Sports betting is dominated by team sports such as football, basketball, soccer, baseball and hockey but there's a dedicated and growing contingent of NASCAR betting fans who are eager to wager on individual drivers when the Sprint Cup Series gets the green flag to start its season at the Daytona 500, Feb. 26.
Future book betting for the Sprint Cup Championship, which runs through 36 races ending in Homestead, Florida, Nov. 18, already is underway. Betting windows also are open for the Daytona 500 and we'll have a bit more to say about that when we shift into second gear a little later.
Jimmie Johnson, who saw his five-year stranglehold on the Sprint Cup Championship broken last year, is the 9/2 future book favorite to get back on track. Johnson, who finished sixth in the final standings a year ago, was very consistent; he just didn't win enough. In fact, although his 14 top five and 21 top 10 finishes each were second best on the elite stock car circuit, Johnson found the winner's circle just twice in 2011.Clearly, Johnson, who won 30 races from 2007-2010, needs to find that touch again if his loyal NASCAR betting followers are to be rewarded this season.
Carl Edwards or Tony Stewart are given the best chance of extending Johnson's losing streak. Edwards, 6/1, had a fabulous 2011 season, leading all NASCAR drivers with 19 top five and 26 top 10 finishes that helped him earn nearly $8.5 million. However, Edwards had only one win all season, a statistic that cost him dearly when he finished in a tie with Tony Stewart for the Sprint Cup Championship, losing the coveted title because Stewart had more victories.
Speaking of the defending champion, Stewart is the well-respected 7/1 third choice to make it two consecutive titles and four overall. The hot tempered Stewart had a circuit-best five victories in 2011, all in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, when it mattered most. He is the only driver in motor racing history to win a championship in both IndyCar and NASCAR.
Beyond the top three, Kevin Harvick, 8/1; Kyle Busch, 8/1; Kasey Kahne, 8/1; Jeff Gordon, 9/1; and Denny Hamlin, 9/1, also are listed at single-digit odds to win the 2012 Sprint Cup Championship. Harvick and Busch each had four victories last season, finishing third and 12th, respectively, in the final overall standings. Kahne was 14th in the standings last year and never has finished higher than eighth in the year-end calculations so we won't blame you if you think 8/1 doesn't offer enough value.
Gordon, who was eighth last year, has won four championships, though none since 2001. His 85 victories rank third all-time but at age 40, NASCAR betting fans may want to assess whether Gordon's skills have deteriorated to the point where 9/1 no longer is a fair price. Despite just one win, Hamlin finished ninth last year.
Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr., fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively, in the final standings in 2011, also are NASCAR Sprint Cup betting contenders. Kenseth, 12/1, is the 2003 Cup champion while Keselowski, also 12/1, at just 27 years old, can only get better. Though seventh in the standings last year, "Little E," 16/1, was winless in 2011, his third consecutive year without a victory. Since the start of the 205 season, Earnhardt has won just three times in 252 starts.
Unlike other sports, the NASCAR Sprint Cup season opens with its most prestigious race, the Daytona 500. Often referred to as "The Great American Race" or the "Super Bowl of Car Racing," Daytona 500 betting also attracts enough attention to be dubbed "great" or "super."
If the early odds are any indication, the race for this year's Daytona 500 is wide-open. Harvick, who won the race in 2007, is the tepid 11/1 favorite and, yes, it's rare to get a betting choice in double digits. No less than a six-pack of drivers—Edwards, Gordon, Johnson, Kahne, Stewart and Busch—are listed at odds of 12/1 to win the 2012 Daytona 500. Of that half-dozen, only Gordon and Johnson have captured the Daytona 500 previously. Gordon has won three times, the last in 2005, while Johnson achieved his lone Daytona 500 win in 2006.
But past success doesn't necessarily merit future consideration as Ryan Newman, the winner in 2008, is offered at odds of 50/1 and Jamie McMurray, the 2009 winner, is held at a future book price of 80/1. Trevor Bayne, who became the youngest winner (20 years, one day) of the Daytona 500 when he took the checkered flag at last year's running, is a ripe 66/1 to repeat.
Motor racing is just revving up its engines but NASCAR Sprint Cup betting already has its pedal to the metal.
This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering college football betting and sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to http://www.thegreek.com
