Brickyard 400 Betting News and Notes

The Brickyard - Driver Tale of the Tape

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion)

· Three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 13.636, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.188, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.3, ninth-best
· 60 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.655, 12th-fastest
· 1095 Laps in the Top 15 (62.1), eighth-most
· 226 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Two top fives, three top 10s
· Average finish of 12.800, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 14.601, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 85.2, 13th-best
· 12 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.479, 13th-fastest
· 937 Laps in the Top 15 (58.4), 10th-most
· 221 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· One win, four top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 9.727, third-best
· Average Running Position of 11.686, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 101.5, third-best
· 100 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.283, fourth-fastest
· 1339 Laps in the Top 15 (75.9), third-most
· 348 Quality Passes, second-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· One top five, three top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.364, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 15.535, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.9, 12th-best
· 54 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.675, 11th-fastest
· 978 Laps in the Top 15 (55.4), 12th-most
· 298 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Three top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.300, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.120, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.3, eighth-best
· 55 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.055, sixth-fastest
· 985 Laps in the Top 15 (61.4), ninth-most
· 261 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· One win, five top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.636, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.574, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 96.6, seventh-best
· 58 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.732, 10th-fastest
· 1220 Laps in the Top 15 (69.2), sixth-most
· 292 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Four wins, five top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.909, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 11.132, second-best
· Driver Rating of 106.5, series-best
· 180 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.588, series-fastest
· 1284 Laps in the Top 15 (72.8 ), fourth-most
· 276 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS)

· Three top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 15.273, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.503, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.4, fifth-best
· 104 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.158, fifth-fastest
· 1284 Laps in the Top 15 (72.8 ), fifth-most
· 319 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)

· Seven top fives, ten top 10s
· Average finish of 12.091, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.055, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.0, sixth-best
· 23 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.835, eighth-fastest
· 1369 Laps in the Top 15 (77.6), second-most
· 328 Quality Passes, third-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· Three top 10s
· Average finish of 13.333, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 15.444, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.3, 11th-best
· 39 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.894, seventh-fastest
· 501 Laps in the Top 15 (52.0), 13th-most
· 151 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS)

· Two top 10s
· Average finish of 8.000, series-best
· Average Running Position of 8.492, series-best
· Driver Rating of 103.6, second-best
· 3 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.438, second-fastest
· 310 Laps in the Top 15 (95.7), series-most
· 73 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford Fusion)

· Two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 13.429, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.858, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 88.7, 10th-best
· 18 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.755, ninth-fastest
· 636 Laps in the Top 15 (56.6), 11th-most
· 173 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet SS)

· Two wins, seven top fives, 11 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 9.636, second-best
· Average Running Position of 11.572, third-best
· Driver Rating of 101.2, fourth-best
· 104 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.342, third-fastest
· 1211 Laps in the Top 15 (68.7), seventh-most
· 353 Quality Passes, series-most

Brickyard 400 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

There no need to hype this week's Brickyard 400 because the most storied track in the history of motorsports sells itself. There has been 107 years of racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway's flat 2.5-mile layout and even though this is only the 23rd year NASCAR has been part of the tradition, every driver and crew member treat the track with immense respect and reverence.

“It’s the Brickyard," said Indiana native Ryan Newman who won the 2013 race. "It’s the history of motorsports in America. It’s that yard of bricks. It’s a special place when you think about everyone who’s been there associated with F1, IndyCars, motorcycles and NASCAR. It’s unique because of the four corners, the long straightaways and the flatness. To me, it’s just unique in so many ways. It’s a fun place to drive and yet, it’s quite a challenge at the same time.”

The Daytona 500 is cool and speedweeks certainly is a thrilling two weeks because we're so starved for NASCAR racing, but as a fan the Brickyard has a completely different feel to it, almost cathedral-like. It gives me the same type of feeling like when walking into Wrigley Field or Fenway Park where you just feel the history and ghosts of the past. I absolutely love it.

Now, in regards to the type of racing it produces, it's definitely not my favorite. But handicapping the race has been somewhat simple over the years outside of a four-year stretch where Jamie McMurray (2010), Paul Menard (2011) and Newman won. Usually, I could simply rely on the best of the best to shine. Former Sprint Cup have dominated the Brickyard over the years.

