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2008 Sprint All Star Odds & Predictions
The NASCAR Sprint All Star race hits
Lowe's Motor Speedway this Saturday night and
Jimmy Boyd
will tell you who has the best shot at landing in the
winner's circle in this Sprint All Star Race odds and
predictions article. For those of you who have never heard
of the All Star race or don't know about its format, I'll
take the time to get you up to speed. There is a qualifying
race for lesser drivers and also a fan vote that allows one
more driver to be voted in. 24 of NASCAR's best drivers will
take the track in all, looking to land the top prize of a
huge $3.3 million purse. The winner takes home over $1
million. That's what makes this All Star event different
from so many other – the drivers have plenty of motivation
to leave it all out on the track.
This little scenario will show you just how
intense the All Star race can be. First off,
because the stakes are so high, there is no
teammate, friends, or family loyalty whatsoever.
It's every man for himself and Kyle Busch proved
that last year. Busch wanted to win so badly
that he pushed his car to the limit until he
ultimately wrecked himself and his brother Kurt
to end the race for both of them. In other
words, NASCAR does not have an All Star break
like the NBA or MLB; it has a race and it lives
up to the hype.
Because drivers take this event seriously, it
makes it much easier to handicap. Looking at the
results from Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Texas,
because of how similar those tracks are to
Charlotte, points us in the right direction when
looking for this week's All Star race winner.
And to briefly look ahead, the drivers which
have been on their games on those three tracks
will also be among the favorites next week in
the Coco-Cola 600.
Carl Edwards has been among the best on those
three tracks this season, with wins at both Las
Vegas and Texas, proving that the Jack Roush
team has things down to a science on the high
banking mile and a half race tracks. Last
season, Jimmie Johnson was the dominator on
these tracks and the year before it was Kasey
Kahne. One thing we have learned from these two
drivers the past two years is that they didn't
stop with just two wins, they just about won
them all.
Edwards will be the man to beat this week and
will have a great shot in the Coca-Cola 600 next
week also, but my feelings are that the All Star
race will belong to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle
Busch. These two drivers have created quite the
rivalry and neither believes in driver etiquette
so don't be surprised if they bump a driver out
of the way to take home that $1 million prize. I
think Junior has to get the edge here though as
he has become the unofficial king of the
non-points races. He won the Bud Shootout and
the Gatorade Duel at Daytona, but is yet to win
a points race in his last 73 tries.
Junior has a good car and wants to win on any
track in any race, no matter what the stakes.
Junior took the runner up spot to Edwards in
Vegas and was third in Atlanta. He won this race
back in 2000 as a rookie and I like him to do it
again in 2008.
All-Star Race Top 5:
Dale Earnhardt Jr 7-1
Kyle Busch 6-1
Carl Edwards 6-1
Denny Hamlin 10-1
Tony Stewart 8-1
Complete
All Star Race Odds from Sportsbook.com:
Carl Edwards 6 - 1
Casey Mears 35 - 1
Clint Bowyer 20 - 1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 7 - 1
Denny Hamlin 10 - 1
Greg Biffle 12 - 1
Jamie McMurray 50 - 1
Jeff Burton 20 - 1
Jeff Gordon 8 - 1
Jimmie Johnson 7 - 1
Juan Pablo Montoya 40 - 1
Kevin Harvick 18 - 1
Kurt Busch 25 - 1
Kyle Busch 6 - 1
Mark Martin 25 - 1
Martin Truex Jr 20 - 1
Matt Kenseth 15 - 1
Ryan Newman 25 - 1
Tony Stewart 8 - 1
Field (Any Other Driver) 35 - 1
May 14th, 2008
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