The Nextel All-Star Challenge does not count in the standings, but it
counts in the pocketbooks. Last Year Jimmie Johnson took home the $1 million
prize at Lowe’s Motor Speedway making his Lowe’s sponsorship mighty proud.
He has raced to seven victories at the track so it comes as no surprise that
Bodog lists Jimmie Johnson at this Saturday’s favorite at 4/1 odds.
The All-Star Challenge is a great event for the fans. It is a 120 mile race
which features 80 laps of exciting driving by the sports top drivers. Jeff
Gordon is also among the favorites to win the Nextel All-Star Challenge at
9/2 odds. In the last Nascar event at Darlington in the Dodge Avenger 500 he
overcame a leaky radiator to race to his third victory of the season. That
win made it four trips in a row to victory lane for Hendrick Motorsports
which has cruised to wins in eight of the last 9 Nextel Cup Races.
The Nextel Open precedes the All-Star Challenge. Carl Edwards is the odds on
favorite at 3/1 odds. The top two driver’s from the Open Event, a quick
40-lap sprint with two 20-lap segments, and the winner of the fan vote will
join the All-Star Challenge field comprised of automatic entries from the
past decade’s All-Star race winners, active Cup champions, and winners of
the 2006 and first 11 Nextel Cup races of 2007. Just like the Open, the
All-Star challenge is also run in 20-lap segments. 22 drivers in all will
try to catch Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson-the three active
drivers who have won multiple All-Star races. Of those driver’s we can
expect a good showing from is Dale Earnhardt Jr. who presents good value at
12/1 odds. He will be wanting to show his die-hard fans what they can expect
now that he has broken away from DEI. A win for Earnhardt could also go
along way in smoothing things over after his recent cheating allegations.
The 100 point penalty pretty much takes Junior out of the Nextel Cup Title
hunt. This season’s crackdown on cheater should send a message to the rest
of the drivers to keep their noses clean and their fans happy.
Hendrick Motorsports will want to keep it’s momentum by having a good
showing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It’s going to be hard to bet against
Jimmie Johnson on his sponsorship track.
Bodog lists all the odds for the Open and the All-Star Challenge. First
time depositors can receive free premium service to enjoy our MLB and
NBA picks as well.