To get started in the handicapping process this week, you need to take a look at a few things before looking at what drivers are currently running well in the series. While current form is important, you have to take notice of what type of tracks the series has been running on lately: a flat 1-mile New Hampshire, a 1.5-mile Kentucky with moderate banking, a 2.5-mile high-banked superspeedway at Daytona with restrictor-plates, a road course at Sonoma and a wide, moderately banked 2-miles at Michigan.

None of the results from those recent races will be of much use this week. However, the race held prior to those on June 6 at Pocono Raceway's 2.5-mile triangular layout can help get the process started.

The long straights at Pocono and the flat turn three are great measuring tools for the Brickyard. In that race, Chase Elliott led a race-high 51 laps and settled for fourth while Kurt Busch led the final 32 laps for the win. Four of the top-six finishers were Chevrolets, including three from the Hendrick Motorsports stable which surprisingly didn't include Jimmie Johnson, who finished 35th after being involved in a late accident.

The correlation of that Pocono race fits right in line with what we've seen in past Brickyard history with both Chevrolet and Hendrick. Chevrolet has won 16 of the 22 races, including 12 straight until Kyle Busch snapped the streak last year giving Toyota its first win there. Hendrick has won nine times with five coming from Jeff Gordon and four by Johnson.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second at Pocono which is a good sign for the car this week, but his status is still unknown after missing Sunday's New Hampshire race due to concussion-like symptoms. If he is unable to race this week, Jeff Gordon will come out of retirement to drive the No. 88. Gordon driving again would certainly be a thrill to watch, but it's hard to believe that Junior would miss another race just because he's barely within the cut-off point within the top-16 in points to make the Chase.

Whatever scenario plays out, the Las Vegas sports books will have a dilemma on the their hands for this weekend on what to do with the 'Field' bet.

Last week at New Hampshire, the 'Field' was 500/1 prior to the concussion announcement. Earnhardt was 20/1 to win.

When Alex Bowman was announced as the replacement driver the 'Field' bet was dropped to 50/1 at the Westgate SuperBook, and Bowman ran in the top-10 for most of the race until a tire failed him late.

With Gordon's history and love for the Brickyard, a place he dreamed of racing at as a young kid racing in Indiana, coupled with a strong No. 88 he's has to be considered one of the favorites to win despite not racing since November. Keep your eye on that unfolding story before wagering.

The other piece of handicapping data you need to tackle before wagering is look at what happened with the organizational testing at Indy last week during a two day session. One driver from each of the teams participated and shared information gained with all their teammates.

Chevrolet was fastest in each of the days with Kyle Larson fastest on the first day and Johnson was fastest on the second day with Kevin Harvick right behind them on each day. Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest Toyota just ahead of Matt Kenseth.

Of course, it's just testing, the times were un-official and the drivers were in race conditions, but there's a lot of supporting reasons coming in to suggest the winning betting move this week is to side with one of the Chevy's. And it would have to take something substantial to sway you off any of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas because they've won nine of the 19 races this season, including last week at New Hampshire after a five-race drought.

A Ford hasn't won at the Brickyard since Dale Jarrett won for the second time there in 1999, but Brad Keselowski should be given some serious consideration just because he's won a series-high four races this season. He had his two race win streak snapped last week, but on a similar note of using Pocono as a tool, consider that he finished third there in June.

Johnson has won two races on the season, but the last one came in March at Fontana. His history at Indy has been all or nothing: four wins along with six finishes of 18th or worse. He's finished 14th and 15th the past two years there. He's not exactly rolling well now, or lately at the Brickyard, but he does have that fast test session, I know he loves the track and all his teammates excelled at Pocono.

Let's go with JJ and also take a long shot look at Larson who has finished seventh and eighth in his two career Indy starts.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #48 Jimmie Johnson (8/1)
2) #2 Brad Keselowski (7/1)
3) #42 Kyle Larson (30/1)
4) #18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
5) #4 Kevin Harvick (6/1)

Brickyard 400 Preview
By: Greg Engle
CupScene.com

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be run on Sunday July 24. (Getty Images)
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be run on Sunday July 24. (Getty Images)

NASCAR heads to one of the most famed speedways in the world Sunday making the annual pilgrimage to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 2.5 mile superspeedway is unlike any other with flat corners and high speed. Several teams participated in a Goodyear tire test here last week, including this week’s favorite Jimmie Johnson.

