NASCAR Sprint Unlimited Odds, Matchups
By Micah Roberts
Llinemakers.com
We're less than a month from our first NASCAR action of 2016 and while every Las Vegas sports book has odds posted to win the Sprint Cup and Daytona 500, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook was the first to post odds on the Sprint Unlimited (Feb. 13, 8:15 p.m. ET) — a 75-lap, non-points race at Daytona International Speedway run one week prior to the Daytona 500.
There will be a 25 driver field with all the big names participating and perhaps the best thing about this race is that most of the also-rans have to sit it out, which keeps them out of the contenders' way. To be eligible for the race, a driver must have won a pole last season, been a past Sprint Unlimited winner, won a past Daytona 500 pole, participated in last seasons Chase, or have the most driver points until 25 drivers have filled the lineup. It's basically everyone within the top 25.
Two of the eligible participants are most likely out. Jeff Gordon retired at the end of 2015 and David Gililand doesn't have a ride yet. The next two drivers in line to fill up the lineup, who currently have rides, would be Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne.
Because not a lot has been changed with the restrictor-plate setup from last season, other than a smaller plate that will net 10 more horsepower, we can expect more of the same from the past two seasons of racing at Daytona and Talladega, which of course is why Dale Earnhardt Jr. opens as the 6-to-1 favorite. Junior won two of the four plate races last season and won the Sprint Unlimited in 2003 and 2008. His father won this event a record six times.
Other drivers that continually fared well under the short Saturday night special format are three-time winner Kevin Harvick and two-time winner Denny Hamlin. Matt Kenseth won last season and Joey Logano won two of the four point plates that Junior didn't win. Tony Stewart, in his farewell season, has won this event three times over his career. He's also won a points race at Daytona three times, but never the Daytona 500.
This race is a great tool to jump start Daytona 500 wagering strategies. We'll get a look at them in practice Friday and then the race on Saturday. Even though most will be using different chassis' for this race and the Daytona 500, it'll be a great barometer to see if last years restrictor-plate ratings on drivers still hold true.
Here's a look at the complete list of odds to win and driver match-ups posted at the Westgate:
Sprint Unlimited betting odds
DALE EARNHARDT JR 6
JIMMIE JOHNSON 8
MATT KENSETH 10
JOEY LOGANO 10
KEVIN HARVICK 10
KYLE BUSCH 10
DENNY HAMLIN 15
KURT BUSCH 15
KASEY KAHNE 15
CARL EDWARDS 15
BRAD KESELOWSKI 15
MARTIN TRUEX JR 15
AUSTIN DILLON 25
TONY STEWART 25
GREG BIFFLE 25
JAMIE McMURRAY 25
RYAN NEWMAN 30
PAUL MENARD 30
CLINT BOWYER 30
AJ ALLMENDINGER 50
DANICA PATRICK 40
ARIC ALMIROLA 40
KYLE LARSON 40
CASEY MEARS 50
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 50
Sprint Unlimited race matchup props
DALE EARNHARDT JR -135
MATT KENSETH +115
JIMMIE JOHNSON -125
KEVIN HARVICK +105
JOEY LOGANO -110
KYLE BUSCH -110
DENNY HAMLIN -110
BRAD KESELOWSKI -110
CARL EDWARDS -110
KASEY KAHNE -110
KURT BUSCH -110
MARTIN TRUEX JR -110
AUSTIN DILLON -120
PAUL MENARD EVEN
CLINT BOWYER -110
JAMIE McMURRAY -110
ARIC ALMIROLA -120
RICKY STENHOUSE JR EVEN
KYLE LARSON -120
DANICA PATRICK EVEN
Sprint Unlimited Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
It seems like an eternity since I've heard the beautiful sounds of multiple NASCAR Sprint Cup engines purring while running at max RPM's. I know it's only been since November when they last ran, but something is embedded in my system as a NASCAR fan where I need that weekly NASCAR fix, and it almost burns when I don't get it.
Finally, the wait is over. It’s time to go racing again and my first fix of 2016 is Saturday night with the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway.
My first real joy begins Friday at 5:00 p.m. ET when the 25 eligible drivers for the 75 lap non-points race have their first practice. It’s like spring training -- the dawning of a new year. Some wait for the rodent in Pennsylvania to come out of his hole and brilliantly tell them it'll be winter longer, but I know my spring and summer is coming as soon as I hear those badass cars for the first time in practice.
As with most restrictor-plate races, the practices mean very little, and I’ll gain really nothing from watching it. It’s almost like a waste of 55 minutes and then I’ll watch another one an hour later for the final 55-minute session just to hear people talking NASCAR again. For me, it's better than being a kid again and waiting up all night for Santa Claus. Yes, as you can tell, I‘ll be pumped for those couple of meaningless practice sessions. The Broncos cap goes back on the hat rack, and the No. 3 camouflage hat comes back out.
New season. Opening day. Love it.
Of course, if I’m going to watch the race I’ve got to have some action on it, right? The thing I like about the Sprint Unlimited is that it’s a short race with only 75 laps. It’s over in an instant. It’s like a Saturday night special at the local short track. And we get only the best of the best -- drivers that won a pole last season or any Daytona 500 pole, won a past Sprint Unlimited, or participated in the Chase last season. There are no hobos participating -- no jalopies to get in the way. This race is about getting out front quick and trying to maintain good position throughout because it’s over real fast.
There are a few drivers that really seem to like this format, such as three-time winner Kevin Harvick and two-time winner Denny Hamlin. Matt Kenseth won last season and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won twice, the last coming in 2008.
