Matt Kenseth sealed his spot in this year’s Chase with his second point race victory of the season by taking the checkered flag at Pocono last Sunday. Brad Keselowski ended-up second and Jeff Gordon almost ended his winless drought with a third-place finish. I had Denny Hamlin at +1200 betting odds to win last week as my top value pick, but he fell all the way to 22nd after starting 11th.
The following is a look at a few of the top favorites to win this Sunday’s Sprint Cup race on the road course at Watkins Glen along with my top value pick based on betting odds provided by Sportsbook.
Given the nature of this week’s road course, it is not a big surprise that AJ Allmendinger has been listed as a +450 favorite to win this week. His overall performance driving the No. 47 car this season have been pedestrian at best with just three finishes in the Top 10 through the first 21 point-race events. What adds the value to his odds at Watkins Glen is the simple fact is that he comes into this week’s race as the defending champion. Allmendinger’s open-wheel racing experience is a major plus and with last year’s win he has placed in the Top 10 in his last four races at this course.
The Busch brothers occupy the next two spots on the list with both Kurt and Kyle listed as +600 second-favorites to win on Sunday. Kurt Busch has already won twice this season behind the wheel of the No. 41 car to go along with another five finishes in the Top 5. This team is currently in ninth place in the Sprint Standings with a total of 620 points. His open-wheel racing experience also adds value to these odds and the older Busch brother has raced well at Watkins Glen in the recent past with five Top 10 finishes in his last seven runs around this road course.
Kyle Busch earned his first victory of the season on the road course at Sonoma so it is easy to see why he is so high on this week’s list. He did not stop there with an amazing run of three-straight victories at Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indianapolis so current form is also on the No. 18 car’s side. With the exception of last year’s 40th-place finish at Watkins Glen, Kyle has torn up this course with two victories and six other Top 10 finishes in his previous eight Sprint Cup races here.
- AJ Allmendinger +450
- Kurt Busch +600
- Kyle Busch +600
- Brad Keselowski +800
- Jimmie Johnson +800
- Kevin Harvick +800
- Joey Logano +1000
- Carl Edwards +1200
- Jeff Gordon +1500
- Martin Truex Jr +1500
- Tony Stewart +1500
- Clint Bowyer +2000
- Dale Earnhardt Jr +3000
- Jamie McMurray +3000
- Kasey Kahne +3000
- Matt Kenseth +3000
- Sam Hornish Jr +3000
- Denny Hamlin +5000
- Greg Biffle +5000
- Kyle Larson +5000
- Ryan Newman +5000
- Paul Menard +6000
- Aric Almirola +10000
- Austin Dillon +10000
- Boris Said +10000
- Casey Mears +10000
- Danica Patrick +10000
- Justin Allgaier +10000
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr +10000
- z Field (Any Other Driver) +10000
