2015 NASCAR SPRINT CUP STANDINGS<\/a>\u00a0(Link)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nI went with Dale Earnhardt Jr. as an attractive +800 favorite in last week\u2019s race at Talladega and he paid-off in his first point-race victory of the season.<\/p>\n
Jimmie Johnson once again finished near the top with a hard-fought second-place finish and Paul Menard ended-up third.<\/p>\n
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Turning to Saturday night\u2019s race, the following are my top picks for favorite, contender and longshot based on current betting odds as provided by Sportsbook.ag.<\/p>\n
The Favorite (odd of less than 10\/1)<\/h3>\n
I am going to try and continue my streak of picking first-time winners this season with a play on Jeff Gordon<\/strong> at +800 as this week\u2019s favorite.<\/p>\nThe No. 24 car has been fairly quiet through the first 10 point races of the season with just one top-five finish, but you would have to believe that this team is due to start winning races in Gordon\u2019s last season as a full-time Sprint Cup driver.<\/p>\n
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The main reason I like his chances to win this race is that he comes in as the defending champion.<\/p>\n
Over the course of his storied career, he has taken the checkered flag in three Sprint Cup races at this track and his average finishing position here is a respectable 10.3.<\/p>\n
The Contender (odds from 10\/1 to 19\/1)<\/h3>\n
Anyone who follows my NASCAR picks on a regular basis probably already knows that I will usually jump all over Matt Kenseth<\/strong> when he is listed at longer odds.<\/p>\nSince the No. 20 car piled-up seven checkered flags in 2013, it has only made its way to Victory Lane once, but that was just a few weeks back at Bristol.<\/p>\n
This week, Kenseth has been listed at +1200 betting odds to double that total on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
This is another driver that adds some serious value to his odds given his recent performance at this track. After winning the second race at Kansas in 2012, Kenseth won this race the following season.<\/p>\n
Last year he placed 10th<\/sup> in this event.<\/p>\nThe Longshot (odds 20\/1 or greater)<\/h3>\n
Martin Truex Jr<\/strong>. has yet to win a race this season, but he has been a model of consistency behind the wheel of the No. 78 car with nine top-10 finishes in the first 10 points races of the year.<\/p>\nThis team came extremely close in Las Vegas with a second-place finish and last week it raced its way to fifth at Talladega.<\/p>\n
The betting odds that Truex makes his way to the Winner\u2019s Circle this Saturday night are set at +2000 and the added value in this number also lies in the fact that he has placed fourth or better in four of his last six Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway.<\/p>\n