NASCAR\u2019s Sprint Cup series features the first of two road course races on the 2014 schedule with a stop at Sonoma Raceway in California\u00a0for the running of the Toyota\/Save Mart 350. <\/p>\n
NASCAR Sprint Cup- Toyota\/Save Mart 350 Preview and Prediction<\/strong>
\nRace: Toyota\/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway<\/strong>
\nDate: Sunday, June 22, 2014\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>
\nTime: 3 p.m. (ET)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>
\nBroadcast: TNT<\/strong>
\nOdds By\u00a0Bovada<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSunday\u2019s race is scheduled to get underway at 3 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on TNT.<\/p>\n
Jimmie Johnson became the first three-time winner in a Sprint Cup point race this season with a victory last week at Michigan.<\/p>\n
The most amazing thing about this accomplishment is that all three wins came in his last four races. Kevin Harvick stayed hot by finishing second and Brad Keselowski ended-up third.<\/p>\n
The following is a look at my top favorite, contender and longshot to win this Sunday\u2019s race based on odds provided by Bovada.<\/p>\n
The Favorite (odd of less than 10\/1)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
My top favorite to win on Sunday at 11\/2 odds is long-time veteran driver Jeff Gordon<\/strong>. He has already won once this season at Kansas and the No. 24 team has the highest number of points in the current Sprint Cup standings with 537.
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\nThis team has also placed in the top-10 in 11 of the first 15 point races on this season\u2019s schedule. What really adds value to these odds as the second-favorite to win this race is Gordon\u2019s past performance at Sonoma.<\/p>\nHe has won a Sprint Cup race on this road course four previous times and he came awfully close to making it five with a second-place finish in last year\u2019s race.<\/p>\n
The Contender (odds from 10\/1 to 19\/1)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The list of true contenders for this week\u2019s race is extremely thin with a number of moderate favorites and s ton of longshots on the list.<\/p>\n
The driver that best fits the profile of contender for the Toyota\/Save Mart 350 is Joey Logano<\/strong> at 14\/1. He has already won twice this season with victories at Texas and Richmond and the No. 22 team is holding down seventh-place in the Sprint Cup standings with a total of 454 points.<\/p>\n
Logano\u2019s past record at Sonoma contains two top-10 finishes in five previous runs around this course.<\/p>\n
The Longshot (odds 20\/1 or greater)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Looking for a longshot in a race such as this is a crap-shoot at best, so I am going with a proven winner in Martin Truex Jr<\/strong>. at 33\/1.<\/p>\n
He is hardly a house-hold name in the Sprint Cup series and so far this season the No. 78 car has posted just three top-10 finishes in the first 15 point races.<\/p>\n
To key to his chances this week lie in the fact that a second-straight victory at Sonoma would almost guarantee Truex a spot in this year\u2019s Chase that is now based first on wins and second on total points.<\/p>\n
The value in these odds is somewhat drained despite last year\u2019s victory with six finishes outside the top 10 in eight previous trips around this course.<\/p>\n
Odds from\u00a0Bovada<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n