Kansas Odds - Gordon steals thunder from Hendrick teammates
This week’s NASCAR odds will take you to Kansas Speedway, site of the Price Chopper 400, which is the third race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Jimmie Johnson is the defending champion and favorite here, but this week’s winner will be his mentor and a driver chasing his fifth championship.
- WHAT: NASCAR betting
- WHEN: Sunday, October 4, 2:00 PM ET
- WHERE: Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, MO
- KEY STATS: Clint Bowyer’s 7.7 average is tops among active drivers at Kansas
- PICK: Jeff Gordon
Johnson is the pacesetter at +350, and the No.48 driver is coming off his fourth win of the season as he completed a Dover sweep, leading 271 laps along the way. He’s also the defending race-winner at Kansas as he led a race-high 124 laps from the pole en route to the checkered flag. Johnson has five top-10s in seven Kansas races, but this could set off some alarms: his 4.9 average is start is tops among active drivers, but his average finish is 10.4, which is still fifth. Mark Martin is next with NASCAR odds of +500, and the points leader followed up his New Hampshire win by finishing second to his teammate last week at Dover. The No.5 driver has three top-10s in eight races here, including a 2005 victory, and even though he finished 18th in last year’s Kansas race, he’ll be a solid pick among sportsbook players. Jeff Gordon comes in at +700 behind his Hendrick teammates, but he is the only driver to have multiple wins at Kansas, winning the first two races in 2001 and 2002. Along with his two wins, Gordon has six top-10s in eight Kansas races, including last year’s fourth-place run, and the No.24 driver has three top-10s in his last four starts. Tony Stewart is listed at +800, and the regular-season points leader got his first top-10 in six races by coming in ninth at Dover. He’ll look to avenge a 40th-place run at Kansas last year, and he has five top-10s in eight races here. The No.14 driver also won here in 2006. If you want a dark horse when you’re betting online, go with Kansas native Clint Bowyer at +2500. The No.33 driver’s 7.7 average in three races here is the best among active drivers, and he finished 12th at Kansas last year. Bowyer has three top-15s in a row, and the motivation to win at his home track could be his spark for a surprise win. LEE-ROY’S PICK: Jeff Gordon has been overshadowed by his teammates, Johnson and Martin, as the pair has won the first two races of the Chase and look to be making it a two-horse race. However, it’s not like Gordon has been awful: he has an average of 11.2 over his last 10 starts, and that includes a horrifying wreck at Watkins Glen that left him with a 37th place finish. Gordon is eighth in the standings right now, and if he’s going to close the gap on his teammates, it has to start here. Pick Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR odds of +700.
For more NASCAR odds and sports betting matchups as we race through the Chase, check out the sportsbook at BetOnline.com. Lee-Roy Buckles is BetOnline.com's racing expert.
