2013 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 Picks & Predictions
By ATSSportsline.com
RIDGEWAY, VA (ATS Consultants) - The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the 2013 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500. Who will take home the checkered flag?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, Jimmie Johnson is a 9/5 favorite to win today's race, while Jeff Gordon is 6/1 and Kyle Busch is 7/1. Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth are also 10/1, respectively, while Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski are all 12/1, respectively.
Gordon is fifth in the point standings, 34 points out of first, and is winless this year with seven top 5 finishes. He's won seven times at Martinsville, and his average finish is 7.0 at the track. His driver rating there is 120.7, which is second best of any driver.
Busch is tied for third in the standings, 26 points out of first, and has four wins and 16 top 5s this year. He's winless at this track with eight top 5s. His average finish at the track is 16.1, while his driver rating is 96.6, which ranks sixth in the series.
Here are our predictions for today's race.
Matt Kenseth 10/1
In 32 starts, Kenseth has seven wins, nine top 5 finishes and 17 top 10s. He finished 20th at Talladega last weekend but before that he placed third at Charlotte. In his last 10 races he has six top-10 finishes and three victories including back-to-back wins at Chicago and New Hampshire. He's as hot as any driver in the chase and given his recent performances he's a value at 10/1.
Denny Hamlin 12/1
Hamlin struggled in the second half of the season but he did finish ninth at Charlotte a couple of weeks ago and could be in store for a rebound. He's been outstanding at Martinsville, winning four times on this track including three consecutive races that spanned October, 2009 to October, 2010. His average finish at this track is 8.20 and hasn't been shut out of the winner's circle since 2005. He's due and he owns this track.
Live Long Shot:
Juan Montoya 100/1
Montoya has yet to pick up a win in 32 starts and has just seven top-10 finishes on the year. That said, he did finish fourth at Martinsville back in April of 2011 and third on October 25, 2009 so he has found success here in the past.
2013 Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Information
Race Date: Sunday, October 27
Location: Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, VA
Pre-Race: 12:30PM ET
Green Flag: 1:43PM ET
TV Coverage: ESPN
Track Type: Speedway (500 laps)