2008 LifeLock 400 Predictions & Odds to Win
June 12, 2008
Auto racing goes home for this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup series race when the best drivers in the world tackle the LifeLock 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. Michigan is the heart of the American automobile industry and it is only fitting that it houses one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks. Find out who Jimmy Boyd likes to win it all as he weighs the LifeLock 400 odds and predictions.
It seems only fitting that an American-made car should take the checkered flag, but Sprint Cup series points leader Kyle Busch and his Toyota will look to spoil those hopes. Ford and Dodge have dominated at Michigan over the years though, combining to win the last 13 races. Surprisingly, Chevy’s have not gotten the job done, claiming only two Jeff Gordon victories since 1996.
The big automobile wigs at the race will not like to see Joe Gibbs’ Toyota trio of Busch, Tony Stewart, and Denny Hamlin, who will all be top contenders, challenging this Father’s Day. Brian Vickers is another Toyota driver with an excellent shot this week.
Carl Edwards is this week’s race favorite at 5-1 odds at Sportsbook.com. He ran very fast in California, Michigan’s sister track, and his two other wins on 1.5-mile racks suggest that he will be one tough cookie this week.
One thing that must be taken into account is that teams are still having trouble in the tracks where the Car of Tomorrow did not run last season. There are only a handful of drivers showing consistency in these instances and Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch lead the way. So it comes as no surprise that both share the favorite spot at 5-1 odds.
Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson dominated the NASCAR Sprint Cup series last season, but they have really struggled this year. It does look promising that both drove well in California back in February however. They finished second and third respectively. They were dominant in COT races last season, and because of that, I don’t think they’ve spent as much time preparing for this season’s COT races and the rest of the drivers have more than caught up.
We already mentioned the slump that Chevy is in at Michigan and it doesn’t appear that it will end in 2008. Johnson has only two top five finishes in 12 career races at the track. It is puzzling that he hasn’t done better here because he has been so dominant at the similar California track, but all the numbers suggest we must continue to fade Chevy.
I will say sorry in advance to the American auto giants of Ford, Dodge, and Chevy because it looks like Toyota will have a stranglehold on this race. Tony Stewart impressed at Charlotte and ran 7th at California. Busch has been good everywhere and was 4th in California. I expect these guys to top the leaderboard.
Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1)#20 Tony Stewart
10-1
2) #18 Kyle Busch
5-1
3) #16 Greg Biffle
8/1
4) #99 Carl Edwards
5-1
5) #9 Kasey Kahne
8-1
Complete list of the odds to win the LifeLock 400 odds by Sportsbook.com
Sam Hornish Jr 100 - 1
Paul Menard 100 - 1
Michael Waltrip 100 - 1
David Reutimann 100 - 1
Travis Kvapil 100 - 1
Dave Blaney 100 - 1
Bobby Labonte 100 - 1
David Gilliland 100 - 1
Reed Sorenson 100 - 1
Juan Pablo Montoya 100 - 1
Scott Riggs 100 - 1
Casey Mears 75 - 1
Jamie McMurray 75 - 1
Elliott Sadler 50 - 1
Brian Vickers 40 - 1
Ryan Newman 40 - 1
Mark Martin 40 - 1
Kevin Harvick 40 - 1
Clint Bowyer 40 - 1
Jeff Burton 40 - 1
David Ragan 30 - 1
Kurt Busch 30 - 1
Martin Truex Jr 30 - 1
Denny Hamlin 12 - 1
Matt Kenseth 10 - 1
Tony Stewart 10 - 1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 10 - 1
Jeff Gordon 10 - 1
Kasey Kahne 8 - 1
Greg Biffle 8 - 1
Jimmie Johnson 8 - 1
Kyle Busch 5 - 1
Carl Edwards 5 - 1
Field (Any Other Driver) 50 - 1