2021 NASCAR All-Star Race betting preview, presented by BetMGM

This article is brought to you by BetMGM.

The NASCAR All-Star Open/Race is in Fort Worth, Texas this weekend — the first time in the 36-year history of the race it has visited the Lonestar State. With only two exceptions — 2020 in Bristol and 1986 at Atlanta) — Charlotte, North Carolina had hosted the race since its beginning.

Some of the drivers have strong records at Texas, and some are just red hot on all tracks — and that all fits with the potential winners discussed below.

Take a look at who tops the NASCAR racing odds:

RELATED: NASCAR BetCenter | Odds: Who’s is favored for the All-Star Race?

THE ODDS-ON FAVORITE

Kyle Larson (+300)

There is good reason Kyle Larson is perched atop the NASCAR betting odds so regularly. He‘s multi-dimensional. Translation?: He wins anywhere and everywhere when good equipment is underneath him. Combine that talent with Hendrick Motorsports power, and success will follow. He will start on the pole Sunday..

Put him on a road-course track (Sonoma): Win.

Put him in the longest race in NASCAR (Charlotte): Win.

How about intermediate tracks (Las Vegas, Dover, Atlanta): Top-two finishes galore.

The track Too Tough to Tame at Darlington: Second-place finish.

Oh, that‘s just this year.

No wonder the guy is in second in the overall NASCAR Cup Series standings. While superspeedway tracks may not be his forte so far in his young career, every other genre appears to be a strength when he races for Hendrick. He has nine top-five finishes in 16 starts and three wins.

After an abbreviated 2020 that saw him lose his seat with Chip Ganassi Racing because of off-the-track issues, he has put together a strong statistical start to the 2021 season.

OTHERS: Every week we talk about the next couple of guys atop the odds, and Martin Truex, Jr. (+700) and Chase Elliott (+700) make that list. Neither driver has won here before, but both have done relatively well with Elliott nabbing five top 10s in 10 starts and Truex, Jr. getting 17 out of 31 starts.

THE DARK HORSE THREAT

Kyle Busch (+800)

Calling Kyle Busch a dark-horse threat seems just, well … weird. The younger Busch brother hasn‘t just won more Cup Series races at this venue than any of the current drivers (four), he also has nine Xfinity Series wins and five Truck Series wins. In all, he has won 18 races there across NASCAR‘s top three levels, along with 40 career top-five finishes in the top three series.

In the Cup Series, Busch has 17 career top 10s here in just 30 starts. This guy is good at Texas and we may see a display of that this weekend.

OTHERS: I know people get tired of the same old names, but when all three of NASCAR‘s top series are considered, Kevin Harvick (+1400) has nine career wins across all series at Texas. The veteran can‘t be counted out. Joey Logano (+1400) has 14 top-10 finishes in 25 career Cup starts at Texas, and he‘s one of seven drivers in this weekend‘s All-Star Race who have at least one career Cup Series win here (2014).

THE INTRIGUING LONG SHOT

Christopher Bell (+3000)

Bell is an intriguing pick because he took third at Texas last year behind Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. That‘s not too shabby for a young driver who wasn‘t even with Joe Gibbs Racing yet in the Cup Series (he joined prior to this season).

He also has won races here in both the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, and is 15th in the Cup Series standings with one win this season (Daytona Road Course). He is slated to start No. 3 in the All-Star Race on Sunday.