2024 Coca-Cola 600 expert picks, best bets, Charlotte odds, time: NASCAR expert backing Chris Buescher

Ryan Blaney attempts to successfully defend his title when he competes in the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion matched his career high with three victories last season, with the first coming in this race. It was the third top-five finish in 13 career Cup Series starts at Charlotte for Blaney, with the other two being third-place performances in 2020. The 30-year-old has yet to make his way to Victory Lane this year and has posted only five top-10s in 13 regular-season starts but finished fifth in last weekend's All-Star Race.

Blaney is listed at 17-2 and Kyle Larson is the 19-4 favorite in the latest 2024 Coca-Cola 600 odds. Denny Hamlin is 6-1 and Tyler Reddick is 7-1, while William Byron, Chris Buescher and two-time race winner Martin Truex Jr. round out the top 2024 NASCAR at Charlotte contenders at 10-1. Sunday's race is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET. Before making any 2024 Coca-Cola 600 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 Chastain and Daniel Suarez's breakthrough wins in 2022.

Taranto is off to a red-hot start for SportsLine in 2024, nailing seven winners in his best bets already, including 16-1 longshot Byron at the Daytona 500 and 14-1 longshot Chase Elliott at Texas three weeks ago. Anyone following his NASCAR picks has seen some huge returns.

Now, Taranto has analyzed the field and odds for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. He's sharing his best bets at SportsLine .

2024 Coca-Cola 600 expert picks

For the 2024 Coca-Cola 600, Taranto is high on Chris Buescher, who is listed at 10-1. Even though it was an exhibition and did not issue points, Buescher had one of his best outings of the year last weekend as he finished third in the NASCAR All-Star Race. The 31-year-old Texan remains in search of his first victory of the season but has been runner-up twice, including in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas earlier this month.

Buescher has posted four top-10 finishes in 11 Cup Series starts at Charlotte, with his best result being sixth place in this race in 2019. He was 10th in the Coca-Cola 600 the following season and finished eighth each of the last two years. Buescher also competed in five Xfinity Series races at the track and recorded three top-10s while finishing 11th in another start.

Another surprise: Taranto is fading Larson, even though he is the 19-4 favorite. The main reason for not backing the native of California is his availability due to the weather. It is expected to rain in Indianapolis on Sunday, which could delay the Indy 500 and prevent Larson from arriving in Charlotte in time for the start of the race.

Larson's recent history at the track does not create much cause for concern, however. He has recorded top-10 finishes in each of the last five Cup Series races there that he has completed, beginning with a fifth place in 2016. Larson also had strong performances at Charlotte while competing in the Xfinity Series, posting five top-10s -- including a victory -- in seven starts. See what other NASCAR picks he likes at SportsLine .

How to make 2024 Coca-Cola 600 predictions

Taranto has also identified four other drivers in his 2024 NASCAR at Charlotte best bets. He's also high on a huge NASCAR longshot who's going off at more than 25-1. You can only see who they are here .

So who wins the Coca-Cola 600 2024, and which massive longshot could stun NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2024 NASCAR at Charlotte picks and best bets from a NASCAR insider who has already nailed seven winners this year , and find out.

2024 Coca-Cola 600 odds

See full NASCAR at Charlotte picks at SportsLine

Kyle Larson 19-4
Denny Hamlin 6-1
Tyler Reddick 7-1
Ryan Blaney 17-2
Chris Buescher 10-1
William Byron 10-1
Martin Truex Jr. 10-1
Chase Elliott 12-1
Brad Keselowski 12-1
Christopher Bell 14-1
Ty Gibbs 16-1
Kyle Busch 18-1
Ross Chastain 18-1
Joey Logano 20-1
Bubba Wallace 28-1
Alex Bowman 30-1
Noah Gragson 50-1
Chase Briscoe 80-1
Todd Gilliland 80-1
Daniel Suarez 100-1
Josh Berry 125-1
Erik Jones 125-1
Austin Dillon 200-1
Michael McDowell 200-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 200-1
Austin Cindric 300-1
Carson Hocevar 300-1
Ryan Preece 350-1
Harrison Burton 500-1
Justin Haley 500-1
Jimmie Johnson 500-1
Corey LaJoie 500-1
John Hunter Nemechek 500-1
Zane Smith 500-1
Shane Van Gisbergen 500-1
Daniel Hemric 1500-1
Kaz Grala 5000-1
J.J. Yeley 5000-1