What to Watch: Phoenix begins stretch of traditional tracks, but with ‘option’ twist
NASCAR CUP SERIES
By Zach Sturniolo
NASCAR.com
Published: March 8, 2025
7 Minute Read
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
List of Partners (vendors)
This website uses online tracking technologies such as cookies to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, save your preferences, and to enable personalized advertising. To manage your preferences, visit Manage Cookies at the bottom of this page. By using this site, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Statement, including our Cookie Policy.
We Care About Your Privacy
We and our partners process data to provide:
2025 Shriners Children’s 500 odds, expert predictions, picks, props: Use Denny Hamlin in NASCAR best bets
The first non-superspeedway oval race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season has arrived, with the 2025 Shriners Children’s 500 set for Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Races on non-superspeedway ovals are generally won by top-tier drivers due to the lack of equalizers in play, and there are several with short odds atop the NASCAR odds board. Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson are +700 favorites, followed by Joey Logano (+750) and Christopher Bell (+750) in the 2025 Shriners Children’s 500 odds. Should you back any of those drivers with your 2025 Shriners Children’s 500 picks? William Byron is on the pole.
The green flag is scheduled to drop at 3:30 p.m. ET. Before entering any 2025 Shriners Children’s 500 props or NASCAR parlay picks on sites like PrizePicks, DraftKings Pick6, Sleeper Fantasy, and Underdog Fantasy, you need to see what elite expert auto racing handicappers Phil Bobbitt and Steve Greco have to say.
Bobbitt and Greco built a predictive engine that consistently beats the books. They find huge value and aren’t afraid of volume. Over the past four years, their followers are up more than $28,000 on $100 plays. Last season, they nailed seven outright winners in the Cup Series, returning nearly seven units for a 25.7% ROI.
They predicted Daniel Suarez’s victory in Atlanta at +3500 and were 10-2 on matchup plays. Their 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race preview nailed Joey Logano at +1100 and went 4-0 in matchup picks, and they hit Austin Cindric at +2800 in the Enjoy Illinois 300. They also nailed Ross Chastain as a +3000 longshot in the Hollywood Casino 400. Overall, they were up 47.18 units across all racing articles last season. They got off to a hot start this season, picking William Byron as a 23-1 longshot in the 2025 Daytona 500. Anyone following Bobbitt and Greco on betting apps and sportsbooks could have seen huge returns.
Now, Bobbitt and Greco have analyzed the field and odds for Sunday’s NASCAR at Phoenix 2025 race. They’re sharing their best bets only at SportsLine.
One of Bobbitt and Greco’s top NASCAR bets: They are backing Denny Hamlin to finish ahead of Kyle Busch in a head-to-head prop that pays -170 at DraftKings:
Busch is a previous champion at this track, taking the checkered flag in 2019. However, he posted an average running position of 21.0 in 14 short, flat-track races from 2023 and 2024, spending less than 30% of his laps inside the top 15.
Hamlin has been significantly better in that data set, topping the leaderboard in average running position (6.8). He has been inside the top 15 in 93.3% of his laps and averages 23.4 fast laps. Additionally, Hamlin has eight top-10 finishes and an average finishing position of 9.4 in those 14 races, making him the clear value side of this matchup.
“Here it is, the matchup of the weekend. Denny Hamlin is our #4 pick for short, flat tracks, while Kyle Busch? Let’s scroll down… yep, #23,” Bobbitt and Greco told SportsLine. See what other NASCAR prop picks they like at SportsLine.
Bobbitt and Greco have locked in more NASCAR props and identified several longshots they like to win it all. One of the drivers is going off at more than 35-1 to win the race, so anyone who backs him could hit it big. You can only see who he is here.
So who wins the 2025 Shriners Children’s 500, and which epic longshot stuns NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2025 NASCAR at Phoenix prop picks and best bets from a team of elite NASCAR handicappers who were up over 47 units last year, and find out.
See full NASCAR at Phoenix picks at SportsLine
Ryan Blaney +700
Kyle Larson +700
Joey Logano +750
Christopher Bell +750
Kyle Busch +850
Tyler Reddick +850
William Byron +850
Chase Elliott +1300
Denny Hamlin +1700
Chase Briscoe +2100
Ross Chastain +1400
Ty Gibbs +2200
Chris Buescher +2200
Josh Berry +3300
Brad Keselowski +3500
Bubba Wallace +4000
Alex Bowman +5500
Austin Cindric +6500
Ryan Preece +7500
Carson Hocevar +7500
Daniel Suarez +8000
Cole Custer +10000
Noah Gragson +10000
Michael McDowell +17500
Erik Jones +20000
Riley Herbst +20000
Justin Haley +20000
AJ Allmendinger +25000
Austin Dillon +25000
Shane Van Gisbergen +25000
Todd Gilliland +30000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +30000
Zane Smith +35000
John Hunter Nemechek +75000
Ty Dillon +150000
Cody Ware +250000
Katherine Legge +250000
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NASCAR races, along with the various NASCAR sportsbook promos they currently offer.
© 2004-2025 CBS Interactive. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.
The content on this site is for entertainment purposes only and CBS Sports makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. There is no gambling offered on this site. This site contains commercial content and CBS Sports may be compensated for the links provided on this site.
Images by Getty Images and Imagn
Phil Bobbitt and Steve Greco revealed their 2025 Shriners Children’s 500 picks for sites like PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy, Sleeper Fantasy, and DraftKings Pick6
2025 Shriners Children’s 500 prop picks
How to make 2025 NASCAR at Phoenix picks
2025 Shriners Children’s 500 odds, field
Where to bet on NASCAR races
Our Latest Nascar Stories
2025 Shriners Children’s 500 odds, props, picks
2025 Shriners Children’s 500 Fantasy picks, rankings
NASCAR DFS: 2025 Shriners Children’s 500 picks, lineups
Expert backing 130-1 longshot at Phoenix
2025 Shriners Children’s 500 odds, simulations
Free betting picks: NASCAR Phoenix sleepers to target
NASCAR at Phoenix: Where to watch, race preview
CBS SPORTS STAFF • 3 MIN READ
CBS SPORTS STAFF • 3 MIN READ
CBS SPORTS STAFF • 3 MIN READ
CBS SPORTS STAFF • 4 MIN READ
CBS SPORTS STAFF • 2 MIN READ
STEVEN TARANTO • 6 MIN READ
NASCAR at Phoenix 2025: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Shriners Children’s 500
The NASCAR Cup Series speeds into Phoenix Raceway Sunday for the first of two races this season – the second, of course, will crown the 2025 champion later this year.
The drivers last raced at Phoenix in November when Joey Logano won the 2024 championship race to capture his third career Cup Series title.
While success in the early Phoenix race doesn’t necessarily presage a strong finish in the season finale, it has proven to be a fairly decent indicator – at least since the championship race moved to the Avondale, Arizona, track in 2020.
In four of the past five seasons, at least three drivers who finished in the top seven of the first race at Phoenix also finished in the top seven in the season finale. In 2022, five drivers finished in the top seven of both races.
Last season proved to be an exception, however, with just Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney earning top-seven finishes at Phoenix in both March and November. Bell, who won this race last year, is seeking his third consecutive victory of the 2025 season on Sunday.
It’s worth noting, however, that in the same five-year span, no driver has won both races at Phoenix in the same season. Will that change this year?
Here’s all the information you need to get ready for the Shriners Children’s 500, Sunday at Phoenix Raceway:
The Shriners Children’s 500 starts at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. local) at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
FS1 is broadcasting the Shriners Children’s 500 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. local).
The Shriners Children’s 500 can be live streamed on Max and the FoxSports app. Viewers can also stream the race on Fubo, which is offfering a free trial to new subscribers.
The Shriners Children’s 500 is 312 laps around the 1-mile oval at Phoenix Raceway for a total of 312 miles (502.115 kilometers). The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 60 laps; Stage 2: 125 laps; Stage 3: 127 laps.
Here’s how many drivers each year finished in the top seven of both Phoenix races since the championship race moved to the Avondale, Arizona, track in 2020:
(Car number in parentheses)
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
