Charlotte Odds - Gordon comes away with sixth checkered flag in Charlotte
If you bet on sports in the NASCAR world, the favored driver for this week’s NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway is an obvious choice as he shares the same sponsor with the 1.5-mile track. But he is one win away from tying the record at Charlotte, along with his teammate, and it’s the teammate that will attain six wins at NASCAR’s headquarters.
|
Surprise, surprise: Jimmie Johnson is the favorite at +330 after winning last week at California, and like last week, his 9.1 average in 16 races at Lowe’s is the best among active drivers. Between 2003 and 2005, Johnson won five of six races at the track that he shares a sponsor with, but he hasn’t won since. Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon are both rated at +700 in your sportsbook after finishing in the top four at California, and they’ve combined for nine wins at Charlotte. Neither finished in the top 10 in the 600-mile summer race that was shortened by rain, but given the way they’ve been running, it would be tough to not consider their betting odds. Tony Stewart comes in at +900 after salvaging a fifth-place run at California due to a speeding penalty. Stewart got some lucky caution flags to get back, and then stay on the lead lap, and the No.14 team that led the regular season in points is showing no signs of backing down. Stewart won this race in 2003, but he also won the All-Star race here back in May, so watch out for “Smoke” if it turns into a late sprint. Juan Pablo Montoya is also rated at +900 as the only driver to finish in the top five in all four Chase races so far. Montoya finished eighth in the 600-mile race in the summer, his first top-10 in five points races at Charlotte, and all that is left for Montoya to do is to win a race on an oval. It’s coming, very soon. Two Chase drivers that are all but out of the race for the Sprint Cup - yet still pose a threat - are Denny Hamlin at +1400 and Kasey Kahne at +1500. Hamlin was leading last week’s race before he tried to block Montoya, clipping his car and wrecking. Hamlin has three top-10s in eight points races at Lowe’s and finished 11th in the summer. Kahne may be the best bet for value players as he won last year’s 600-miler (thanks to Stewart’s blown tire with three laps to go), and he swept the 2006 races at Lowe’s. Kahne had a good car last week before he was caught up in a late wreck, and the No.9 driver is eager to show that his team will be a force next year. LEE-ROY’S PICK: It’s easy to pick Johnson, but while he has great numbers at Lowe’s, he hasn’t won there in a while. However, his teammate keeps putting himself in a position to win, with eight runner-up finishes in 2009, including the last two races. When you’re that close at the end of the race, you’ll eventually win one, and we know Jeff Gordon knows how to win races. Like Stewart last week, he needs this to keep his chase for a fifth championship alive, and he’ll leave it all out on the track on Saturday night. Take Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR odds of +700.
When it comes to sports betting analysis on the track, the field, or the pitch, bookmark the Betting Edge at BetOnline.com to cover all your bases. Lee-Roy Buckles is BetOnline.com's racing expert.
