Tony Stewart (6/1)
Tony Stewart has spent the last four days testing his driving at Phoenix’s speedway and his team feels good about their chances moving forward. Stewart finished 7th and 9th at Richmond and his car should be one of the better ones in the race.
Kevin Harvick (12/1)
Kevin Harvick has won and led more than half the race (202 laps) at Richmond. It would figure that he would do well at a race like this after his recent performances, but at 12/1 odds he is even more enticing, as he still has to be considered one of the better drivers. A lot of bettors will seek to back Harvick at 12/1.
Jeff Gordon (15/2)
Jeff Gordon won with the old track configuration on this track earlier in the year, and he should be one of the top drivers in this event, evidenced by NASCAR oddsmakers setting the line at 15/2. He’s been good on tracks like this one and at Richarmond he only faltered due to poor pit stops and bad restarts. His driver rating was 108.4
Carl Edwards (7/1)
Edwards has great odds, too, at 7/1. He is the defending champ and he won on the old configuration. His pit strat was suspect at Richmond and his second place finish could have been a first place one had he came out of the caution better. His average running position in that race was 4th.
Kyle Busch (8/1)
Busch has been running good on the reconfigured course. At Richmond he has won 3 times and only finished lower than 16th in 14 races. Perhaps more importantly is the fact that Kyle Busch adapts well to change, having won the last time that NASCAR visited a new track.
Jimmie Johnson (7/1)
Johnson is no longer in contention for hte Sprint cup, but will still be seeking to score as many points as possible. At Richmond he finished 31st, but could easily go in the top 10. He finished in the top 11 of every race in the last four.
Denny Hamlin (12/1)
Hamlin is one of the more long shots amongst the favorites, but he should be considered still by bettors. He is great on short tracks and should perform well here. His 11 team has been doing well and should enable Hamlin to make some quality stops that will not impede his chances like some of the other drivers with more questionable crews.
Kurt Busch (22/1)
Kurt Busch is a bit more of a long shot, but he got off to a great start at the Chase. He got 5th at Richmond in the fall and should be able to finish at the top of the field. At 22/1 odds you are getting a very interesting speculative pick from a driver who offers a lot of chances when he races in his element, and this course could suit his strengths well, as evidenced by his previous performance.
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