Categories
Nascar

NASCAR Sprint Cup Coca Cola 600 Preview and Prediction

2013 Coca Cola 600 Predictions

This week the Sprint Cup series will remain at Charlotte Motor Speedway after last Saturday night’s All-Star Race for the running of the traditional Memorial Day Weekend Coca Cola 600. Sunday night’s race is set to get underway at 6 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Coca Cola 600 Preview and Prediction
Race: Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Date: Sunday, May 26, 2013
Time: 6 p.m. (ET)
Broadcast: FOX
Odds: Bovada

Jimmie Johnson’s hot streak continued with a victory in last week’s $1 million All-Star Race with Joey Logano finishing second and Kyle Busch taking third.

The following is a closer look at our favorite, contender, and longshot picks for this Sunday night’s race with odds provided by Sportsbook.

The Favorite (odd of less than 10/1)

Johnson has been opened as the favorite to win this race at +450, but we like the fact that Kyle Busch ran third in the All-Star after winning a Truck Series race at this track last Friday night. He comes in as a +600 second favorite to carry that success over to this race.

The No. 18 car is in eighth-place in the Sprint Cup standings with 325 points on the strength of checkered flags at Fontana and Texas along three other top-five finishes.

Busch has never posted a victory in a Sprint Cup point race at Charlotte, but given the fact that he has only finished out of the top 10 once in his last 11 races here, including five top-five finishes in his last six tries, we love his chances to finally break through with a win. [ad-8757089]

The Contender (odds from 10/1 to 19/1)

The list runs deeps with quality drivers in the contender category for this race, but we decided to put Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the top to win at +1500. While the No. 88 car is still searching for its first trip to victory lane this season, it has been in the running several times so far with seven top-10 finishes in the first 11 point races.

This performance has the team in fourth-place in the current standings with 359 points. The only deterrent to this pick is Junior’s overall record at Charlotte, but he did finish seventh in this race in 2011 and sixth in the second race here in 2012.

The Longshot (odds 20/1 or greater)

If you are looking for value in a longshot for this race then your best bet would be Tony Stewart at +3000. This pick is not really based on current form as the No. 14 car is mired in 21st-place in the point standings with just one top-10 finish this year.

It is also not based on recent performance at this track with just one top-10 finish at Charlotte in his last 10 races here.

The value in these odds is in the fact that Stewart remains a threat to win anytime he gets behind wheel as one of the fiercest competitors on the track.

Odds from Bovada

Jimmie Johnson 6/1
Kyle Busch 6/1
Matt Kenseth 6/1
Denny Hamlin 7/1
Kasey Kahne 8/1
Brad Keselowski 12/1
Carl Edwards 12/1
Jeff Gordon 12/1
Martin Truex Jr 15/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 15/1
Clint Bowyer 15/1
Kevin Harvick 15/1
Greg Biffle 15/1
Tony Stewart 30/1
Joey Logano 35/1
Kurt Busch 35/1
Mark Martin 60/1
Ricky Stenhouse 60/1
Juan Montoya 75/1
Jamie McMurray 75/1
Trevor Bayne 100/1
Regan Smith 100/1
Danica Patrick 100/1
Jeff Burton 100/1
Aric Almirola 100/1
Paul Menard 100/1
Ryan Newman 100/1
David Ragan 100/1
Marcos Ambrose 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 50/1

*SPRINT Cup Odds provided by Bovada

By Dave Schwab

David Schwab is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. While not cheering for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles David can be found working on his blog at www.eaglesinc.com. David wants to hear from you so please comment below.