By Daniel Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
The sponsored name of the race was fitting for the times: the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400.
And when Kevin Harvick sped through the checkered flag at about 180 mph in overtime on Sunday, some bettors had a reason to cheer with him.
He was +400 early, dropped as low as +300 and closed at around +350.
Harvick was able to take command in the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s legendary 2.5-mile oval after leader Denny Hamlin’s Toyota lost a tire and careened into a wall, creating a showy comet trail of sparks and flames.
Hamlin escaped unscathed from the crash, but bettors ended up tearing up tickets on him that were as high as +600.
The NBC telecast captured acres of empty stands for the in the NASCAR Cup Series race. Fans were restricted to a telecast because of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than a half million people worldwide and made face mask, hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment sought-after items.
Elsewhere:
— Bryson DeChambeau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic by three strokes at the Detroit Golf Club on Sunday.
He paid bettors willing to gamble on him about +650. The 26-year-old PGA golfer beefed up to 240 pounds, and the result was head-craning drives that pinged an average of 351 yards.
“He understands what is the key to gaining the biggest advantage and that’s distance, and megadistance,” Kevin Kisner told The Associated Press. “He just has too much time on his hands. He needs to start getting married and having kids and feel like the rest of us.
Kisner, +7000, finished third. Matthew Wolff was runner-up to DeChambeau and would have paid +12500.
— The Las Vegas Aces are still about +350 to win the WNBA title. The Aces signed veteran center Avery Warley-Talbert on Saturday after all All-Star Center Liz Cambage’s agent said Cambage is expected to miss the upcoming season because of health reasons.
“In the evaluation of Liz Cambage’s health and pre-existing risk factors with her team doctor, we believe her to be at high risk for severe illness if she contracts COVID-19 in participating this WNBA season,” Cambage’s agent, Allison Galer, told The AP.
The defending champion Washington Mystics are also about +350.
— There’s a little more than two months until the NFL season opens Sept. 10 with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans. No fans are expected at the quintessentially high-decibel Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs are generally -10 or -10.5 with the total hovering around 55.
CBS offered football-starved fans a replay of the Jan. 19 AFC title game between the Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans early Sunday. But you already know how that game played out, and betting tickets were cashed or trashed many months ago.
— The always popular Vegas Golden Knights are anywhere from +400 to as high as +800 to win the Stanley Cup when NHL playoffs begin around Aug. 1.
— A 12-fight card is on tap Saturday for UFC 251 from Fight Island in Yas Island, United Arab Emirates.
Kamaru Usman (10-0) will challenge Jorge Masvidal (12-6) for the welterweight championship in the main event. Usman is -290 and Masvidal is +245, according to Vegas Insider.
Daniel Behringer is a long-time Las Vegan. Follow posts at doublegutshot.com. On Twitter, @DanBehringer221.