“The test last week was good overall,” Johnson said. “We aren’t exactly where we need to be but got some good information. We opened up both days really strong but this track changes so much when it gets hot. We learned more on the second day. The late start of the race will bring some of the grip we need in the car back. Indy is really hard to get all four corners right. To win it means so much though. It’s a special race.”

Here are my favorites for Sunday’s twentieth race of the year for your betting or fantasy racing leagues. Driver Ratings are compiled from 2005-2016 races (11 total) among active drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Driver Rating is a number based on a formula developed by NASCAR which combines “loop data” elements such as average running position, average speed under green, number of fastest laps, and other stats. There is a maximum of 150 points that a driver can earn for each race. The odds are current as of Wednesday.

Jimmie Johnson (8-1) not only has the knowledge gained from last week’s test, but he leads all active drivers with four wins at Indy and has the highest driver rating in the field 106.5. Johnson and his team have suffered some gremlins in the last few weeks, but if they can exorcise them, he should be hard to beat.

Kyle Busch (6-1) was last year’s Brickyard winner. He has the third highest driver rating, 101.5 along with four top fives, and nine top 10 finishes. When he’s strong, Busch can be the class of the field, if he is strong Sunday he could score back to back wins at Indy.

Tony Stewart (25-1) has one last shot as a full time Cup driver to win at the track he considers his home track. Stewart has two wins here and the fourth best driver rating in the field. 101.2. With all the motivation in the world to win at Indy, Stewart could be the one to watch Sunday.

Kevin Harvick (6-1) won here in 2003. He also has five top fives, nine top 10s and two poles ,he also led a race high 75 laps last year only to lose thanks to missed fuel strategy . Harvick has been a little quiet in the past few weeks, but has the ability to be competitive each and every week. Harvick could make some noise Sunday.

Kyle Larson (18-1) is a longshot but has started two races at Indy but finished in the top 10 in both. Because of that Larson has the second best driver rating in the field. 103.6. He’s a risky best, but Larson could be a surprise winner Sunday.

OTHERS: Matt Kenseth (10-1), has never won at Indy, but did score an impressive win at New Hampshire last Sunday. He has the sixth best driver rating in the field, 97.0 and the momentum of that win. Jeff Gordon (?) may be stepping in for the ailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gordon retired at the end of last season, but led all active drivers at the time with five wins at Indy. His driver rating is 99.4 which would put him fifth in the field should he compete.

Indianapolis Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Pete Pistone
Racingone.com

To assist in making your fantasy racing picks, MRN.com's Pete Pistone helps steer you toward Sunday’s Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Who's HOT In Indianapolis

Kyle Busch: Busch is the defending race winner and has been stellar at Indianapolis in recent years. He’s finished first or second in three of the last four visits to the Brickyard.

Kevin Harvick: Third in last year’s race, Harvick has always been good at the flat 2.5-mile Indianapolis layout. He has a solid 10.9 average finish in his last ten Indy starts.

Martin Truex Jr.: Bad luck aside, Truex Jr. has had one of the best cars nearly every race of the season even if the results don’t dictate the performance. He finished fourth last year in Indianapolis.

Matt Kenseth: Three straight top-10 finishes for Kenseth in his last trio of visits to Indianapolis. He’s been in the top-five in three of his last five starts as well.

Joey Logano: The Team Penske driver was second last season and just one position short of giving Roger Penske his first Brickyard trophy to go with 15 Indy 500 wins. Logano rides a string of three straight top-10 efforts into Sunday’s race.

Who's NOT

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: The Roush Fenway Racing driver is losing ground in the Chase picture and will have to overcome his past Indianapolis struggles to right the ship this weekend. In three starts Stenhouse Jr.’s best finish has been 24th.

Casey Mears: Despite his family’s history of success at Indianapolis, Casey hasn’t enjoyed similar results on the stock car side. His last nine starts have generated a bulky 27.9 average finish.

Paul Menard: He’s a former winner of the race back in 2011, but Menard’s overall Indy record isn’t stellar. He brings an average finish of 19.9 into Sunday’s race.

AJ Allmendinger: Not much to get excited about for Allmendinger’s stock car performance at Indianapolis. He has a top-10 in seven career starts but an average finish of 18.7.

Kurt Busch: He was eighth last year but that was a high water mark for Busch in recent Indy outings. He’s only had one other top-10 run dating back to the 2006 season.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Indianapolis

Jeff Gordon: He comes out of retirement to fill-in for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. and brings eye popping numbers with him including a record five Brickyard 400 wins.

