Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made his way to Victory Lane last Sunday at Talladega to post the first Cup Series win of his career. Jamie McMurray also had a good day at long odds with a second-place finish and Kyle Busch as my top-valued pick at +1200 betting odds remained competitive all race long by taking third.
The following is a look at a few of the top favorites to win this Saturday night’s race at Kansas along with my top value pick based on betting odds provided by 5Dimes
Go Bowling 400 Race Favorites
Kyle Larson has cooled a bit after a blazing start in which the No. 42 Chevrolet finished first at Fontana and second in four of the first seven point-race events, but he is at the top of this week’s list at +550 betting odds to win on Saturday night. A 12th-place finish last week on the heels of a 14th-place run at Richmond the week before should not be too much of a concern for the most consistent team in the Cup Series this season. Larson is in his fourth full –time season racing at NASCAR’s highest level and in six previous point-race events at this track his best finish was second in the second race here in 2014.
Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 Chevrolet have been one of the most consistent Cup Series racing teams for the past few seasons, but this crew is still looking for its first victory this season through the first 10 events on the schedule. Harvick had made his way into the top five in his previous three races leading up to Talladega, but he took a step backwards last Sunday with a disappointing 23rd-place finish. He has been listed as a +550 co-favorite to get that first win at a track where he has finished first or second in five of his last seven Cup Series events.
There is a trio of drivers listed at +600 odds to win this race led by Jimmie Johnson, who gets my edge in value over Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski. His No. 48 Chevrolet was able to quickly shake off a slow start with back-to-back victories at Texas and Bristol before finishing 11th at Richmond and eighth in last week’s race. Overall, this team is sitting in eight-place in the current standings with 305 total points and virtually a lock to make the playoffs with those two early wins. Johnson adds even more value to his odds with three runs inside the top five at Kansas in his last four races including a victory in this event in 2015.
