Sprint Cup Power Rankings with Odds - Tony Stewart is Top Dog

NASCAR: Hamlin Shows Who the Real Number One Guy for Joe Gibbs Racing Is

Denny Hamlin showed once again why fans are starting to turn their backs on Kyle Busch as a betting option and instead turn to Hamlin.

While Busch floundered at Pocono, Hamlin stepped it up and won the race. That puts Denny in 5th place in the BetUS Sprint Cup Power Rankings. Busch is still on the outside looking in as he hasn’t done enough to make it into the Chase just yet.

Let’s take a look at the power rankings.

1. Tony Stewart +350 - - Smoke didn’t get into the top 5 at Pocono but he did finish 10th. That keeps him atop the NASCAR Power Rankings and in first place in the Sprint Cup Standings. Smoke is driving exceptionally well right now. His crew is making the right decisions and the Sprint Cup looks like Smoke’s to lose.

2. Jimmie Johnson +300 - - Jimmie’s still the favorite in the sportsbook to win his 4th Sprint Cup even though he finished 13th at Pocono. Everybody knows that Johnson will turn it on once the Sprint Cup Chase starts, but Smoke is doing so well his first year as an owner/driver that Jimmie find things somewhat more difficult this year than he has the past three years.

3. Jeff Gordon +600 - - The 8th place finish at Pocono was really good for Jeff who has had his ups and down this year. I still believe he’s an underlay in the sportsbook, but we’ll see.

4. Kurt Busch +1500 - - Busch’s 9th place finish at Pocono was a nice return to the top 10 for Kurt who has been fairly consistent this year. The goal is to maintain until the Chase at which point Busch and his crew will try to turn it on.

5. Denny Hamlin +1200 - - Hamlin won at Pocono and the victory bumped him up a spot in the power rankings. What’s interesting is that Hamlin has been much more consistent this year than both Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch yet both Edwards and Busch are favored over Hamlin in the sportsbook.

6. Carl Edwards +800 - - Still looking for his first victory of the year, Edwards took a step back at Pocono with his 18th place finish. He needs to show more before gamblers can take him seriously at the odds in the sportsbook.

7. Kasey Kahne +1200 - - The NASCAR odds dropped on Kahne some as he once again finished in the top 10. This time, Kasey crossed the finished line in 5th place. Kahne has really turned it on lately in the Budweiser #9 car.

8. Juan Pablo Montoya +3500 - - Juan Pablo followed up his fantastic run at The Brickyard with a second place finish at Pocono. The man is on fire right now and no doubt has to be considered for a bet. The odds are good. I can’t fault any gambler who wants to throw some money on Juan Pablo to win the Sprint Cup this year at those odds.

9. Ryan Newman +1800 - - Newman finished 14th for the second time in a row, this time in the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono. He’s been pretty good this year driving for Tony’s team, but he might not be good enough to win the Sprint Cup. Now, if the odds rise, he could end up as a good bet.