Subway Fresh Fit 500 Preview
Carl Edwards made it back to victory lane last week, and he'll be looking to make it two wins in a row on Saturday night when he takes to the track for the Subway Fresh Fit 500.
Edwards held off Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch to take the checkered flag in the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday. That marked his third victory and fourth Top-10 result of the young season, but because he had been hit with a points penalty earlier in the year he only moved into 10th place in the current driver standings.
Ryan Newman was fourth in Texas, followed by Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, and Mark Martin. Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer rounded out the day's Top 10, with Kevin Harvick finishing 11th and Dale Earnhardt Jr. winding up in 12th place. Kurt Busch had to settle for 23rd-place result in the Samsung 500, while Kasey Kahne was 25th, Martin Truex Jr. ended up 36th, and Greg Biffle was even farther back in 39th.
The worst result of the day, though, belonged to Jeff Gordon. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was only able to complete 124 laps because of various car problems, and he ended up dead last in 43rd place. That finish dropped Gordon down five spots to 14th place in the driver standings; he has picked up just three Top-10 results so far this year.
Burton continues to lead the driver standings, as he has a 59-point lead on Harvick and a 64-point lead on Kyle Busch. Earnhardt Jr. currently sits fourth, 87 points behind the leader. Stewart, Johnson, Hamlin, Biffle, Edwards, Newman, Bowyer, and Kahne complete the Top 12. Kenseth sits in 13th place, while Kurt Busch is back in 15th spot.
Gordon will be looking to bounce back at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday; he won the Subway Fresh Fit 500 there last season. Teammate Johnson took the Checker Auto Parts 500 on that track in 2007, while Harvick swept the two Phoenix events in 2006. Kyle and Kurt Busch got victories in the desert during the 2005 season.
Earnhardt Jr. and Burton each have multiple Phoenix wins; Dale Jr. won the Checker Auto Parts 500 there in both 2003 and 2004, while Burton claimed the checkered flag in that race in both 2000 and 2001. Kenseth and Stewart each have one win on that track.
So who do the Vegas oddsmakers like to get the victory this weekend? Well, Johnson has yet to visit victory lane this season, and he's only managed to finish in the Top 10 in three of his seven starts. Still, he's had some success at Phoenix International Raceway in the past, and the oddsmakers currently have him listed as the 5/1 fave to get the win.
Stewart is second behind Johnson at 6/1 odds to take the Subway Fresh Fit 500, with Gordon and Kyle Busch each at 7/1 odds. Kenseth, Edwards, and Earnhardt Jr. are all listed at 10/1 odds for this weekend, with Hamlin and Burton at 12/1 odds, and Harvick and Biffle at 15/1 odds. Kahne is sitting just behind that top drivers group at 20/1 odds.
Other Vegas odds to win in the desert on the weekend include Kurt Busch (22/1), Martin (22/1), Bowyer (22/1), Newman (25/1), Casey Mears (35/1), Jamie McMurray (40/1), and Truex Jr. (40/1). David Ragan, who's 17th in the driver standings, is listed at 60/1.
After racing in Phoenix the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will take a one-week break before returning for the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27. May's Sprint Cup schedule then features the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond, the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington, and the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's.
