NASCAR Picks: Kevin Harvick is the favorite to win Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 on ESPN. The race is the second in the Eliminator Round of the Chase. None of the eight drivers still alive for the Chase clinched a spot last week so everyone is still alive. There are five drivers listed with single-digit odds to win Sunday’s race with Harvick a slight favorite. Let’s look at the race, current NASCAR odds, some of the info and notes for the race and NASCAR picks.
Odds to Win AAA Texas 500
Kevin Harvick 4.5-1
Brad Keselowski 5-1
Jeff Gordon 5-1
Joey Logano 6-1
Jimmie Johnson 7-1
Matt Kenseth 10-1
Kyle Busch 12-1
Kyle Larson 13-1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 16-1
Denny Hamlin 20-1
Kasey Kahne 20-1
Jamie McMurray 25-1
Tony Stewart 25-1
Carl Edwards 27-1
Kurt Busch 28-1
Ryan Newman 28-1
Clint Bowyer 31-1
Greg Biffle 40-1
Brian Vickers 59-1
Field 25-1
Race Notes
Jimmie Johnson has won this race each of the past two years but he is not the favorite to win on Sunday. It has not been a great season for J.J. and he is out of the Chase. This will be the 28th Sprint Cup race at Texas. There have been two races each year since 2004 at Texas. Johnson and Carl Edwards have the record for most wins at the track with three each. Joey Logano won the spring race at Texas. Two drivers have swept the Texas races in a single season, Edwards in 2008 and Hamlin in 2010. The pole sitter has won this race three times, most recently when Kyle Busch won the race in the spring of 2013.
Top Contenders at Texas
The two drivers who should be considered above all the rest on Sunday are Harvick and Keselowski. Each probably needs a win either this week or next to get into the final round of the Chase because they finished so poorly last week at Martinsville. Harvick has never won at Texas but he won at Charlotte three weeks ago which is a similar track to Texas. Keselowski hasn’t won at Texas either but he has been excellent on 1.5 mile tracks this year.
NASCAR Picks
When it comes to the 1.5 mile tracks it has been almost all Penske. They have won five of the nine races. Harvick doesn’t have a win but he has seemingly led every race on those tracks and found a way to lose. This should be his week. We’ll go with Harvick at NASCAR betting odds of 4.5-1 and for a longshot we’ll take Jamie McMurray at 25-1.
