posted the second-worst qualifying time on Saturday, which he attributed to adjusting to the changes to the track and tire wear. But this price feels like an overreaction on one of the season's best performers so far.

Yes, Cindric has excelled on superspeedways, but the Team Penske driver has two top-eight finishes in his last three races here and has finished in the top five in Stage 1 in three of those four starts. He's shown speed at this track before and has a strong history at road races, and a winning $10 bet at BetMGM would return a $500 profit.

Bet on Austin Cindric to win the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and receive up to $1,500 in bonus bets if he doesn't using our BetMGM bonus code.

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🎯 Ryan Blaney (+8000 via bet365)

It's been a while since Blaney's first (and only) win at a road course in the 2018 race at the Charlotte ROVAL, but he's been a surprisingly adept performer across 34 career starts on such courses - regularly running in the top 10 in the Next Gen car.

Blaney finished seventh at Sonoma last year and 12th at COTA, and he's one of the best pure drivers in the field with such long odds. It's not every day you can bet on a former Cup Series champion with a previous road course win at +8000 odds, which would turn a $10 bet into an $800 profit at bet365 if he wins today.

Bet $5 on Ryan Blaney to win the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and receive $150 in bonus bets with our bet365 bonus code.

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🚨 NASCAR expert picks at COTA

📺 How to watch the 2025 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA

📅 Race date: Sunday, March 2, 2025
🕒 Start time: 3:30 p.m. ET
📍 Track: Circuit of the Americas (Austin)
📺 TV: FOX | Streaming: FOX Sports App

🏁 Best NASCAR betting sites for the COTA Grand Prix

Looking to bet on the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas? Here are our top-rated NASCAR best sports betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review, along with our best sportsbook promos for today's race at 3:30 p.m. ET.

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission.