2022 NASCAR at St. Louis race picks, Enjoy Illinois 300 odds, predictions, best bets from proven expert

After posting his first win of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season in early April, Denny Hamlin had his struggles, finishing 18th or worse in each of his next five starts. But the 41-year-old broke out of the slump on May 15 with a fourth-place at Kansas and became just the third driver with multiple wins this year when he took the checkered flag at Charlotte last weekend. Hamlin aims for his third victory of the season and second in a row when he competes Sunday in the 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300, the inaugural Cup Series race held at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., just outside of St. Louis. 

Hamlin is listed at 7-1 and reigning series champion Kyle Larson is the 6-1 favorite in the latest 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300 odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. are 8-1 while William Byron, Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott round out the top 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300 contenders at 17-2. You’ll want to check out the NASCAR at St. Louis predictions from Micah Roberts, the legendary Vegas bookmaker who pioneered wagering on racing, before locking in any 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300 picks of your own.

Roberts, a former Vegas bookmaker, was the first to offer expanded NASCAR betting, and now hands out NASCAR winners to his followers on SportsLine. Roberts is the nation’s premier NASCAR betting expert, and his top pick, Elliott, won the Jockey Made in America 250 last season.

He also correctly predicted the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 winner, hitting Larson’s victory at 11-2 odds, and was on point by targeting Elliott as the winner of the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at 8-5 odds the previous week. In addition, Roberts nailed last year’s GEICO 500 when he predicted Brad Keselowski to win at 14-1 odds. Anyone who has followed his picks has cashed tickets.

Now, Roberts has analyzed the field and odds for Sunday’s NASCAR at St. Louis 2022 race (see tickets at StubHub). He’s only sharing his winner and projected leaderboard at SportsLine.

2022 NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 expert picks

One shocker: Roberts is low on Larson, even though he’s one the top 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300 contenders. In fact, Roberts says Larson, who has finished ninth or better in five of his last six starts, barely even cracks the top 10.

“Larson’s set-up at Phoenix and Martinsville wasn’t that good, and he was fifth at Richmond without leading a lap,” Roberts told SportsLine, referring to Larson’s performances on similar tracks this season. “I’ll wait until he’s on another 1.5-mile track before betting him again.”

Another curveball: Roberts is high on Ryan Blaney, who is listed at 12-1 in the latest NASCAR at Madison odds. The 28-year-old native of Ohio remains in search of his first win of the season after recording a career-high three in 2021. Blaney crashed out of last week’s race at Charlotte and finished out of the top 10 in each of his previous four starts but was seventh or better in four consecutive outings prior to that.

“This is all about how he did on the two relevant tracks this season that have been used – Phoenix and Richmond,” Roberts told SportsLine. “Blaney led the most laps at each (143 at Phoenix and 128 at Richmond) and came away with two top-10 finishes.”

How to make 2022 NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 predictions

Roberts is high on a long shot who has had a successful past at this track in other NASCAR series. This driver is being underestimated by oddsmakers, and anyone who backs him could hit it big. You can find out who it is, and see the rest of Roberts’ Enjoy Illinois 300 picks and NASCAR predictions, at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2022 Enjoy Illinois 300? And which long shot stuns NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2022 NASCAR at St. Louis leaderboard from the nation’s premier NASCAR handicapper, and find out.

2022 Enjoy Illinois 300 odds, field, top contenders

Kyle Larson 6-1
Denny Hamlin 7-1
Kyle Busch 8-1
Martin Truex Jr. 8-1
William Byron 17-2
Ross Chastain 17-2
Chase Elliott 17-2
Ryan Blaney 12-1
Christopher Bell 14-1
Joey Logano 14-1
Alex Bowman 18-1
Tyler Reddick 18-1
Chase Briscoe 20-1
Kurt Busch 25-1
Kevin Harvick 25-1
Daniel Suarez 30-1
Aric Almirola 40-1
Austin Cindric 50-1
Erik Jones 50-1
Austin Dillon 60-1
Brad Keselowski 75-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 75-1
Bubba Wallace 75-1
Chris Buescher 100-1
A.J. Allmendinger 200-1
Cole Custer 200-1
Justin Haley 300-1
Harrison Burton 500-1
Ty Dillon 500-1
Todd Gilliland 1000-1
Michael McDowell 1000-1
Corey LaJoie 2000-1
Josh Bilicki 2500-1
BJ McLeod 2500-1
Cody Ware 2500-1