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NASCAR Sprint Cup Preview - 12 Drivers in The Chase

Bookmark and Share by D.S. Williamson

This weekend is the first race in the 10 race NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Series known simply as The Chase.

Mark Martin, the Sprint Cup points leader, is one of the favorites in the Sportsbook, but could NASCAR betting fans be missing out by going with one of the two final qualifiers to The Chase, Brian Vickers and Greg Biffle?

We all know that the Hendrick Boys are going to be right in the mix when it comes down to it. The questions everyone are asking is if three time winner Jimmie Johnson can put a fourth Sprint Cup Championship under his helmet? Can the old pro, Mark Martin, take home the Sprint Cup?

Will Tony Stewart win the championship as an owner/driver?

Let’s take a look at the 12 contenders who make up The Chase!

NASCAR: 12 Drivers in The Chase

1. Brian Vickers +2000 - - He needed to outrace Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch in last week’s Chevy Rock and Roll 400 and that’s exactly what he did by finishing 7th. Yes, Busch finished ahead of him, but Vickers had the upper hand going into the race. How will he do during The Chase? Let’s just say that his odds are justified because the competition will be very, very stiff.

2. Carl Edwards +1000 - - Edwards has been fairly consistent this year, but the aggressiveness of Gordon, Stewart, Johnson and Martin will be unleashed in these next two races. With those four guys going for broke, Carl could be left in the dust. I love him as a driver but I don’t see him excelling in The Chase.

3. Denny Hamlin +800 - - Denny just won the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 this past weekend. With Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs’s other top driver, on the shelf for The Chase, expect Hamlin to really step it up. Busch could help him in spots during the next 10 races which would make Hamlin even more dangerous. He’s got a good shot to bring home his first Sprint Cup at very nice odds.

4. Greg Biffle +2500 - - Like Vickers, Biffle had to work hard during the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 to just get into The Chase. He could turn things around for Roush Fenway Racing, but like his buddy Carl Edwards, Greg’s odds are totally justified. I’m not drinking the Biff Kool-Aid and expect him to not do much during these next ten weeks.

5. Jeff Gordon +400 - - Gordo is going off at better odds than both Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson and his ability to play it cool cannot be doubted. At the odds, he’s the pick because every time I’ve written him off in 2009, he’s come back with a top five finish. I have to put some money on Gordon. I just have to. I mean, he’s got to be tired of watching Jimmie hoist the Sprint Cup trophy every year, right?

6. Jimmie Johnson +250 - - The champ has won three in a row. Four in a row would just amazing considering that he drives in an era where the competition is amazingly stiff. The crews, drivers and owners are unbelievable in NASCAR right now, but Jimmie keeps taking home trophies. Most NASCAR betting fans can’t put money on Jimmie at those odds, but if my guys are out after a week or two, and Jimmie has a huge lead, I’ll be rooting for him because four in a row would just be awesome.

7. Juan Pablo Montoya +2000 - - Montoya is the long shot pick in the BetUS sportsbook to win this year’s Sprint Cup Championship. After listening to his discussions with his crew most of this year, it’s obvious that Montoya is very focused and on the same page with his crew. The guy is a terrific driver. At the odds of 20 to 1, racing gamblers can’t look past Montoya.

8. Kasey Kahne +2000 - - Yes, Kasey’s won two races in 2009, but his consistency has been lacking in spots. I don’t see him doing much during the next ten weeks and even if he does, a 30 or worse finish in a few races should stop him from taking home the trophy.

9. Kurt Busch +2000 - - Kyle’s older brother played it safe for most of the year and has been rewarded with a spot in The Chase. Like Montoya, the older Busch is actually a live long shot in this. He knows most of the tracks where The Chase races occur very well and he is a smart driver. The fact that he finished second to Hamlin in last week’s race means that he’s hot right now.

10. Mark Martin +300 - - I love the idea of Martin winning The Chase, but he has a tendency to really fail when he isn’t in contention to win. That will hurt him. What will also hurt him is that both of his teammates, Johnson and Gordon, will want to win The Chase on their own. So, he won’t be getting any help from them. Martin is an underlay at the 3 to 1 betting odds even though he is the points leader going into The Chase.

11. Ryan Newman +3000 - - Newman is a good wager to upset the apple cart but only because of odds. Newman is the longest shot on the board. He might be worth a flyer if bettors really believe he can turn it around because he’s tailed off some since his excellent start to 2009. He did finish 10th last week in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Maybe that’s a sign that the 30 to 1 odds make him an overlay to win The Chase.

12. Tony Stewart +300 - - Tony is second in the Sprint Cup points standings. He needs to turn things around big time as he hasn’t done very well in the last three races. If any driver and crew can do it, it will be Tony and his crew, but the odds are just too low for me to put a wager on him in this.