Not a lot has changed with the cars design, so we should see similar racing in plate races that we have the past two seasons. The one major change is a larger hole in the restrictor plate which will give each of the cars an extra 10 horsepower. That will be interesting to see just how big of an impact it has.
Junior won two of the four plate races last season between Daytona and Talladega and Joey Logano won the other two. Overall the past two years, the best teams who have consistently run near the front in all the plate races have been Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.
I’m going to roll with a few of those drivers this week, especially Hamlin who is getting a nice 15/1 price at several books. It’s a contract year for Hamlin and I’m expecting big things out of him to force a fat new deal from Joe Gibbs before the silly season starts in late summer.
As with most plate races, don't get too involved with driver matchups unless getting baited at +105 or higher. And remember, a Joe Gibbs Toyota has won three of the past four Sprint Unlimited's.
Now let’s drop that green flag and get this season started.
Happy 2016 NASCAR to all!
Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #11 Denny Hamlin (15/1)
2) #48 Jimmie Johnson (8/1)
3) #4 Kevin Harvick (10/1)
4) #20 Matt Kenseth (10/1)
5) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (6/1)
WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK ODDS
SPRINT UNLIMITED
DALE EARNHARDT JR. 6/1
JIMMIE JOHNSON 8/1
MATT KENSETH 10/1
JOEY LOGANO 10/1
KEVIN HARVICK 10/1
KYLE BUSCH 10/1
DENNY HAMLIN 15/1
KURT BUSCH 15/1
KASEY KAHNE 15/1
CARL EDWARDS 15/1
BRAD KESELOWSKI 15/1
MARTIN TRUEX JR. 15/1
AUSTIN DILLON 25/1
TONY STEWART 25/1
GREG BIFFLE 30/1
JAMIE McMURRAY 25/1
RYAN NEWMAN 30/1
PAUL MENARD 30/1
CLINT BOWYER 30/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 60/1
DANICA PATRICK 50/1
ARIC ALMIROLA 50/1
KYLE LARSON 25/1
CASEY MEARS 60/1
RICKY STENHOUSE JR. 60/1
SPRINT UNLIMITED RACE MATCHUPS
DALE EARNHARDT JR -135
MATT KENSETH +115
JIMMIE JOHNSON -125
KEVIN HARVICK +105
JOEY LOGANO -110
KYLE BUSCH -110
DENNY HAMLIN -110
BRAD KESELOWSKI -110
CARL EDWARDS -110
KASEY KAHNE -110
KURT BUSCH -110
MARTIN TRUEX JR -110
AUSTIN DILLON -120
PAUL MENARD EVEN
CLINT BOWYER -110
JAMIE McMURRAY -110
ARIC ALMIROLA -120
RICKY STENHOUSE JR EVEN
KYLE LARSON -120
DANICA PATRICK EVEN
Drivers to Watch - Sprint Unlimited
By Sportsbook.ag
The NASCAR season begins on Saturday with the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway. This race features a very strong field, but there will be no points rewarded to any of the drivers.
The Sprint Cup drivers will, however, be excited to get back out there. The 187.5-mile course serves as a great tune-up for the actual season and these drivers are always excited to earn themselves some bragging rights amongst their peers.
One thing worth noting about this race is that it is broken down into segments. There will be a 25-lap segment and then a mandatory caution. After that caution, the drivers will go for another 50 laps.
One guy that will be happy to be back at this event is Kevin Harvick. Harvick has really done well at this race in the past, winning in 2009, 2010 and 2013. He has shown very few signs of rust coming off of the short offseason and will surely be in the hunt to win again on Saturday.
Matt Kenseth, however, will be looking to win this thing as well. He won in 2015 and certainly wouldn’t mind making a statement by winning it in back/back years.
With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at some solid picks to win this year’s installment:
Drivers to Watch
Kevin Harvick (10/1) - As previously mentioned, Harvick has been a monster at this exhibition race in his career. Three championships since 2009 says a lot about his comfort level on this track and it’s not like he’s coming off of a bad season either. Harvick made it to the Championship 4 in 2015 and is looking to go a step further by being the 2016 Sprint Cup Champion. He can send a message to his opponents by winning here once again and is an excellent pick at 10/1.
Martin Truex Jr. (15/1) - Like Harvick, Truex Jr. was also in the Championship 4 in 2015 and he is getting some very favorable odds coming into this race. At 15/1, Truex Jr. is a very good pick after the way he performed a year ago. He racked up 23 top-10 finishes last season and won a race as well. He has shown a lot of signs of improvement over the past few years and this has the potential to be a career year for him. He also happened to have finished second in this race a year ago.
Kurt Busch (15/1) - Busch did not get to the Championship 4 in 2015, but he had a solid season and was in the Eliminator 8. Busch won two races a year ago and also had a total of 10 top-10 finishes. He is one of the best drivers in the world, but he also may have a competitive advantage in this one. Busch will be using a new car in this race and it is the first time anybody has used it in competition. If it ends up being a good one then placing a unit or two on Busch at 15/1 will be well worth it. He’s also no slouch at this race in general, as he was the winner at the Sprint Unlimited in 2011.
Danica Patrick (60/1) - Since this field is filled with a ton of talented drivers, there are not many great dark horse picks. One person that stands out is Danica Patrick. Patrick ended 2015 on a solid note, finishing in the top 20 at two of the final three races. She also has made a number of pit crew changes this offseason, so she is hoping that she can take her driving to another level this season. This exhibition is a good opportunity for her to notch a victory and putting a unit on her at 60/1 just might pay off on Saturday.