This season’s Sprint All-Star Race kicks-off two weeks of NASCAR racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in advance of the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend. Jimmie Johnson claimed his third checkered flag of the season last week at Kansas with Kevin Harvick taking second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishing third.
The following is a look at a few of the top favorites to win this Saturday night’s All-Star Race along with my top value pick based on odds provided by Sportsbook.ag.
It seems like all Kevin Harvick ever does if he is not winning Sprint Cup races is finish as the runner-up. Through the first 11 point races of the new season, the defending 2014 champion has now placed either first or second in a total of eight events. The No. 4 car is at the top of the current Sprint Cup standings with a total of 437 points and his betting odds to add an All-Star Race title to this impressive resume are set at +350. There is little doubt that Harvick’s current form more than justifies these lofty odds and he did win this race back in 2007.
Jimmie Johnson could actually make a strong argument that he is the hottest Sprint Cup driver in the series heading into Saturday night’s race. Going back to the No. 48 car’s victory at Texas, this team has placed in the top three in five-straight point races. This has vaulted it to second in the standings with 389 points and at the top of the list in point-race victories with three. Johnson has been listed as one of four drivers at +600 odds, but he is clearly at the top of that group with four career victories in the All-Star Race including back-to-back checkered flags in 2012 and 2013.
The other three drivers at +600 are Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski. Busch is the only one of the group to win an All-Star Race before and Logano is ranked the highest of the three in the Sprint Cup standings, but I like the value in Keselowski the best. This is a short exhibition race that rewards drivers for driving smart but for also driving hard. The No. 2 car has posted three top-five finishes this season including a victory at Fontana, but it has also finished outside the top 15 in four races this season. This all or nothing attitude can actually work in Keselowski’s favor on Saturday night.
- Kevin Harvick No.4 – 7/2
- Jimmie Johnson No.48 – 5/1
- Brad Keselowski No.2 – 13/2
- Joey Logano No.22 – 13/2
- Kurt Busch No.41 – 13/2
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. No.88 – 10/1
- Jeff Gordon No.24 – 12/1
- Matt Kenseth No.20 – 12/1
- Kyle Busch No.18 – 14/1
- Carl Edwards No.19 – 20/1
- Denny Hamlin No.11 – 20/1
- Kasey Kahne No.5 – 20/1
- Jamie McMurray No.1 – 25/1
- Ryan Newman No.31 – 40/1
- Tony Stewart No.14 – 40/1
- A.J. Allmendinger No.4 – 66/1
- Aric Almirola No.43 – 66/1
