Watching Kyle Busch win in Sprint Cup Series Racing week after week is beginning to remind me of a young Bill Elliott who won 11 races on the major NASCAR circuit, then called Winston Cup, in 1985. In those days, Elliott was untouchable driving for Harry Melling Racing in the Coors No. 9 Thunderbird. Busch needs five more wins in 2008 to equal Elliott’s 1985 accomplishments, and has plenty of time to do it with17 races to go.
“Busch might be better than Elliott was in ’85,” said Point-Spreads.com NASCAR racing analyst and handicapper Reno Gold. “I think Busch is better because he can win on any type track, short, super-speedway or road coarse. Elliott was deadly on a big track but was ineffective in short track racing. Back then, there were many more short track ovals than there are today.”
“Elliott’s inability to win at short track racing cost him the championship that year,” Gold said reminding that to win a championship is how a driver finishes when he doesn’t win. “I don’t see that happening with Busch.”
This 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is now defined by Busch and the sky is the limit as to what he might do before the season ends in November. Oddsmakers now routinely install Joe Gibbs’ Racing’s star driver as the odds favorite every week.
Busch is installed by oddsmakers at online sportsbook SBGglobal.com as +450 odds favorite for the Allstate 400 (July 27) at Indianapolis International Speedway and +125 odds to win the 2008 Sprint Cup Championship.
Odds to win the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis International Speedway (SGBglobal.com)
Kyle Busch +250
Kasey Kahne +600
Jimmie Johnson +700
Carl Edwards +800
Tony Stewart +800
Denny Hamlin +1100
Matt Kenseth +1200
Dale Earnhardt Jr +1200
Brian Vickers +1400
Jeff Gordon +1600
Greg Biffle +1600
Martin Truex Jr +2200
Kevin Harvick +2200
Jeff Burton +2500
David Ragan +3000
Mark Martin +3000
Clint Bowyer +3000
Kurt Busch +3000
Juan Pablo Montoya +3000
Ryan Newman +3500
Field (All Others) +2500
