2008 NASCAR Sharpie 500 Odds & Preview
August 20, 2008
We continue to near the end of the regular season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, as the drivers head to Bristol Motor Speedway for the 2nd time for the 2008 Sharpie 500. Things got a little more interesting last week, as Carl Edwards was able to hold off Kyle Busch for the win at the 3M Performance 400. Edwards still has a lot of catching up to do, as he is still 222 points behind Busch for the points lead. With drivers still fighting to stay in the top 12 this week is sure to be just as entertaining as the last. Edwards is the defending champion of this event, but you have to keep your eye out for Jeff Burton, as he was the winner of the Food City 500 held at this track earlier in the year. To get a good idea of what the oddsmakers see happening this weekend professional handicapper Jason Lowry is going to breakdown the field by the favorites, guys in the middle of the pack, and the long shots with a shot to win this weekend.
Favorites: Kyle Busch +500, Carl Edwards +500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. +800, Denny Hamlin +800, and Tony Stewart +800
Its hard to argue with the this group as you have so many of top drivers here. The thing you have to think of here is the dominace Chevrolet and Ford has had in this race over the years. That means Busch, Hamlin and Stewart all will have to over come a very tough challenge this weekend. While you can’t ever count Busch out of anything this season, you have to like Edwards chances of continuing to crawl back into the points title hunt. Also, Earnhardt Jr. has won this event back in 2004 so you can’t count him out as well.
Middle of the Pack:
Matt Kenseth +1000, Kevin Harvick +1000, Kasey Kahne +1000, Jeff Gordon +1200, Greg Biffle +1500, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton +1800, and Jimmie Johnson
This group has plenty of talent, and Kenseth has to be taken seriously this weekend, as he was the two time defending champion before Edwards ended his run last season. Kurt Busch and Gordon have both won this race before, and you have to like Burton’s chances after his performance on this track earlier this season. Other guys to keep an eye on are Harvick, Kahne, and Burton, as they all finished in the top 10 at the Food City 500.
Long Shots:
Clint Bowyer +3000, Ryan Newman +4000, Martin Truex Jr. +4000, Brian Vickers +5000, Elliot Sadler +6000, and David Ragan +7500
While we don’t see a winner coming out of this group, if you have learned anything you know that anything can happen in NASCAR. Based on the fact the Dodge and Chevy have dominated we like Bowyer, Truex Jr, and Ragan to perform well this weekend. None of these drivers were in the top 10 at the Food City 500, so it will be interesting to see if any of them can step up there game this weekend.
So there you have it the guys who have the best chance of winning this weekend. If you want to get a bet in on any of these drivers, be sure to head over to Sportsbook.com today. Also we have provided a complete list of odds below. If you want to keep up on all that is NASCAR be sure to check out these Sharpie 500 predictions.
AJ Allmendinger +10000
Aric Almirola +10000
Bobby Labonte +10000
Brian Vickers +5000
Carl Edwards +500
Casey Mears +10000
Clint Bowyer +3000
Dale Earnhardt Jr +800
Dave Blaney +10000
David Gilliland +10000
David Ragan +7500
David Reutimann +10000
Denny Hamlin +800
Elliott Sadler +6000
Greg Biffle +1500
Jamie McMurray +10000
Jeff Burton +1800
Jeff Gordon +1200
Jimmie Johnson +2000
Juan Pablo Montoya +10000
Kasey Kahne +1000
Kevin Harvick +1000
Kurt Busch +1500
Kyle Busch +500
Martin Truex Jr +4000
Matt Kenseth +1000
Michael Waltrip +10000
Paul Menard +10000
Reed Sorenson +10000
Ryan Newman +4000
Sam Hornish Jr +10000
Tony Stewart +800
Travis Kvapil +10000
zx Field (Any Other Driver) +2500