You get the feeling that defending Sprint Cup Champion Kevin Harvick is going to be at the top this list on almost a weekly basis this season. He has been opened as a +500 favorite to win Sunday’s race and it is hard to bet against the No. 4 car after it has now placed either first or second in nine of its last 10 Sprint Cup point races dating back to last season’s late run to a title. The one thing working against these lofty odds is Harvick’s recent performance at this short track venue. With last season’s 11th-place finish in the second race at Bristol, he has failed to crack the top 10 in his last seven runs here. His average finishing position at this track is just 14.2.
Brad Keselowski is one of two +600 second-favorites to win on Sunday. The No. 2 car is coming off a solid fifth-place finish in last week’s race to post its third-straight finish in the top five. This run started with a victory at Fontana followed by a second-place finish at Martinsville to add even more value to these odds. As far as Keselowski’s recent runs at Bristol the results have been mixed. He took second place in the second race at this track last season, following a 14th-place finish in this event. He posted two-straight victories here over the course of the 2011 and 2012 seasons, but in 10-career races in the Sprint Cup series, his average finishing position is just 13.1.
The other second-favorite at +600 betting odds is Joey Logano. His racing record year-to-date also adds value to these odds with a victory at Daytona kicking-off a run of six top-10 finishes in the first seven point races on the schedule. The No. 22 car is currently in second place in the Sprint Cup standings behind Harvick with a total of 280 points. Logano adds even more value to these odds with a victory in the second race of the season at Bristol in 2014. He has now finished eighth or better in three of his last five Sprint Cup races at this track.
- Kevin Harvick No.4: 5/1
- Brad Keselowski No.2: 11/2
- Joey Logano No.22: 6/1
- Jimmie Johnson No.48: 7/1
- Kurt Busch No.41: 7/1
- Matt Kenseth No.20: 8/1
- Carl Edwards No.19: 10/1
- Jeff Gordon No.24: 10/1
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. No.88: 12/1
- Denny Hamlin No.11: 12/1
- Kyle Larson No.42: 18/1
- Kasey Kahne No.5: 22/1
- Martin Truex Jr. No.78: 25/1
- David Ragan No.18: 40/1
- Ryan Newman No.31: 40/1
- Tony Stewart No.14: 40/1
- Jamie McMurray No.1: 50/1
- Clint Bowyer No.15: 66/1
- Greg Biffle No.16: 66/1
- Paul Menard No.27: 66/1
- Austin Dillon No.3: 100/1
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. No.17: 100/1
