NASCAR Betting – Burton breaks winless streak at Las Vegas
NASCAR Betting Odds: Pick Jeff Burton +1500 |
Online betting players wondered what was wrong with Richard Childress Racing, as the legendary company suffered what was arguably their worst year as all four drivers missed the Chase. Now with just three, RCR is out to improve on a great start to this year in the Shelby American in Las Vegas, and this week’s winner is a driver who hasn’t won since October 2008, but has a great track record in the desert.
| WHAT: NASCAR betting |
| WHEN: Sunday, February 28, 2:00 PM ET |
| WHERE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV |
| KEY STAT: Jeff Burton’s 9.8 in 12 races is the best among active drivers |
Jimmie Johnson is the favorite at +400 after winning last week in California, and he’s not too shabby in Vegas either with three wins and an average finish of 11.1 in eight races here. Johnson led a race-high 92 laps here last year before hitting the wall and dropping to a 22nd-place finish, and he’ll be hungry as the No.48 driver hasn’t taken the checkered flag here since a three-year winning streak ended in 2007.
Defending champion Kyle Busch comes at +700, and the No.18 driver lit up his hometown track last year, winning the pole and setting a track record, and even though he had to start at the back because of an engine change, Busch cut through the pack to earn the win. Busch has three top-fives in six races in Las Vegas, and this may be one of the few tracks he isn’t jeered at, being a hometown boy.
The RCR trio of Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer are all listed at +1500, and Burton may be the smartest play here with a pair of wins, even though he hasn’t won here since 2000. His 9.8 finishing average leads all active drivers, and he’s one of four drivers with Mark Martin (+700), Jeff Gordon (+1000) and Bobby Labonte (Field: +1800) to drive in all four races at Las Vegas. All three finished in the top eight at California last week, with Harvick and Burton finishing second-third. All three also finished in the top 12 in Vegas in 2009, with Bowyer and Burton failing to catch Kyle Busch.
A pair of darkhorses to watch in your sportsbook are Matt Kenseth at +2000, and even Joey Logano at +3000. Kenseth won back-to-back in 2003 and 2004, although he finished last year in 43rd place after blowing an engine, trying to win his third straight race of the year. Kenseth finished seventh last week at California, two spots below Logano, who came in 13th in his first trip to Vegas last year. Logano looks far more confident behind the wheel now, and a win wouldn’t even be surprising.
Lee-Roy’s Pick: Jeff Burton hasn’t won in 43 races, since the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte in October 2008. But he’s looked very impressive over the first two races of the season, and he looked to have a car that could challenge Johnson at California, but he couldn’t get past his teammate, Harvick. All three of the RCR cars are capable of winning, but due to Burton’s history here, you have to give him the nod. Bet on Jeff Burton this week.
For more of the best sports betting odds and picks when it comes to NASCAR, check out Lee-Roy in the Betting Edge at BetOnline.