Tony Stewart: He’ll make his final Brickyard start on Sunday in his last Sprint Cup Series season and is looking for a storybook ending, but Stewart’s last Indianapolis win came in 2007.

Jimmie Johnson: He’s won four time at Indianapolis in the last decade with a second place finish in 2013 thrown in for good measure.

Denny Hamlin: Three top-10 finishes in the last four races for this year’s Daytona 500 winner including a third and fifth the last two Indy outings.

Kyle Larson: Two Brickyard 400 starts and a pair of top-10 finishes for Larson who would love to bring team co-owner Chip Ganassi more Indianapolis success.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Pete Pistone: Martin Truex Jr.
Jeff Wackerlin: Jimmie Johnson
Robbie Mays: Kyle Busch
Corey Vaissiere: Jeff Gordon

NASCAR Brickyard 400 Odds
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

Past Brickyard 400 winners Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have been posted in Las Vegas as the 6-to-1 co-favorites to win Sunday's Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The big news this week is five-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon coming out of retirement as the substitute driver for Dale Earnhardt Jr. who is suffering from concussion-like symptoms.

Earnhardt is expected to miss next week's race at Pocono Raceway as well. Gordon is listed as part of the 'field' at 20-to-1 odds at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook — the possibility of Gordon driving was built into the odds.

Let's take a look at all the Westgate's Brickyard odds and breakdown how each driver has done over the years:

Kevin HARVICK 6/1: In 15 starts, he has an impressive 10.2 average finish that includes a win from the pole in 2003. He was unofficially second-fastest last week during a Brickyard test session and will be using a chassis that has outstanding history. It hasn't been used since 2014, but in five starts it led 509 laps, won three poles, captured a win and three runner-ups. He's a deserving favorite this week and it's a track that is special to him.

“Indianapolis is a very unique track," Harvick said. "For me, it’s kind of a cool place to go to as I grew up always wanting to race Indy cars. With Rick Mears being from Bakersfield (California), he was a hometown, childhood hero as we were all racing go-karts. So, to win there back in 2003, and be able to kind of achieve your childhood dream in a sense, but in a stock car, was a great moment. Going back to Indy is just knowing it’s a very historic racetrack where it’s a lot of fun to be a part of the event. It’s always a place where you want to win, but it’s fun to just go there and race to be a part of the next era of its history.”

Kyle BUSCH 6/1: His win last season was the first for Toyota and it continued a strong run for him at Indy that had seen him finish second in two of the three years prior. Overall he has a 9.7 average finish in 11 starts. He has a lot of fond Brickyard memories as a driver and fan.

“I think my favorite moment from over the years, besides our win there, was probably the first one," he said. "I just remember Jeff Gordon being my favorite driver. It was his second full-time season in 1994 and he went to victory lane there in the inaugural race. I think that was pretty cool and pretty special for someone who grew up being a fan of Jeff Gordon.”

Martin TRUEX JR 7/1: He had a career-best fourth-place last year and comes in this year leading a series-high 989 laps. He tested last week at the Brickyard and had the fastest lap for Toyota.

Joey LOGANO 7/1: He had a career-best runner-up last year and was fifth in 2014. A Ford last won on the famed track in 1999 when Dale Jarrett won for the second-time.

Brad KESELOWSKI 8/1: His career-best finish was ninth twice and he was 10th last year. His status as a contender to win this week stems from winning a series-high four races on the season and competing well at Pocono in June with a third-place finish. There is no track in the series like Indy's 2.5-mile flat layout, but Pocono is the most similar with it's long straights and flat Turn 3. Sprint Cup champions usually dominate the win column at the Brickyard and Keselowski qualifies.

Jimmie JOHNSON 8/1: He's a four-time winner, but 14 races have passed since he won his second race of the season at Fontana in March. His case to win this week stems from an outstanding Brickyard test session where he was fastest on the last of the two days. We can also look at his three teammates at Pocono who finished within the top six. There's also the Chevrolet effect going for him where the guys in bow-ties have won 16 of the 22 Brickyard races, which included 12 straight wins before Toyota won last year.

Carl EDWARDS 8/1: A career-best runner-up in 2008 is his only top-five and he has a 13.4 average finish in 11 starts. He finished eighth at Pocono in June.

