Busch Not a Lucrative Cup Contender?

NASCAR betting on him, especially if you thought about laying down some cash on his Cup odds.

The Michigan International Speedway. As well, Busch leads Edwards in the all-important wins column 8-4, meaning he’s going to start in top spot when the Chase for the Cup gets going on September 14.

However, that also means that Busch’s odds to win the Sprint Cup this season are now at just +150, so he’s not a very lucrative betting option. Edwards, who has two more wins than any series driver except Busch, is at +350 odds to win the Sprint Cup this year, while Jimmie Johnson (two wins on the season) is a bit ahead of him at +300 odds.

Here are the Sprint Cup Series driver standings heading into Sunday’s 3M Performance 400, with rank, driver name, points behind first, and current odds to win the Sprint Cup:

Rk Driver Name Points Cup Odds

1 Kyle Busch Leader +150

2 Carl Edwards -242 +350

3 Jimmie Johnson -244 +300

4 Dale Earnhardt Jr. -269 +600

5 Jeff Burton -309 +2200

6 Jeff Gordon -500 +1200

7 Tony Stewart -510 +1100

8 Kasey Kahne -541 +1400

9 Denny Hamlin -565 +1100

10 Greg Biffle -565 +1600

11 Kevin Harvick -584 +3000

12 Matt Kenseth -626 +1400

13 Clint Bowyer -648 +7000

14 David Ragan -715 OFF

15 Ryan Newman -830 +8000

16 Martin Truex Jr. -835 +7000

17 Brian Vickers -836 OFF

18 Kurt Busch -985 +12500

19 Jamie McMurray -1023 +20000

20 Elliott Sadler -1095 OFF

Johnson and Kahne both have two wins so far this season, while Earnhardt Jr., Burton, Hamlin, Bowyer, Newman, and Kurt Busch have one each. Gordon, Stewart, Biffle, Harvick, Kenseth, Ragan, Truex Jr., Vickers, McMurray, and Sadler have zero victories. The 12 drivers who qualify for the Chase receive a 10-point bonus for every victory they earned when points are reset after the 26th race of the year – making each win crucial.

Bowyer is just below the current Chase for the Cup cutoff line (22 points back of 12th-place Kenseth), and he’ll be looking to tempt NASCAR gamblers with his big +7000 Cup odds by turning in a big performance on Sunday at the 3M Performance 400. However, he’ll have to do it as a big underdog, as he’s currently pegged at +4500 to visit victory lane.

Kyle Busch and Johnson are the +500 co-favorites to get the win in Michigan, with Edwards at +550, Kenseth at +600, Kahne at +700, and Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart both at +900. Biffle then follows that top group at +1100, with Gordon and Hamlin at +1400. Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag at Michigan in the LifeLock 400 back in June, while Kurt Busch is the defending 3M Performance 400 champ; he’s at +4500 this week.

Check the BetUS NASCAR odds section for all of the latest racing lines for the weekend.