The Nextel Open kicks off the All-Star events at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Saturday May 19th. The Open is a 60 mile race consisting of 40 laps driven
in two 20-lap segments. Drivers in this event are competing for a spot in
the All-Star Challenge scheduled for a 9 p.m. start on the Speed Channel.
The two top drivers from the Nextel Open along with the
winner of the fan vote will join the automatic entries to make up a
22-driver field in the All-Star Challenge.
Bodog
has listed odds for the May 19th event making Carl Edwards the odds on
favorite at 3/1 odds. Edwards is winless in 2007, but he does have one top
five finish and three top 10 finishes. He is also winless at Lowe’s Motor
Speedway in his career, but does have two top five finishes and four top
10’s. His average finish of sixth in Lowe’s Motor Speedway races shows his
consistency near the top. I don’t have this guy dialed in as the Nextel Open
winner yet, but of the field, he has by far been the best in 2007 and I have
to think that he will get a shot to race in the night session with the big
dogs.
Martin Truex Jr. is a guy who has a chance to do some damage in this
Saturday’s race. He is a two-time Busch Series champion and one of the few
bright spots with DEI right now. He is still young and will likely make a
move up the Nextel Cup leader boards in 2008, but I wouldn’t be surprised if
we saw this guy riding with the big guns in the night cap. He is listed at
11/2 odds at
Bodog.
Clint Bowyer should be among the challengers in the Nextel Open as well. He
doesn’t show the value that Truex Jr. does at 4/1 odds, but he is by far one
of the most talented in this field. Bowyer in many ways hasn’t lived up to
expectations. Some say that he is still haunted by a crash in which his car
flipped upside down on the last lap of the 2007 Daytona 500. Bowyer is
winless in Nextel Cup races, but he has a legitimate shot here at Lowe’s
Motor Speedway. Not all of the field takes this race that seriously. I think
you’ll see Bowyer go after the checkered flag looking for a seat in the big
money All-Star Challenge race.
Don’t rule out experienced crafty veterans like Ricky Rudd and Sterling
Marlin this Saturday either. I hope this gives you some help with your
Nextel Open betting. We wish you the best of luck on race day.
