The first road race on the 2024 NASCAR schedule will take place on Sunday when the 2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix is held at Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The NASCAR Cup Series has placed an increased emphasis on road racing in recent years and this will be the fourth time that COTA has appeared on the NASCAR calendar. Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick were the first three winners and they're among the favorites in the 2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix odds, with Reddick at 4-1, Elliott at 8-1 and Chastain at 12-1. The green flag drops at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Before scouring the 2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix starting lineup and making any 2024 NASCAR at Austin predictions, be sure to see the latest 2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix picks from SportsLine's proven projection model.

Our proven projection model has simulated the 2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix 10,000 times and come up with a surprising leaderboard. Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction model takes into account a slew of factors including track history and recent results.

McClure's model was red-hot during the 2023 season, nailing Martin Truex Jr.'s Clash win (20-1) as well as his win in New Hampshire (11-2), Joey Logano's Duel win (8-1), Kyle Busch's Fontana victory (10-1), Denny Hamlin's triumph in Kansas (6-1) and Kyle Larson's wins at Martinsville (6-1) and the NASCAR All-Star Race (13-2). The model correctly predicted winners in two playoff races as well, with Ryan Blaney scoring a 12-1 payout at Talladega and Larson winning at 9-2 in Las Vegas. 

It also called its first victory of the 2024 season with Larson winning again in Las Vegas for a 21-5 payout then predicted a Denny Hamlin win last week in Bristol at 5-1. It impressively nailed five of Larson's wins during his historic season in 2021 too. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 17 winners since 2021 and hit nine last year alone! Anyone who followed its lead on those NASCAR picks saw HUGE returns.

Now, the model has dialed in on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship and released its projections.

The model knows Circuit of the Americas is a relatively recent addition to the NASCAR schedules, with the NASCAR Cup Series running its first race in Austin back in 2021. Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick were the first three winners at COTA, but there have been a staggering 40 lead changes over the first three years despite the fact that these races are only scheduled for 68 laps. COTA is a 20-turn, 3.426-mile layout and the track has also hosted the United States Grand Prix in Formula 1 since 2012 (with the exception of 2020 because of COVID-19).

For the 2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, we can tell you the model is high on Denny Hamlin, even though he's a 20-1 longshot in the latest 2024 NASCAR at Austin odds. He's a target for anyone looking for a HUGE payday. And a massive shocker: Shane Van Gisbergen, a road specialist and one of the top Vegas favorites at 12-1, stumbles big-time and doesn't even crack the top 10! There are far better values in the 2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix starting lineup.

The model is also targeting three OTHER drivers with 2024 NASCAR at Austin odds longer than 15-1 to make a serious run at the checkered flag! Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it BIG. You ABSOLUTELY need to see who they are before locking in any NASCAR picks.

So who wins the 2024 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, and which EPIC longshots are a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine right now to see the full projected NASCAR at Austin leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 17 winners!