NASCAR Odds - Jimmie Johnson
by BetUS Staff
Twelve NASCAR Nextel Cup races have been run at Texas Motor Speedway. Twelve different drivers have taken the checkered flag. Are you ready for No. 13?
Jimmie Johnson is not one of the dozen drivers in question. But he’s the clear favorite for this Sunday’s BetUS sportsbook.
There are plenty of reasons for this – none more obvious than the fact that Johnson has won three of the last four races. He currently sits in third place in the Cup standings, 60 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon (+600 for Sunday).
Hendrick’s Chevrolets are performing optimally thus far. Then again, all the Chevys on the circuit are kicking asphalt this year. The previous race at Martinsville on April 1 was more of the same; even with the Car of Tomorrow in its infancy, Chevy took the first seven spots with Johnson and Gordon leading the way.
There doesn’t seem to be much reason for handicappers to pick a Ford – not even Matt Kenseth at +765 – until this imbalance of power is addressed.
For that matter, why fade Johnson at this point? He’s having a string of success that has just a whiff of Roger Federer and Tiger Woods in it. Handicapping those two sports has been reduced to taking the chalk or going with a value dark horse at long odds.
NASCAR doesn’t have dark horses; the same handful of drivers collect almost all the victories. It’s unlikely that Johnson will continue to win three of every four races, but until he stops beating the tar out of the competition, or until his odds get shorter than Pia Zadora, he’s going to be more profitable than any other play in the futures market.
The deal-closer, perhaps ironically, is Johnson’s track record at Fort Worth. Although he has zero victories in seven appearances there, nobody has been more consistent at Texas Motor Speedway.
Johnson leads all Cup drivers at TMS with an average result of 6.3. He is also a solid qualifier at Fort Worth with an average starting position of 10.7.
NASCAR bettors often shy away from drivers who have yet to win at a certain track, but everyone is well aware by now that Johnson has been dominant on similar courses in Atlanta and Charlotte. This may be the key reason Johnson is the betting favorite for Sunday.
The Samsung 500 is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time on FOX.
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