2013 NASCAR Irwin Tools Night Race Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
BRISTOL, TN (The Spread) - The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race heads to Bristol, Tennessee this weekend for the 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race. Who will capture the checkered flag?
Denny Hamlin was the fastest driver in qualifying on Friday night and will start from the pole position tonight at Bristol. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, Hamlin now has 15/2 odds to win the Irwin Tools Night Race, while Kurt Busch is the favorite at 11/2.
The rest of the top 5 in terms of odds are Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch at 8/1, respectively. Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are all 10/1, respectively. Matt Kenseth is also 14/1 to win tonight's NASCAR race.
We like Kyle Busch or Brad Keselowski to claim victory tonight at Bristol. Here's why.
Kyle Busch (8/1)
Busch has dominated Bristol in the past, winning five of the last 12 races here. In fact, he's dominated Bristol all week. He won Wednesday night's Truck Series race and cruised to victory in Friday night's Nationwide Series race, starting from the pole and leading 228 of the 250 laps. His win Friday night was his 60th Nationwide series win of his career and 120th spanning NASCAR'S three national series. It was also his 15th victory of the season after claiming the checkered flag just once in all three series last season.
Brad Keselowski (10/1)
Keselowski won back-to-back Bristol races in August of 2011 and March of 2012, and led for 62 laps last year when he finished third here in March. In 23 starts this season he's yet to claim victory but he's finished in the top 5 seven times and the top 10 a total of 11 times. He's due and this is a track he's dominated at so maybe tonight will be the first time in 2013 that he's tasted victory.
2013 Irwin Tools Night Race Information
Race Date: Saturday, August 24
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN
Pre-Race: 7PM ET
Green Flag: 7:43PM ET
TV Coverage: ABC
Track Type: Short Track (500 laps)