The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season will come to an end at the Richmond International Speedway on Saturday night. Tony Stewart has stolen the headlines in recent weeks for all of the wrong reasons but this race will be about his ability to make the Chase along with the other drivers that are on the bubble. Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson, Paul Menard and Jamie McMurray are among the drivers that are on the outside looking in heading in to the finale and they will have a tough time stealing a victory with the Hendrick Motorsports crew looking to dominate again. Here is a quick look at the four best bets to win the Federated Auto Parts 400 this Saturday night.
Kyle Busch +850
It’s no surprise to see Richmond’s all-time wins leader listed among the favorites to win here again, especially when you consider his recent struggles. Busch has started three of the last five races in the top-10 but hasn’t placed higher than 16th over that stretch. The good news is that the 16th-place finish happened last week at Atlanta and this will be the perfect track for Busch and his team to bounce back with a strong performance. Every team wants to build a level of momentum heading in to the Chase and another win at Richmond would be the perfect prelude to the playoffs for the No. 18 team.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. +1000
Dale Jr. absolutely loves this track and he has plenty of motivation with a chance to beat out Jeff Gordon for the top seed heading in to the Chase with a victory. Earnhardt has three-career wins at Richmond where the aggressive style of racing suits him well and his team has done an excellent job giving him a car that can compete for a win week after week this season. The driver of the No. 88 car has the third-best average finish over the last five races at this track and he should be in position to add another victory to his total as part of an intriguing narrative that could see him jump his teammate Jeff Gordon for first place in the Cup standings in the final week before the Chase. Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and last week’s race winner Kasey Kahne will all contend but Dale Jr. is the best bet to pull out the victory.
Kyle Larson +1800
There are a number of drivers on the bubble but the reality is that they are there for a reason and their desperation heading in to this race might be a weakness as much as it is a strength. Stewart is certainly dealing with a lot both on and off the track while Bowyer, Menard, and McMurray have all been far too inconsistent to bet on them to win this race outright. The one driver worth taking a shot on is Larson who posted the best practice time in his long Cup start at Richmond but was involved in an incident early on in the actual race and wound up finishing 16th. Larson will risk everything for the victory and his ability to handle the pressure at a course he feels comfortable at will be important.
Carl Edwards +2000
The fact that Edwards is available at such incredible value makes him an excellent play heading in to Saturday night. Edwards has posted back-to-back top-10 finishes and is currently sixth in the Cup standings. He has also been much better on short tracks this season and owns the second-best average finish at Richmond over the last five races there including a win here last year. Edwards should once again find himself in position to challenge for a victory and bettors would be wise to make a play on him this weekend.
