For this Sunday’s Coca Cola 600 predictions, you are going to have to come up with good reason not to take race favorite Jimmie Johnson. Johnson’s track history at Lowe’s Motor Speedway is unmatched and no driver in NASCAR has taken more checkered flags than Johnson in 2007. Johnson has five wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, eight top fives and 10 top tens with an average finish of 5.8.
Bodog.com has posted betting odds on Jimmie Johnson at 3 to 1 to win at Lowe's Motor Speedway. You can look up and down the odds lists and you won’t find better by another driver.
Johnson is also coming off a second place finish at the Speedway last week in the All-Star Challenge. Although the race had no effect on the current standings, you can bet that a loss on his sponsor’s track is not sitting too well. 3/1 odds doesn’t give us much value, but how can you bet against a guy who is religiously among the leaders at this track? Let me know if you come up with an answer.
Some of you might think you have the answer, and your answer is, more than likely, to take his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon. Gordon is the current NASCAR points leader and is nearly as decorated as Johnson at Lowe’s with three wins. His average finish of 3.8 in all races in 2007 is the best in the business and why we have to think he’ll be right there with twenty laps to go now that points are back in play this week.
If you guys have really been digging, you might have pitched me Matt Kenseth who is listed at 8/1 odds. Arguably, he should be favored over Jeff Gordon based on the way he has performed on banked 1.5 mile tracks like Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Texas. He won this event in 2000 and has recorded plenty of top five finishes since. Only Bobby Labonte has averaged a better finish at this event since 2000 which brings us to our dark horse.
Bobby Labonte is listed at 45/1 odds. Labonte has 11 top five finishes including a victory at Lowe’s and 14 top 10 finishes. He is being way undervalued considering his strong history at the track.
Johnson won three Coca Cola 600’s in a row before Kasey Kahne stopped him last year. The first half of the season was absolutely dominated by Hendrick Motorsports, but I can’t imagine things going quite as smoothly in the second half. I like Johnson to finish in the top three for sure, but I think Matt Kenseth is our best bet to take the checkered flag.
Bodog.com has posted Nextel Cup betting odds to win the Coca Cola 600:
Bobby Labonte: 90/1
Carl Edwards: 18/1
Casey Mears: 65/1
Clint Bowyer: 30/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 11/1
Dave Blaney: 90/1
David Gilliland: 100/1
David Ragan: 90/1
David Stremme: 100/1
Denny Hamlin: 17/1
Elliott Sadler: 100/1
Greg Biffle: 25/1
J.J. Yeley: 100/1
Jamie McMurray: 40/1
Jeff Burton: 10/1
Jeff Gordon: 4/1
Jeff Green: 100/1
Jimmie Johnson: 3/1
Joe Nemechek: 90/1
Juan Pablo Montoya: 38/1
Kasey Kahne: 20/1
Kevin Harvick: 10/1
Kurt Busch: 15/1
Kyle Busch: 10/1
Mark Martin: 15/1
Martin Truex Jr.: 35/1
Matt Kenseth: 8/1
Reed Sorenson: 90/1
Ricky Rudd: 100/1
Ryan Newman: 25/1
Scott Riggs: 30/1
Tony Raines: 100/1
Tony Stewart: 8/1
Field (Any Other Driver): 40/1
