NASCAR Betting – Edwards favored in NASCAR Atlanta odds
Betting on sports - NASCAR Atlanta odds: Jimmie Johnson on a roll
- WHO: 43 of NASCAR’s finest drivers
- WHAT: The Pep Boys Auto 500
- WHEN: Sunday, October 26 at 2:00 p.m. ET
- WHERE: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, GA
- KEY STATS: Jimmie Johnson’s 9.6 average finish at Atlanta is tops among active racers
- PICK: Jimmie Johnson
If you bet on sports, you know Jimmie Johnson has been rolling to a third consecutive title in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, as he hasn’t finished worse than ninth in the first six races of the Chase, including a pair of wins.
Johnson will try to make it two victories in a row at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday for the Pep Boys Auto 500, but NASCAR betting lines say Carl Edwards is ready to break out of his funk and capture the checkered flag.
Sportbook odds have Edwards as a +400 favorite at Atlanta, where he has a solid finishing average of 12.9 and the first two wins of his Sprint Cup career, both coming in his rookie year of 2005. Awful finishes of 29th or worse at Lowe’s and Talladega have put a serious dent in Edwards’ NASCAR odds for the championship, but you can bet on one thing: the No.99 driver will not give up.
Johnson is next with NASCAR Atlanta odds of +450, and he’s the defending race-winner in this event, which brings his win total to three at Atlanta. Johnson’s 9.6 average finish here is also the best among active drivers, and he’s coming off a dominating win at Martinsville last week.
The No. 48 driver holds a 149-point lead over Greg Biffle in the standings and, with his history in Atlanta, it’s difficult to bet online against Johnson.
Biffle has NASCAR Atlanta odds of +800 and, although “The Biff” has never won here, he has six top-10s in 11 races and a finishing average of 14.8. Biffle has had a solid Chase, winning the first two events and pulling off a 12t h-place run at Martinsville, where he never does well.
Online betting odds expect the No. 16 driver to try to build on that momentum to make one more run at Johnson.
Two darkhorses you can pick while online sports betting this week are Johnson’s Hendrick teammates, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR Atlanta odds of +1200) and Jeff Gordon (NASCAR Atlanta odds of +1350).
“Junior” finished second to Johnson at Martinsville, and his finishing average of 11.7 at Atlanta is third among active drivers. Gordon trails only Johnson with a 10.7 average finish here, and he was as competitive at Martinsville by leading 57 (his most since leading 90 in the Martinsvile spring race). Hendrick has been strong lately, so don’t be afraid to pick these two.
LEE-ROY’S PICK: The Chase has basically boiled down to Johnson, Biffle and Jeff Burton (NASCAR Atlanta odds of +2000), but even Biffle and Burton don’t not stand a chance unless Johnson has an engine failure or is caught in a wreck.
They’ll also hope qualifying isn’t rained out for the third straight week, as Johnson has had the pole two weeks in a row because of his place in the standings, and no one in NASCAR is better while out front than Jimmie Johnson.
The entire No. 48 team has been, by far, the Chase’s best in recent years, and there’s nothing that shows that the rest of NASCAR has caught up. Bet on Jimmie Johnson to make it two consecutive victories this weekend at Atlanta.
BetOnline.com’s internet sportsbook has all the NASCAR odds and props you’ll ever need, and regularly check in with the Betting Edge for tips and advice on racing betting.
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.
