NASCAR Betting – Veterans lead NASCAR odds at Talladega
Posted on 10/2/2008 11:22:38 AM
By Lee-Roy Buckles
NASCAR betting: Gordon has shined here before
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WHO: 43 of NASCAR’s finest
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WHAT: The AMP Energy 500
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WHEN: Sunday, October 5 at 2:00 p.m. ET
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WHERE: Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama
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KEY STATS: Kurt Busch has the best finishing average among active drives at 11.9
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PICK: Jeff Gordon
The next stop in NASCAR’s “Chase for the Sprint Cup” is Talladega Superspeedway for the AMP Energy 500, as NASCAR’s finest will have 188 laps to deal with the circuit’s largest track.
Restrictor-plate racing is a specialty, which is why NASCAR odds have experienced drivers as their favorites this weekend. Jeff Gordon won this event last year for his sixth victory on the 2.66-mile track, where “The Big One” is always right around the corner.
Gordon is one of the favorites at +600 odds to claim his first win of the season and, with 12 wins on superspeedways, the four-time series champion definitely knows how to work the draft as he showed with his late-race pass last year to capture the checkered flag.
The No. 24 team has struggled with car setups this year, but handling doesn’t matter much at superspeedways, and Gordon is one of the most talented drivers to ever hit NASCAR. He’s a great candidate for NASCAR picks.
Tony Stewart also has NASCAR odds of +600, and his finishing average of 13.9 at Talladega is second only to Kurt Busch’s 11.9. However, the No. 20 driver has yet to visit Victory Lane in this Cup series, and a victory would go a long way in sending off Stewart from his Home Depot team on a high note.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second only to his teammate Gordon among active drivers with five wins, and “Junior” has a great feel at superspeedways, which isn’t surprising considering his late, great father won 10 times at Talladega.
The No. 88 driver has a finishing average of 14.1 here, third among active drivers, so it’s no wonder he also has NASCAR betting odds of +600.
Points-leader Jimmie Johnson is listed at +800, and even though his average finish of 17.5 is much lower than his average start of 8.2, the No. 48 driver still deserves attention in the online sportsbook community. Johnson won the spring race here in 2006, and he hasn’t finished lower than fifth in his last five races overall.
LEE-ROY’S PICK: It’s rare in NASCAR betting for a younger driver to win at Talladega, and even Kyle Busch’s victory in the spring race back in April shouldn’t be surprising given the 23-year-old’s experience.
Stewart has been snakebitten and distracted this season, so he wouldn’t be a solid bet. It should come down to the Hendrick team of Gordon, Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson, and the smart pick would be Jeff Gordon to avoid his first winless season since 1993, his debut in the Cup series.
Gordon will be boosted by a fourth-place finish last week at Kansas despite battling an illness, and he won the pole at Dover two weeks ago, so the next step is Victory Lane. Bet on Jeff Gordon to be triumphant at Talladega.
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Born in the betting capital of Las Vegas, Lee-Roy has
grown to appreciate the likes of IndyCar and Formula 1 racing, but his first
love is the high-speed ovals of NASCAR and he is a HUGE Tony Stewart fan. When
it comes to motorsports handicapping, Buckles takes the checkered flag. Thoughts
or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
