Sprint Cup Update
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
After 13 straight weeks without a pen weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup series drivers finally get that much needed rest this weekend. The break is also very timely because it sets up two weeks of hype for NASCAR second biggest event of the season, The Brickyard 400, on one of racing’s most hollowed grounds, The Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Martin Proves Age Means Nothing
With Mark Martin winning his series leading fourth race of this young season already, he’s gaining lots of attention and admiration from everyone. He’s already been one of the classiest and respected drivers on the tour, but by him winning more than anyone else at the age of 50, he’s created inspiration for older folks around the country.
His win on Saturday night in Chicago was as loud of a cheer as I’ve seen all season with someone winning. The only driver who could possibly recreate similar cheers would be Martin’s teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. Perhaps the Junior Nation has jumped of the Junior wagon for a little while, until Junior gets better, and is offering their support until then. It was rock star loud!
Favorites Not Getting There in NASCAR
In twelve of the nineteen races run this season, the winning driver has paid out at over 10/1 odds, depending when and where you bet the race. Those type of payout on a regular basis are unheard of since NASCAR has become a betting options at most Nevada Sports Books around the ear of 1998.
In most seasons, there are two to three drivers that consistently win. This year there have been eleven different drivers to win a race after nineteen run. Last season, there were only twelve different drivers to win in all thirty-six races. Two of those drivers, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, combined to win sixteen races with odds of 10/1 or higher only three times.
Happy hour practice times have usually been a huge help in finding the top two or three drivers to win at each track based on average speeds on long runs. While always still helpful, it hasn’t been as successful as in the past because there have been some many good drivers and teams spread across the board, and also some very lucky ones. Brad Keselowski, David Reutimann, and Joey Logano all have won races this season at chunky odds of over 60/1.
You might think that if odds of over 10/1 were cashing regularly, including those chunky prices, that the Sports Books would be faring poorly, but it’s just the opposite. The books do very well when the top tiered favorites don’t win. The majority of the large bets come in on most the favorites and the mass small wagers made are usually on the same drivers. When they win, the book doesn’t as well.
When Joey Logano won at 100/1 odds in a rain shortened New Hampshire race, hardly anyone was holding a ticket, which means the house raked in all the chips. It’s likely that the cream will eventually rise to the top weekly as the Chase gets closer, but there are still some pretty good drivers that have yet to win this season like Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards.
Emphasis on Winning
If the Chase were to start next week at Indy, Tony Stewart would have his large 175 point lead wiped away with drivers that are currently in eleventh and tenth starting with the lead. Because Mark Martin and Kyle Busch leads the series in wins, with four and three respectively, they would start the chase in front of Stewart on points. Each season win is counted for ten points that determines where a driver starts in the Chase.
Last week Martin wasn’t even in the Chase, sitting in thirteenth before his Chicago win. Kyle Busch has been awful every week, except for the three wins he’s got that would place him in second. Maybe Busch will have a reversal of fortune fromm last season when he dominated the entire first twenty-six races and tanked in the Chase. It would be nice to see him rebound when it matters most and compete for the title. That might give him a little credit with all his detractors out there that include not winning a title as his legacy thus far. Got to root for the Home Boy, Right? Vegas has got your back Kyle!
Juan Pablo Montoya Loves NASCAR
Last month, Montoya was telling everyone how NASCAR is the hardest form of racing which raised a lot of eye-brows considering he’s raced in what is considered the most difficult. Last week he was telling everyone in the media how much fun he as having. This week, he now finds himself with some breathing room I the race for the Chase in ninth position. He’s won over a lot of people with his driving because he’s taken a car that has never been very good and raced to quality finishes.
In Montoya’s nineteen races run, he’s had nine top-10 finishes. In that span, he hasn’t even had one top-5 finish which shows just how consistent he’s been in a car not capable of winning. Only Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Johnson, and Kurt Busch have more top-10 finishes. He has definitely come a long way and is serious point racing mode.
Double File Re-Starts - AWESOME!
In almost every race since implementing the double-file re-starts, it has created a much more exciting finish to each race. The drama has kept fans on the edge of their seats at the conclusion of races like no other season.
The reason for the change was cited by NASCAR as listening to their fans, but the real reason is more likely listening to their Networks and Sponsors. Each and every race this season has been significantly lower in Nielson ratings from a 2008 comparison. Whatever the case may be, this fan loves it and wish it had happened much sooner.
Get An Early Start: Review Pocono
Odds on next weeks Brickyard 400 will likely be out Wednesday or Thursday of this week. To get an early jump betting the event, review all the Pocono practice times and how they related to what actually happened in the race. Look at all the lap leaders, how and why they led, when they led, and you’ll find that you’ll have a pretty good opinion on who will win at Indy.
The tracks are very similar because both are relatively flat, have long straightaways, and sweeping turns. Tony Stewart won the June 7 race at Pocono and is a good driver to start with.