Motorsports Betting – Daytona 500 Heats Up
“Smoke” needs to heat up at Daytona
If you bet sports, you know nobody has raced better this season in NASCAR's Sprint Cup series, yet has nothing to show for it, than Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Tony Stewart, pilot of the No.20 Home Depot Toyota Camry. Stewart is ninth in the Sprint Cup standings as the series heads to venerable Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night for the Coke Zero 400 and he should get a look from you and your sportsbook on NASCAR betting odds.
If this were the Nationwide series, this would not be a problem for Stewart, who has five wins in only seven starts this year in NASCAR's second-tier series. But the two-time Cup champion would probably trade all five of those victories for just one visit to Victory Lane in the Sprint Cup. This season has been especially busy for Stewart, who is rumored to be leaving JGR at the end of the year to co-own and drive for Haas-CNC Racing. Many think that this is a distraction for Stewart and the No.20 team, and this is true to an extent. But the truth is, Stewart has had a few chances to come away with the checkered flag, most notably at the Daytona 500 when he was edged out by Ryan Newman, at Bristol when he led 267 laps, and at Lowe's for the Coca-Cola 600 when he blew a tire with three laps left in and a sizable lead. Last week at New Hampshire, Stewart had the best car on the track, but was caught out of pit sequence by the rain
However, Stewart fans should not worry, because there may not be a better second-half racer than the No.20 man. 24 of Stewart's 32 wins in the Cup series has come after June has begun. Last season, after Stewart clashed with JGR teammate Denny Hamlin at the summer race at Daytona, he then went on win three of the next four races at Chicagoland, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen, three different types of tracks. Stewart's driving style is perfect for the summer when the tracks heat up and get slippery, and his car control is arguably the best in NASCAR. But if Stewart wants to make the “Chase for the Sprint Cup”, he needs to start turning these good cars into first-place finishes, and with the bitterness of just missing a win in the Daytona 500, you can bet that Stewart be right there at the end of the Coke Zero 400 under the lights at Daytona.
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.
