Those checking out Tiger Woods Masters odds know a little something about dominance, but in NASCAR, betting on Hendrick Motorsports to do well at Phoenix International Raceway may be a safer wager this weekend. Their drivers are the favorites for the Subway Fresh Fit 600 on Saturday night, and it’ll be interesting to see if the extra 100 KMs added to the race can stop them from winning their seventh straight in the desert.
NASCAR Betting – Saturday, April 10, 7:45 PM ET
Jimmie Johnson is the sportsbetting favorite at +400, and he has four of the six Hendrick wins here, including the fall race last year. However, only one of his four wins have come in the spring race, even though his 6.2 finishing average in this event is the best among active drivers. Mark Martin won last year’s race, leading 157 laps, while Jeff Gordon won the 2007 spring race, and they come in at +700. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. at +2500 has a pair of wins at Phoenix, and he’s had a good start to the 2010 campaign.
Kurt Busch at +700, and Kevin Harvick at +1500, may be the best bets to overtake Hendrick in Phoenix, as Busch split the 2005 races with brother Kyle (who is rated at +900), and Harvick swept the 2006 races. Harvick is fourth in the standings, while Busch is sixth, and they have been the most consistent challengers to the Hendrick throne this year. Harvick will be looking to battle back from mechanical problems at Martinsville.
Jeff Burton and Tony Stewart come in at +1000, while Carl Edwards is listed at +1500, and this trio are ranked in the top five in terms of finishing average in the Phoenix spring race. All three finished in the top 15 of last year’s race, with Stewart finishing second to Martin, but Burton may be the best bet in this group as he as the RCR cars are usually solid in the desert, and they’ve definitely stepped up their game overall this year.
Your longshot of the weekend has to be Earnhardt Jr., who as we mentioned before, has won here before, taking the checkered flag in 2003 and 2004 before Phoenix picked up a second race. Junior’s only bad finish this year was a 32nd-place run in California, and even though he never cracked the top 30 in either race last year, the No.88 team is coming on, much like Oklahoma City’s NBA betting odds.
Pick: Johnson is the easy play, but the fall race is more his thing. We’re going with Harvick this week as the No.29 team has been very strong this year, and Harvick thrives on flat tracks. Phoenix doesn’t have a lot of banking, which puts the race more in the hands of the driver and the team, and Harvick’s team has been on the cusp of a win all year. Take Kevin Harvick in your sportsbook on Saturday night.
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