2013 NASCAR AdvoCare 500 Picks & Predictions
By ATSSportsline.com
AVONDALE, AZ (ATS Consultants) - The race for the cup continues today in Avondale, Arizona for the 2013 AdvoCare 500 at 3:15PM ET. Who will take home the checkered flag?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, Jimmie Johnson a 7/4 favorite to win today's AdvoCare 500 from Phoenix International Raceway. Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth have the next best odds at 8/1, respectively, while Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick all have 12/1 odds, respectively.
Johnson won the pole on Friday night and is the current points leader by seven over Kenseth. He has six wins and 15 top-5 finishes this year and has won four times at Phoenix with an average finish of 6.5. His driver rating of 116.4 is the best of any driver in the field today.
So who will win today? Here are our predictions.
Denny Hamlin 8/1
Of those competing today in Avondale, Hamlin has the best driver rating of anyone at Phoenix since February 2011. His average finish of 5.80 tops, among others, Kevin Harvick, who is next with an average finish of 7.80. Hamlin has raced five times here since February of 2011, with one victory and three top-10 finishes. His rating of 104.2 is the best of any driver during that span and he should run well here again today.
Joey Logano 12/1
Since February of 2011 Logano has had an average finish of 21.40 at Phoenix, which spans five races. He has one top-10 finish over that time period with two top-20 finishes as well. While his statistics here aren't as intriguing as Hamlin's, Logano has run well of late. He finished third at Texas last week and had back-to-back top-5 finishes at Dover on September 29th and at Kansas on October 6th. He appears to be driving with some confidence and at 12/1 he's offered at a nice price.
Live Long Shot
Jeff Burton 80/1
In his last five races dating back to 2011, Burton has an average finish of 17.20 at Phoenix and a driver rating of 81.9, which is good for 20th in the current field. He has one top-5 finish during that time, with two top-10 showings and three finishes inside the top 20. He hasn't run well of late, finishing 24th at Texas, 21st at the Camping World RV Sales 500, and 21st at the Bank of America 500, but he did finish 11th in the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 two weeks ago and maybe he can build off that performance with a strong showing here today. He's due for a top-10 finish.
2013 AdvoCare 500 Information
Race Date: Sunday, November 10
Location: Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, AZ
Pre-Race: 2PM ET
Green Flag: 3:15PM ET
TV Coverage: ESPN
Track Type: Speedway (312 laps)