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2008 Dodge Challenger 500

Written by Jimmy Boyd

NASCAR gets down and dirty with the “Lady in Black” this week. I’m referring to Darlington Raceway, of course, where the Dodge Challenger 500 will be bringing the heat the day before Mother’s Day. With a new driver-friendly surface replacing the old gritty asphalt, we will have to look to new criteria to decide who has the best shot at winning this week. Find out who Jimmy Boyd likes to take the winner’s circle in his 2008 Dodge Challenger odds and predictions preview from the odds posted at Sportsbook.com.

I’m not sure we can look at Darlington as “the great equalizer” anymore. A brand new smooth asphalt has replaced the gritty sandpaper asphalt which had become one of the tracks staples. The change in surface will allow tires to last longer and in essence will change the entire complexion of the race. In the past, it seemed as if Darlington was a track that drivers either got how to run on it or they didn’t, but now it figures to be similar to other smooth surface tracks.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of those drivers which never got it at Darlington Raceway. It takes patience to run on a track that wears out tires faster than about any other and Junior never had it. He would run very fast in the beginning of the race and then fall off the pace terribly in the last half. Rusty Wallace is another guy which never figured out the “Lady in Black”. He ran 43 times at Darlington and went winless because be could not be patient enough to stock.

But now that it appears that none of the old strategies mean anything anymore how will we determine who has the edge this week? I think we have to look at the Car of Tomorrow as one factor since it was used in this race last year. Jeff Gordon raced to his 7th win at Darlington last season. Denny Hamlin led the most laps and finished runner up. And two-time winner, Jimmie Johnson led the most laps in the last 100 miles.

It’s more likely that the top finishers this week will resemble what we have been seeing when he take a look at the racing season as a whole, minus the plate races, instead of the past history at Darlington. This means that Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch are the guys to be reckoned with yet again. Dale Earnhardt Jr. should also have a great chance at besting his 4th place career-best at Darlington.

I can’t count out Jeff Gordon either as he has certainly been a force on this track, and I’m sure he will have another winning race plan in the works this Sunday.

While oddsmakers are still feeding off of Johnson’s recent success at this track and his Cup Championship a season ago, he has not been the same force this season. Taking him as the odds on favorite would be a sucker bet in my opinion.

We’ll take Carl Edwards, winning of 3 races already this season, to take the checkered flag.

Boyd’s Race Day Top 5 Predictions:

1. Carl Edwards (6/1)
2. Denny Hamlin (7/1)
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr (8/1)
4. Jeff Gordon (8/1)
5. Kyle Busch (7/1)

Dodge Challeger 500 odds at Sportsbook.com

Bobby Labonte 100 – 1

Brian Vickers 100 – 1

Carl Edwards 6 – 1

Casey Mears 60 – 1

Clint Bowyer 20 – 1

Dale Earnhardt Jr 8 – 1

David Gilliland 100 – 1

David Ragan 50 – 1

David Reutimann 100 – 1

Denny Hamlin 7 – 1

Elliott Sadler 100 – 1

Greg Biffle 15 – 1

Jamie McMurray 100 – 1

Jeff Burton 25 – 1

Jeff Gordon 8 – 1

Jimmie Johnson 5 – 1

Juan Pablo Montoya 100 – 1

Kasey Kahne 30 – 1

Kevin Harvick 20 – 1

Kurt Busch 30 – 1

Kyle Busch 7 – 1

Mark Martin 20 – 1

Martin Truex Jr 25 – 1

Matt Kenseth 15 – 1

Michael Waltrip 100 – 1

Paul Menard 100 – 1

Reed Sorenson 100 – 1

Robby Gordon 100 – 1

Ryan Newman 30 – 1

Sam Hornish Jr 100 – 1

Scott Riggs 100 – 1

Tony Stewart 10 – 1

Travis Kvapil 100 – 1

Field (Any Other Driver) 50 – 1

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Written by Jimmy Boyd on May 26, 2008 · Filed Under NASCAR Betting Articles

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