We're just days away from the fourth round of the 2022-23 Nitro Rallycross season at Glen Helen Raceway in California and now you can get involved by betting on the action.
DraftKings has released the odds for the Group E field, and here we take a look at the odds-on favorite, as well as who could be a smart outside choice, and who our in-house analyst Dominik Wilde is also tipping for success.
The Favorite
Travis Pastrana is the clear favorite this weekend, and for good reason. The series’ most recent winner – and in dominant fashion at ERX Motor Park, too – he also led a podium sweep for his team at Glen Helen a year ago.
The technical, jump-heavy, motocross-esque track plays to his strengths, and with odds of +275, he’s a definite safe bet for the weekend.
But, he’s not the only one – with the same odds is Andreas Bakkerud.
Bakkerud finished third in the Pastrana-led Vermont SportsCar podium sweep last season, despite only contesting a partial season. This year he’s full-time, and in the thick of the championship hunt, just 21 points off the top spot and with a race victory already under his belt from Sweden.
The Outsider
With odds of +1600, Olsbergs MSE's Oliver Eriksson might not seem like a sure bet, but perhaps don't look too far into that.
Always fast, and already a top qualifier once this year, his team had good pace at Glen Helen last year, even if their results didn't exactly show it. This time though, Eriksson's in the same FC1-X as the rest of the field, a purpose-built car for the series and the tracks it races on.
Why am I saying this? Well, with the tools at his disposal, there's a good chance Oliver Eriksson will be in the hunt
The Expert’s Pick
There's two drivers I'd pick, and I can't lie, one of them is an easy choice. Robin Larsson isn't a favorite in DraftKings' betting odds, ranking third at +400, but as the season’s points leader and the only driver to finish on the podium in every race so far this year, he's definitely a safe bet.
Another smart choice would be Fraser McConnell. The Jamaican was quick at Glen Helen last year, but mechanical issues robbed him of a chance of taking any meaningful result.
This time, you can guarantee he'll be quick once again on a track he makes no secret of being a fan of. And, coming in fresh from taking his maiden Group E podium – on a weekend where he had to mount a mammoth comeback no less – he'll be brimming with confidence and looking to prove a point.