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Kyle Larson attempts to increase his lead in the NASCAR Cup Series standings when he takes part in the 2024 Grant Park 165 on the Chicago Street Course on Sunday. Larson is 20 points ahead of Chase Elliott through the first 19 races of the season and tied with William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell for most victories with three. The 2021 Cup Series champion, who was fourth in the inaugural Chicago Street Race last year, grabbed his share of the lead when he captured the checkered flag at Sonoma last month. It was the fifth career series win on a road course for the 31-year-old, who pulled even with Martin Truex Jr. for second-most among active drivers behind Elliott (seven). Larson has posted a series-high eight top-five finishes this year and ranks third with 10 top-10s.

Larson is listed at 13-2, while Shane van Gisbergen and Tyler Reddick are 6-1 co-favorites in the latest 2024 Grant Park 165 odds. Bell is also 13-2 and Elliott rounds out the top five 2024 NASCAR at Chicago contenders at 17-2. Sunday's race is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET. Before making any 2024 Grant Park 165 picks or NASCAR predictions, you need to see what NASCAR insider Steven Taranto has to say.

Taranto, who moonlights as a sim racer and has 20 career wins in iRacing, is the lead NASCAR writer for CBSSports.com, and he chronicles stock car racing with the same thoroughness and passion that he's had since becoming a full-time race fan in 2001. He has an annual NASCAR medial credential and also publishes a popular weekly NASCAR predictions column, famously calling Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez's breakthrough wins in 2022.

Taranto has been red-hot for SportsLine in 2024, nailing 10 winners in his best bets, including 16-1 longshot William Byron at the Daytona 500 and 14-1 longshot Chase Elliott at Texas. Anyone following his NASCAR picks has seen huge returns.

Now, Taranto has analyzed the starting lineup and odds for Sunday's Grant Park 165. He's sharing his best bets at SportsLine.

2024 Grant Park 165 expert picks

For the 2024 Grant Park 165, Taranto is high on Christopher Bell, who is listed at 13-2. Bell's 36th-place finish in Nashville last week is deceiving, as he led a race-high 131 laps and swept the stages for the fourth time in his career before running into trouble during the final stage. He had a similarly deceiving performance at Chicago last year, winning both stages and leading a race-high 37 laps prior to running into trouble down the stretch.

Bell has been outstanding on road courses during his Cup Series career, picking up two wins, six top-five finishes and 12 top-10s. He has finished inside the top three in two of the last four road-course races, including a runner-up at COTA in March. Bell is also one of the hottest drivers in the Cup Series, notching two wins, three top-five finishes and five top-10s in his last six races. He has led 209 laps more than the next closest driver during that stretch, so Taranto is happy to include Bell in his outright selections for Sunday's race. 

Another surprise: Taranto is fading William Byron, even though he won at COTA and is 14-1. Byron did not do anything special in the inaugural edition of this race, failing to crack the top 10. He won the first road course race this season at COTA, but his results since then have been a major red flag. 

He has finished 15th or worse in seven of his last 10 races, and he has not led a single lap in five consecutive races. Byron has already clinched his spot in the playoffs with three wins this season, so motivation is also a concern heading down the stretch of the regular season. Taranto expects Byron to find his best form again at some point, but he is fading the No. 24 driver on Sunday. See what other NASCAR picks he likes at SportsLine.

How to make 2024 Grant Park 165 predictions

Taranto has also identified four other drivers in his 2024 NASCAR at Chicago best bets. He's also high on a huge NASCAR longshot who's going off with more than 75-1 odds. You can only see who they are here.

So who wins the Grant Park 165 2024, and which massive longshot could stun NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2024 NASCAR at Chicago picks and best bets from a NASCAR insider who has already nailed a colossal 10 winners this year, and find out.

2024 Grant Park 165 odds

See full NASCAR at Chicago picks at SportsLine

Tyler Reddick 6-1
Shane van Gisbergen 6-1
Christopher Bell 13-2
Kyle Larson 13-2
Chase Elliott 17-2
Michael McDowell 12-1
Martin Truex Jr. 12-1
A.J. Allmendinger 14-1
William Byron 14-1
Chris Buescher 16-1
Ty Gibbs 18-1
Denny Hamlin 22-1
Kyle Busch 25-1
Ryan Blaney 30-1
Ross Chastain 30-1
Daniel Suarez 30-1
Austin Cindric 45-1
Joey Logano 45-1
Alex Bowman 60-1
Justin Haley 75-1
Chase Briscoe 80-1
Todd Gilliland 80-1
Joey Hand 100-1
Carson Hocevar 100-1
Brad Keselowski 100-1
Erik Jones 125-1
Zane Smith 125-1
Noah Gragson 150-1
Corey LaJoie 200-1
Bubba Wallace 200-1
Josh Berry 300-1
Austin Dillon 300-1
Austin Hill 300-1
Ryan Preece 300-1
Kaz Grala 500-1
John Hunter Nemechek 500-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 500-1
Josh Bilicki 1000-1
Harrison Burton 1000-1
Daniel Hemric 1000-1