The big favorites at the Coca-Cola 600 did not pay off and it has bettors wondering if they need to be digging for more value again this week. The quick answer is absolutely! Because of a blistering hot start, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are once again this Sunday's favorites at Dover International Speedway for the Autism Speaks 400. At +375 odds and +320 odds respectively at BetUS.com, we aren’t getting enough bang for our buck with these guys. If last week’s tenth place finish has scared you away from Johnson and forty-first wasn’t convincing enough to get you on board with Gordon, you are on the right track.
What about that guy, formally with DEI, who everyone has forgotten about because of his off the race track issues? That guy finished eighth last week in the Coca-Cola 600 and has recorded five straight finishes of thirteenth or better. He has a lot of pressure to perform having been docked 100 points for using illegal car parts and having to show DEI what they are missing out on. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is, of course, the driver I’m referring to and he did finish tenth at Dover last season. I expect another solid race, but not a checkered flag out of him.
Denny Hamlin, in short, is getting too much respect with these odds. Last week’s ninth place finish put him in the top ten for the sixth time this season, but all that tells me in that he’s a consistent driver, not one aggressive enough to win races yet. He is blaming some of this on his pit crew’s performance. Hamlin isn’t sophomore slumping but his junior year will be when we see some wins from him.
This Sunday’s race is going to come down to last year’s Autism Speaks 400 champ, Matt Kenseth +675 odds, and Jeff Burton +850 odds. Kenseth is currently third in the standings. As I already mentioned, he won this event last year and finished tenth in the fall race. He has five top five finishes this season and will be right there in the last 20 laps, but I’m making Jeff Burton our guy this Sunday. He is coming off a very disappointing 24th-place finish last week. He will look to rebound this week to move up the points ladder on a track which has treated him very well. He finished fourth in this event last year and won here in the Dover 400 later in the year. At +850 odds, he’s showing the kind of value we want from our winner.
BetUS.com has posted NASCAR betting odds on which driver will win the Autism Speaks 400:
Jeff Gordon: +320
Jimmie Johnson: +375
Tony Stewart: +600
Matt Kenseth: +675
Denny Hamlin: +550
Jeff Burton: +850
Kyle Busch: +1000
Kevin Harvick: +1000
Kurt Busch: +1200
Dale Earnhardt Jr: +1200
Ryan Newman: +1200
Carl Edwards: +1500
Greg Biffle: +1600
Mark Martin: +2000
Kasey Kahne: +2000
Jamie McMurray: +2000
Clint Bowyer: +2500
Casey Mears: +3000
Martin Truex Jr: +3500
Juan Montoya: +4500
Field: +2000
