NASCAR Betting – Busch, Edwards set to duel at Bristol
NASCAR sportsbook Odds: Kyle Busch (+550), Carl Edwards (+650), Denny Hamlin (+700), Tony Stewart (+800)
WHAT:The Sharpie 500
WHO: 43 of NASCAR's best drivers
WHERE: Bristol Motor Speedway
WHEN: Saturday, August 23, 8:00 p.m. ET
KEY STATS: Kurt Busch leads active drivers in Bristol wins with five
This week's stop on the Sprint Cup series is the Saturday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the Sharpie 500 will take place. If you bet sports online, you're aware this is one of the hardest races in NASCAR to get a ticket to, as the “World's Fastest Half-Mile” usually breeds exciting races.
However, NASCAR fans complained that the newly repaved surface made for less cautions and more “clean” racing. Carl Edwards is the defending champion in this event but, much like most of this season, NASCAR betting odds say he will have to battle points-leader Kyle Busch for the checkered flag.
Busch is the slight favorite at +550 NASCAR betting lines, and his average finish of 14.0 at Bristol is very impressive. The No.18 driver also won there in the spring race, but it's a whole different ballgame when racing under the lights. Busch has won three of the last six races, and he finished second to Edwards last week at Michigan.
Edwards' finishing average of 15.4 is only slightly worse than Busch, but he's on a roll as well, winning two of the last three races. The No. 99 driver is firmly entrenched in the Chase, and he can now go all out for wins to cut into Busch's bonus lead. With NASCAR betting odds of +650, Edwards is sure to make an impact on Bristol's concrete surface.
Busch's JRG teammate, Denny Hamlin, is next at +700 and he has a pair of top-10s in five trips to Bristol, along with one DNF. The No.11 driver was extremely angry after last week's race at Michigan, saying he and his team didn't deserve to be in the Chase after his engine blew.
Hamlin is young and feisty and surely said those words in the heat of the moment. He was on his way to a win at Bristol the spring race before a fuel pick-up problem on a late restart allowed Jeff Burton to pass him.
Another JGR driver, Tony Stewart, wraps up the list of top contenders, and “Smoke” is still looking for his first win of the season after two runner-up finishes in three weeks. Stewart has an average finish of 16.8 in 19 races at Bristol, and a win would be huge for the No. 20 team as they head into the Chase. The two-time series champion comes in with NASCAR betting odds of +800.
A good darkhorse pick would be Greg Biffle at +1500, as the No.16 driver has the best finishing average among active drivers at Bristol; Biffle owns a 9.7 average in 11 races with no DNFs at Bristol, a major accomplishment. Last week's fourth-place run at Michigan could be the spark “The Biff” needs heading towards the Chase.
Lee-Roy's Analysis: This season is boiling down to a duel between Edwards and Busch, who have won 13 of the 23 races run so far. But neither of them will find Victory Lane at Bristol. Instead, Kevin Harvick will win a points race for the first time since his thrilling Daytona 500 win to open the 2007 season.
The No. 29 driver has a finishing average of 9.9 at Bristol, second only to Biffle, and he has four top-10s in his last 10 races. With NASCAR betting odds of +1000, the man they call “Happy” should put a smile on the faces of those who chose to wager on him.
Full list of NASCAR betting odds
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.