Matt KENSETH 10/1: In 16 starts, he's had seven top-five finishes which is tied for second-most in track history, including two runner-ups. He's been seventh or better in his past three Indy starts. He has the most starts in the series without winning, but the positive this year is that he ran well at Pocono leading 31 laps before settling for seventh.

Kurt BUSCH 12/1: The only top five of his career came with a fifth place in his rookie year (2001). He has a 19.2 average finish in 15 starts, but becomes an instant contender this week because of winning at Pocono. Still, he's at a loss for his Brickyard struggles.

“Indianapolis has been tough on me over the years. I don’t know what it is about it. The diamond-cut surface, the way that the asphalt is very fresh when we first get there and then how it glazes over and gets slick at the end. I have struggled with that over the years. Just got to pace ourselves and find the right combination that will give us the grip once the track is rubbered in.”

Chase ELLIOTT 15/1: He's in the No. 24 that won five times; he's in a Chevy and he also had his best Cup run at Pocono where he led 51 laps and finished fourth. The one negative is that a rookie has never won there and only one driver has won their first career race there.

Dale EARNHARDT JR 18/1: He's off the board because of concussion-like symptoms that will keep him out next week, too.

Denny HAMLIN 18/1: He loves the flat tracks and it's kind of surprising that he's never won at Indy despite dominating a few seasons at Pocono. His career-best has been third (twice) and he's finished in the top five in his last two starts there.

Kyle LARSON 18/1: He's probably the livest underdog of the race and the Westgate knows it because he's usually 30-to-1 weekly. He finished seventh in his rookie season and ninth last year. Being fastest in the first day of Indy testing last week makes him a strong candidate to win this week.

Tony STEWART 25/1: The Indiana native is a two-time winner with a 9.6 average finish in 17 starts and Sunday will be his last start on his home track. His 2005 win still ranks as his most memorable victory.

Austin DILLON 60/1: He's had three starts with a best finish of 10th in 2014. The No. 3 driven by Dale Earnhardt won the second NASCAR Brickyard race in 1995.

Ryan NEWMAN 80/1: The Indiana native finished 11th the past two seasons, but the last win of his career came in 2013 from the pole on his home track and he remembers it fondly.

“It was one of the greatest moments of my racing career to win the Brickyard and to have my family there," he said. "It was something to win it the way we did just a week after I got fired. We won the pole and the race. It was a storybook ending to an unpublished novel.”

Kasey KAHNE 80/1: It's been a tough year for Kahne. He sits 18th in points with seven races remaining until the Chase starts. In 12 Indy starts (14.3 average finish), his best finish was second in 2005. The positive if taking a shot with him this week to win and automatically qualifying for the Chase is that he's got all of teammate Johnson's successful testing notes from last week and he finished sixth at Pocono in June.

Paul MENARD 80/1: His only career win came at Indy in 2011. It remains his only top 10 there in nine starts.

Ryan BLANEY 80/1: He had an impressive Brickyard debut last year with a 12th-place finish. He also ran well at Pocono in June, finishing 10th.

Jamie McMURRAY 100/1: He won in 2010 and has a 14.7 average finish in 13 starts. He's come up big the past two weeks with sixth and seventh-place finishes to stay within the top 16 for a Chase spot.

Greg BIFFLE 100/1: His career best was third (twice), and he has a 13.6 average finish in 13 starts. He's got a lot of momentum going for him as he's had season-best finishes the past three weeks with eighth at Daytona, sixth at Kentucky and fifth at New Hampshire. For all of Jack Roush's greatness as car owner over the years, he's still never won at the Brickyard. There's a lot worse things to spend $5 on than taking a shot on a driver on the upswing like Biffle.

Ricky STENHOUSE JR 200/1: In three career starts he's averaged 28th.

AJ ALLMENDINGER 300/1: This type of flat track with tight turns suits his driving style, but his car doesn't have the horsepower needed on the long straights to compete with the elite teams. He's had an 18.7 average finish in seven Indy starts.

Trevor BAYNE 300/1: In five career starts he's averaged a 31st-place finish. However, he's in contention for a Chase spot, one position out, and with Earnhardt missing two more races, he'll move into the top 16. He was 13th at Pocono in June.

Aric ALMIROLA 300/1: He has a 23.5 average finish in four starts.

