NASCAR Odds: Jeff Gordon is the 5-1 favorite to win the Oral-B USA 500 on Sunday that will be televised by ESPN. Gordon has won in Atlanta five times to lead all active drivers and he is having a strong season so it is no surprise to see him listed as the favorite. His teammate, Jimmie Johnson is the second choice in the betting with odds of 5.5-1. Here is a look at Sunday’s race and NASCAR predictions.
Top Contenders
Jeff Gordon is listed at 5-1 while Jimmie Johnson is 5.5-1. They are followed closely by Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick at 6-1. Also listed at single-digit odds are Joey Logano at 8-1 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 9-1. Gordon has won in Atlanta five times while Johnson is a perennial contender in Atlanta. Keselowski and Harvick are both having strong seasons and Logano has already won three times this season.
Race Facts
This race is the second to last race before the Chase as drivers try and lock up a spot in the Chase. Four spots remain although it appears that Matt Kenseth has all but wrapped up a spot. That means three spots would be available to drivers in the next two weeks. Five drivers have won three times this season including Joey Logan who won last week in Bristol. If the season ended today it would be Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle getting the last four spots but two of those drivers could be bumped if a driver below them in points wins a race. Kasey Kahne has won in Atlanta twice in his career and he needs a win to get into the Chase.
Chevrolets have won this race 37 times while Fords have won the race 29 times. The pole sitter has won this race 14 times out of 106 races so starting up front is not a necessity. In fact, starting fifth has been productive as 15 times the driver starting fifth has won the race including Jeff Gordon in 2011.
NASCAR Predictions
This is a huge race for Kasey Kahne as he needs to win to make the Chase. We’ll take Kahne at double-digit odds. We’ll also take a flyer on Clint Bowyer at NASCAR odds of 25-1.
