New Hampshire Odds – Hamlin will finally get it right at Lenox Industrial Tools 301

This marks the beginning of an exciting period for NASCAR betting players, as there is only 10 races until the Chase begins, starting with the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. Kurt Busch won last year’s rain-shortened race, but it’ll be a driver who has had some bad luck who will finally get to Victory Lane.

NASCAR Odds – Hamlin, Johnson drivers to beat at New Hampshire

• Jeff Burton leads all active drivers with three wins in the NH summer race
• Hamlin will need a little bit of luck to hold off Johnson
• Busch brothers, Edwards will also be threats

Jimmie Johnson is the favorite in your offshore sportsbook at +600, and he won this race back in 2003. The No.48 driver has four top-10s and a 9.0 average in seven editions of this race. After two heartbreaking finishes in which he ran out of gas, Johnson finished fourth at Sonoma, and he’s finished in the top seven in three of his last four races, so your sportsbook will obviously throw its weight behind him.

Denny Hamlin is next with NASCAR odds of +700, and his 5.0 average in three summer races at New Hampshire is the best among active drivers. Last week’s fifth-place run at Sonoma was his second straight top-five, and he’s very good on tracks with little to no banking (see his numbers at Pocono and Martinsville), so he should be worth an online sports bet.

Jeff Gordon did an amazing job at Sonoma, as he dropped to the back due to loose lugnuts but recovered for a solid ninth-place finish, thus rescuing what could have been a terrible points day. Gordon has NASCAR odds of +800 with eight top-10s in 16 summer races at New Hampshire, but his lone win came back in 1995.

The man Gordon is chasing in the standings, Tony Stewart, is right behind him in this week’s sports betting lines at +900, and he won this race in 2000 and 2005. Stewart finished second to Kasey Kahne at Infineon, and it’s amazing that he’s in the top five every single week as a first-year driver/owner.

The Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt, are listed at +1000 along with Greg Biffle, whose teammate Carl Edwards is just behind at +1100. Kyle and Kurt have both won a summer race at New Hampshire, while Biffle is coming off an expected disappointing run at Sonoma. Meanwhile, Edwards finished a surprising 13th at Sonoma, and coupled with his first Nationwide win last week (in which he beat out Kyle), the No.99 driver is building momentum at exactly the right time, which could entice some to make him one of their sportsbook picks this weekend.

LEE-ROY'S PICK: New Hampshire isn’t banked through the corners that much, and it’s just over a mile in length. This fits Denny Hamlin’s driving style to a tee, and that’s why the No.11 driver will get to Victory Lane this week. He led 296 laps at Martinsville before finishing second to Johnson, and the week before, he finished second to teammate Kyle Busch at Bristol, another short track. He was on his way to a win at Richmond (yet another short track) before a bad pit stop late in the race killed his chances, and he would have done well at Pocono (a flat track) if not for various mechanical problems. In his short career, Hamlin’s made a name as one of the top short-track racers in NASCAR, and he’ll prove why on Sunday, if he can get some breaks to go his way. Go with Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR odds.

For more NASCAR odds and lines heading into the weekend, bookmark the offshore sportsbook at BetOnline.com.

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.