Austin Dillon is bringing college basketball to the Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.
The four-time winner on the NASCAR Cup Series will drive the BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing in this weekend’s United Rentals Work United 500. And the No. 3 car will be adorned with BetMGM’s March Matchups logo to promote the free-to-play $10-million Bracket Challenge.
“Everyone knows me as a professional racecar driver, but in general, I’m a fan of all sports so it’s cool to see my passions intersect this weekend with BetMGM,” Dillon said ahead of this weekend’s race.
“Our No. 3 BetMGM Chevy looks fast with the March Matchups logo on the hood, and I hope it inspires a few fans to try and build the perfect bracket for their chance at $10 Million. You can bet that as soon as Sunday’s race is over, I will be catching up on college basketball and strategizing my bracket selections.”
Dillon will be racing as the final two teams — from the Big Ten and American Athletic Conference — punch their auto-bid tickets, and the 68-team tournament field is unveiled. The 312-mile race is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, 90 minutes before the selection show begins.
Shortly after first-round matchups are announced during the CBS broadcast, BetMGM customers can make predictions for the Bracket Challenge. If a customer correctly predicts all 67 games, they’ll receive $10 million. If there isn’t a perfect bracket, the highest-scoring entrant will still receive $100,000.
Odds for the play-in games and first-round games will also be available minutes after each region is announced on Sunday night.
In NASCAR odds, as of Wednesday, March 7, Dillon is +6600 in race-winner odds at the online sportsbook. Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are co-favorites at +900.
It’ll be Dillon’s 19th Cup Series start at Phoenix Raceway — only 14 active drivers have more starts at the track. Most recently, he finished 13th in last year’s championship race at the one-mile, tri-oval track in Avondale, 20 miles southwest of downtown Phoenix. He also has two top-10 finishes at the track on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and eight top-10 finishes on the Xfinity Series.
The North Carolina native is coming off his best season on NASCAR’s top circuit. He won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, set career-highs in top-5 finishes (five) and start-to-finish margin (+2.4), and finished 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, tied for best in his career.
Through the first month of the 2023 season, Dillon has a second-place finish in the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum and a ninth-place finish in the Pala Casino 400.
You can view updated NASCAR odds and college basketball odds at the sportsbook. You can also download BetMGM’s printable tournament bracket.
