2013 NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 Picks & Predictions
By ATSSportsline.com
CONCORD, NC (ATS Consultants) - TheNASCARSprint Cup moves to Concord, N.C. for theCoca-Cola 600.
This is the 12th race on the 2013 Sprint Cup schedule. Jimmie Johnson won the Sprint Cup All-Star Race last week and he's the favorite this week. The winner of the Sprint Cup All-Star Race has gone on to win the Coca-Cola seven times. Johnson is the current NASCAR points lead by 44. He has won six times at Charlotte and has a driver rating of 111.7, which is tops of any driver.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, Johnson is 6/1, as are Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. Denny Hamlin is 7/1, Kasey Kahne is 8/1 and Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon are all 12/1, respectively.
Matt Kenseth 6-1
Kenseth won here for the first time in 2000. He also has six more top 5s and an another win since then. In the last four races at the racetrack, he has third-best driver rating, led the third-most laps and has the sixth-best average finishing position. His driving style is suitable for surviving the 600 miles.
Kasey Kahne 8-1
Kahne has four wins, seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes in his 18 career races at Charlotte. In the last four races at the racetrack, he has the fifth-best driver rating, led the fifth-most laps and has the fourth-best average finishing position. He won it last year and could very well do it again.
Long Shot
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 60-1
Stenhouse Jr. finished 11th in 2011 at this race. That was his breakthrough Sprint Cup debut driving for Trevor Bayne, who was ill.
2013 Coca-Cola 600 Race Information
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Date: Sunday, May 26
Race: Coca-Cola 600
Site: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Track: 1.5-mile oval.
Start time: 6p.m. ET.
Laps: 400. Miles: 600
2012 Winner: Kasey Kahne
Runner up: Denny Hamlin
Television: FOX.
Radio: Performance Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.
Race Record: Kasey Kahne, 2012 (155.687 mph)
Qualifying Record: Greg Biffle, 2012 (193.708 mph)