Dover Betting– Kurt Busch Crushes The Field At The “Monster Mile”
Online betting players are gearing up for a hot summer as a few title contenders are emerging ahead of the Autism Speaks 400 this Sunday, and this week’s winner will be a guy that many are looking towards with his Sprint Cup-winning experience, but he’s sometimes overlooked by his younger brother.
- What: NASCAR Betting
- When: Sunday, May 16th, 1:00 PM ET
- Where: Dover International Speedway, Dover, DE
- Defending Champion: Jimmie Johnson
The Storyline
“The Monster Mile” at Dover is a handful as it’s not quite the length of a speedway, but it drives like a track double its length. Jimmie Johnson swept both events here last year, but Denny Hamlin is the guy to watch after three wins in the last six races.
Dover Betting– The Favorite
Johnson should be near the top of the list of the favorites in your sportsbook, and his 13.0 average in eight races is seventh among active drivers. Johnson dominated, leading a total of 569 laps at Dover in 2009, and he’ll be hungry after a terrible 36th-place showing at Darlington. Johnson’s five wins at Dover are the most among current racers.
Hamlin has just one top-10 and two DNFs in four trips to Dover, and he failed to break the top 20 in either race last year. But you have to consider him after he romped to a Darlington victory, and no one is talking about Hamlin’s wonky knee anymore.
Kyle Busch should be considered with three top-5s in five spring races at Dover, although he finished 23rd here last year, and he came in a very respectable seventh at Darlington. Busch has been one of the most consistent drivers of the season so far, and he seems a lot more willing to turn a bad day into something decent, which could land him a championship.
Dover Betting– The Second Tier
Matt Kenseth has finished in the top five in half of his 10 Dover spring races in his career, and he’s better here in the spring than in the fall. The No.17 driver is coming off a solid 13th-place run at Darlington, and as usual, he’s racking up top-10s like they’re going out of style.
Jeff Burton has one of the best cars at Darlington, but settled for eighth when the checkered flag dropped. Although he hasn’t won in 16 spring races at Dover, the No.31 driver has eight top-10s here, and he finished 16th in both races last year. Like Kenseth, Burton’s knack for consistency makes him a threat here.
Like Burton, Jeff Gordon also had a great car before fading to fourth at Darlington, and you have to wonder how all these close calls are affecting the No.24 driver, who has four wins and a 12.2 average in 34 Dover races. Gordon finished 26th in this race last year before rebounding to come in sixth in the fall, but he has to improve on closing out races, which is something you’d never thought you’d say about Jeff Gordon.
Dover Betting– The Longshots
Martin Truex Jr.’s lone Sprint Cup win came in the 2007 spring race at Dover, and he’s been steady lately with three top-10s in his last six races. After failing to break the top 20 in either Dover race last year, look for the No.56 driver to be a factor.
Ryan Newman has won three poles at Dover, and starting position is critical here (Johnson won one race from the pole in 2009, and one from eighth). Newman was one of seven drivers to finish in the top 10 in both Dover races last year (Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kenseth, Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart are the others), he has three wins at Dover and his 10.3 average is third among active drivers here.
Dover Prediction & Outlook
With everyone taking about the Gordon/Johnson “feud” and Hamlin’s run, it’s easy to forget about Kurt Busch, who may have turned a corner at Dover last year. Although he has just six top-10s in 19 trips there, two came in 2009 for the older Busch as he rolled in fifth in both races, leading 99 laps in the fall. Busch is coming off a third-place run at Darlington last week, and he has top-10s in three of his last four races. Look for the Blue Deuce to factor into your sports betting picks.