Clint BOWYER 500/1: A career-best fourth (twice) and 12.8 average finish in 10 starts. His lack of horsepower under the hood will make it difficult to compete for a top-20 spot this year, but he did finish 18th at Pocono.

Danica PATRICK 500/1: She was always a contender in the IndyCar Series at the Brickyard with her breakout fourth-place run as a rookie in the 2005 Indy 500 where she led 19 laps late. It's been a different story in NASCAR where her best finish in three races was 27th last year.

Casey MEARS 500/1: In 12 starts he's averaged a 25.6 finish.

Chris BUESCHER 1000/1: He makes his Cup debut on the Bricks — he finished 16th in the Xfinity Series last year.

FIELD 20/1: Usually, this is terrible bet, but because of Jeff Gordon being part of it, it's a now great bet. Sure, he hasn't raced since November, but he has a solid car that was set up well enough to finish second at Pocono in June. Gordon has his own personal knowledge of the track, he has Johnson's notes from last weeks test and has a track record 12 top-five finishes, including winning the inaugural race in 1994. This will be the most popular bet of the week in Las Vegas sports books every where and 20-to-1 will be long gone by the time practices begin Friday. So if you like him, bet it now.

Indianapolis hosts Sprint Cup on Sunday
By: Zach Cohen
StatFox.com

Jeff Gordon will be making a temporary return to the track when the Sprint Cup Series heads to Speedway on Sunday. Gordon will be replacing Dale Earnhardt Jr. in this race, as Hendrick Motorsports needed somebody to fill in for its concussed superstar. While Earnhardt Jr.’s concussion is nothing to be happy about, fans will be looking forward to seeing Gordon back behind the wheel on Sunday. He has won this race a record five times, but Jimmie Johnson will be looking to tie that number in this race. Last year, Kyle Busch was the winner and it was his first time coming away with a victory on this 2.5-mile course. It’s worth mentioning that Hendrick Motorsports has won this event nine times in the past and the most successful manufacturer is Chevrolet, which has had one of its cars in victory lane 16 times. Perhaps the driver with the most confidence coming into this one is, however, Matt Kenseth. Kenseth won the New Hampshire 301 last week and will be hoping to repeat his performance on Sunday. With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at some of the best plays one can make on the race this weekend:

Jimmie Johnson (8-to-1) - Jimmie Johnson has been one of the best drivers ever at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and he could really use a victory on Sunday. Johnson has struggled mightily recently, failing to record a top-10 finish in each of his past six races. He did, however, finish 12th at the New Hampshire 301 and that was his best placing since coming in third at the Coca Cola 600. Perhaps that was a sign that things are trending in the right direction for Johnson, but he should be a real contender to win this thing no matter what. He is going to be looking to win his fifth ever race here and there’s a very good chance he does it, as he finished first in the practice session for this race on Friday. While his odds aren’t very favorable, putting a few units on Johnson could pay off huge on Sunday.

Jeff Gordon (N/A) - As previously mentioned, Jeff Gordon has more wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway than any driver ever and he’ll certainly be looking to add to his impressive resume on Sunday. While rust is likely to be somewhat of a factor, Gordon just knows what it takes to get it done on this course. He also will surely be out to prove that he is still capable of racing with the big boys. Not only has Gordon won here five times, but he also won as recently as two years ago. We also have no idea what would have happened if he weren’t in an accident here last year. Back Gordon this weekend, as he’s still one of the best drivers to ever do it and is getting some solid odds in this one.

Kyle Larson (18-to-1) - A lot of people are all over Larson this week and it is for good reason. Larson has not won a Sprint Cup race in his career, but he did finish second in a race this season and he already has two third place finishes as well. Not only is Larson having a breakout season, but he also happens to have had a very promising start to his career at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson finished in seventh at this race two years ago and he followed it up with an eighth place finish last year. He clearly has some sense of comfort on this track and he could end up paying off huge this weekend.

Ryan Newman (80-to-1) - When looking for a dark horse to win this race, one guy that stands out is Newman. Newman won this race back in 2013 and is receiving some ridiculous odds for a guy that has won on this track. He also happens to be in some pretty solid form recently, as he finished in seventh at the New Hampshire 301 and that came after a third pace finish at the Quaker State 400. Newman also happens to be a very consistent driver, as he has finished inside the top-10 on seven different occasions this season. Look for him to put up a major fight this weekend and don’t be afraid to put a unit or half-unit on him.