The Chase for the Cup continues on Sunday with the AAA 400 on the “Monster Mile” at the Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. The biggest news leading up to the race is obviously the 150-point penalty given to Clint Bowyer by NASCAR for failing the post-race car inspection following last weekend’s race in New Hampshire. This especially painful for Bowyer and his crew who, after winning the first race in the Chase for the Cup, jumped from 12th all the way the 2nd in the standings. Instead, Bowyer now finds himself once again in last place and 185 points out of the lead. While Bowyer openly criticized NASCAR for their decision, it will be interesting to see how he reacts on the track.
We’ll take a look at this Sunday’s race, which drivers to keep an eye on that are offering the best value, and give out our free picks for the race. All odds shown are taken from Bodog.
Clint Bowyer – Odds to win: 30/1 – After a great run last weekend in Dover, where he lead for an incredible 177 laps, Bowyer looked great and earned a huge victory, only to receive a huge penalty just days later. Bowyer can either give up on the whole Chase for the Cup, or he can come back and prove that the penalty was unjust. Based on his mid-week response to the penalty, I expect him to come out and prove that NASCAR’s decision was a mistake having another great race and challenging for the win for a second week in a row.
Matt Kenseth – Odds to win: 20/1 – Kenseth began final 10 races in 11th place, and finds himself in the exact same position heading into the AAA 400. The comparisons between the Chase for the Cup and college football are actually pretty accurate: if you get off the a slow start, your essentially out of it. If Kenseth hopes to seriously contend for the championship, he absolutely must have a big race this weekend, and he is capable of doing just that on track that, in his last 10 races there, he has finished 10th, 5th, 4th (twice), 3rd (twice), and 1 win.
Ryan Newman – Odds to win: 40/1 – Newman is looking like the most solid bet going into Sunday’s race in Dover. Newman has 17 previous races on the Monster Mile, during which he has earned 4 poles, 10 top-10 finishes, 6 top-5 finishes, and 3 wins. On top of that, he has amazing averages both in start position on the track (8.1) and finish (10.5). Admittedly one of his favorite tracks, Newman finished 13th there in May, and should bounce back with a great race on Sunday.
Brad Keselowski – Odds to win: 200/1 – Despite being a true longshot, Keselowski is actually offering real value on Sunday. Although he has only one previous Sprint Cup race at Dover, when he qualified 20th and finished 18th, he does have other experience on the track. In seven Nationwide Series races there, Keselowski has 6 top-10 finishes, 3 top-5 finishes, and 1 victory. He is obviously familiar with the track and knows how to drive it. Like several other drivers, Keselowski lists the Monster Mile as one of his favorites tracks, and his success proves it. At 200/1, Keselowski is offering the best value of the weekend.
You can bet all of our free picks online as these picks were based on the NASCAR AAA 400 Betting Odds at Bodog.
