Odds to win NASCAR Sprint Cup 2013
By: Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS -- Less than one week after Brad Keselowski clinched the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, Wynn Las Vegas sports book director John Avello posted the first odds on the 2013 championship and made Jimmie Johnson the 7-to-2 favorite.
The posting of the odds are well-timed, considering the Wynn hosts the 2012 Sprint Cup Series Awards on Nov. 30. In addition to the ceremonies on Friday, the 12 Chase drivers and their teams take part in festivities throughout the city all week long.
Keselowski may be the defending champion, but he’s the listed as only the seventh-favored driver to repeat in 2013 at 11-to-1. Avello cited Penske’s transition from Dodges to Fords, as well as NASCAR’s new-look car that debuts next season, as the reasons for Keselowski’s high odds.
When NASCAR last made a major change to the Sprint Cup car, in 2007 with the Car of Tomorrow, Hendrick Motorsports had a huge edge over the rest of the field because of extensive testing and resources that had them better prepared. Between Kyle Busch, Johnson and Jeff Gordon, the Hendrick cars won the first five COT races in 2007 and ended up winning nine of the 16 scheduled COT races that season.
Johnson went on to win the second of his five consecutive Sprint Cup titles that season. Will history repeat itself? It’s hard to tell, but unlike 2007, the new car will be running the entire 2013 schedule right out of the gate, beginning with testing and Speedweeks at Daytona.
There’s a big gap in odds between Johnson and the second choice to win, Denny Hamlin, who is listed at 7-to-1. Hamlin has come right down to the wire with great chances to win the championship in two of the past three seasons and should again find himself in the hunt.
Kyle Busch is listed at 8-to-1, even though he didn’t make the Chase in 2012, purely out of respect for his potential. He came on strong in the final third of 2012, which may give him some momentum heading into 2013. He also was the first driver to win in the COT, taking the Bristol race in 2007.
Probably the most interesting look on the board is Clint Bowyer at 9-to-1, because he’s so consistent on every type of track, a quality essential to winning a championship. Last season, Bowyer won on a road course, a mid-range track at Richmond and a 1.5-mile track at Charlotte, and he’s also one of the best in restrictor-plate races. That combination led him to a runner-up finish in the Chase.
We‘ll have more analysis for the Daytona 500 and the entire upcoming season as the winter goes on.
Here’s a look at the complete list of odds to win the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion offered by Wynn Las Vegas:
Jimmie Johnson 7/2
Denny Hamlin 7/1
Kyle Busch 8/1
Clint Bowyer 9/1
Tony Stewart 10/1
Matt Kenseth 10/1
Jeff Gordon 11/1
Brad Keselowski 11/1
Kasey Kahne 12/1
Carl Edwards 14/1
Greg Biffle 14/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 15/1
Kevin Harvick 16/1
Martin Truex Jr. 22/1
Jamie McMurray 30/1
Ryan Newman 30/1
Juan Pablo Montoya 40/1
Joey Logano 50/1
Ricky Stenhouse 50/1
Paul Menard 60/1
Jeff Burton 75/1
Marcos Ambrose 85/1
Kurt Busch 100/1
Aric Almirola 100/1
A.J. Allmendinger 200/1
Danica Patrick 250/1
Regan Smith 300/1
Field 50/1