NASCAR Cup Series eero 400 Predictions & Picks: Will Hamlin Stay Hot on Ovals?

After a couple of weeks away from ovals, it's back to business as usual this weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series, which is at Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019 for this evening's eero 400 (6 p.m. ET, TNT).

There have been only two evening races in the first 18 races of the Cup Series season, but today's race is the first of three consecutive late races for the series. Next Sunday, the series takes on Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second time this season (7 p.m. ET, TNT), with the highly anticipated return to North Wilkesboro Speedway set for the following Sunday evening (7 p.m. ET, TNT).

All three races loom large for both the In-Season Challenge and the Chase for the Cup. There are eight regular season races left before 16 drivers get ready to battle it out for a title, and the next four will close out the In-Season Challenge.

Last week, the Challenge got underway with the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma, where Shane van Gisbergen picked up a desperately needed victory a week after being crashed out of the Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado.

SVG, who is now 36 points clear of 17^th place, wasn't the only one who made a move in the points last week. So did Denny Hamlin, who finished 26^th but moved bumped Tyler Reddick off the top spot thanks to the latter finishing 36^th.

Can Hamlin consolidate his place with a fourth consecutive oval win? Just like he did at Nashville, Michigan, and Pocono, he will start up front in the eero 400. And at Lucky Rebel and other top online sportsbooks, he is the Chicagoland race favorite, ahead of Reddick, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Blaney.

Odds to Win the NASCAR Cup Series eero 400

Odds are from Lucky Rebel as of Sunday, July 5, 2026.

eero 400 Starting Lineup

NASCAR Chicagoland Predictions and Picks

Christopher Bell to Finish in the Top Five (+175 at Lucky Rebel)

After a short stint in San Diego, where he was relieved by teenager Brent Crews during the first stage, Bell had an impressive showing at Sonoma as he finished fifth.

Judging by last week's result and a strong qualifying run for the eero 400, it would appear that Bell's wrist is healing well. So, it's not hard to jump on these odds, especially when only four drivers (Hamlin – 24 in 40 starts, Larson – 19 in 39 starts, William Byron – 16 in 40 starts, and Tyler Reddick – 16 in 40 starts) have more top-five finishes on intermediate and large oval tracks since 2023.

Alex Bowman to Finish in the Top 10 (+175 at Lucky Rebel)

Thanks to missing four races and not finishing well in many of the races he has participated in, Bowman enters the eero 400 29^th in the points, 170 points out of 16^th.

So, it's highly unlikely that the No. 48 will be a part of the Chase for the Cup.

However, he can still make a strong argument to retain that seat for 2027 or ensure that he will land on his feet well if Hendrick Motorsports decides to move on to a new face.

At Sonoma, he finished 10^th, his first top-10 since he came in third at Texas Motor Speedway two months ago. Can he bag back-to-back top 10s? Chicagoland was the site of Bowman's first Cup Series win seven years ago—he was the winner of the most recent Cup Series race at the track—and after qualifying a respectable 12^th, I like his chances to record a decent result.