NASCAR betting players know how good Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson are on the flat surface of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, site of the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 on Sunday, so it's no surprise that they're at the top of the list in your offshore sportsbook. Kurt Busch is the defending race-winner in this event, but he won't be one of your sportsbook picks this week.
New Hampshire Odds - Sunday, June 27, 2:00 PM ET
Johnson is the favorite this week with odds of +700, and his 9.0 finishing average in seven summer races at New Hampshire is third among active drivers. This includes a win back in 2005. The three-time defending champion finished fourth at Sonoma last week, which is a great result for him on a road course, and he's been as good as anyone in the series lately with three top-sevens in four races, including a win at Dover. He could have won at Michigan and Pocono, if not for bad fuel mileage.
Hamlin has odds of +800 with a finishing average of 5.0 in the New Hampshire summer race, which is the best among active drivers, and includes a win in 2007. Hamlin has had some bad luck with mechanical problems and pit stops over the last year or so, and he should have won at Martinsville and Richmond this year, when he led 441 laps between the two short tracks, only to come up short (pardon the pun).
Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart come in with NASCAR odds of +800 and +900, respectively, and Gordon would love a win to cut into Stewart's 84-point advantage atop the standings. Gordon won here last in 1995, but he has eight top-10s in 16 summer races here, while Stewart has a pair of wins from 2000 and 2005, and he can't fall out of the top five if he wanted too. These are two of the best drivers NASCAR has ever seen, so it's no surprise that gambling software would have them close to the favorites.
Longshots to watch out for are Carl Edwards at +1100, and Martin Truex Jr. at +2000. Edwards' 13th-place run at Sonoma was excellent for his standards, and he's run in the top seven in five of his last six races. Truex Jr.'s 8.3 average in three summer races here is second only to Hamlin, and if they put a good car under him, he can surely challenge for the top.
However, this will come down to Johnson and Hamlin, and with all the rough luck Hamlin has had, you have to think he's due. He's also one of the best short-track racers of the last 10 years, and New Hamsphire is right up his alley. Go with the No.11 this week in your New Hampshire odds.
New Hampshire Odds - Sunday, June 27, 2:00 PM ET
Johnson is the favorite this week with odds of +700, and his 9.0 finishing average in seven summer races at New Hampshire is third among active drivers. This includes a win back in 2005. The three-time defending champion finished fourth at Sonoma last week, which is a great result for him on a road course, and he's been as good as anyone in the series lately with three top-sevens in four races, including a win at Dover. He could have won at Michigan and Pocono, if not for bad fuel mileage.
Hamlin has odds of +800 with a finishing average of 5.0 in the New Hampshire summer race, which is the best among active drivers, and includes a win in 2007. Hamlin has had some bad luck with mechanical problems and pit stops over the last year or so, and he should have won at Martinsville and Richmond this year, when he led 441 laps between the two short tracks, only to come up short (pardon the pun).
Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart come in with NASCAR odds of +800 and +900, respectively, and Gordon would love a win to cut into Stewart's 84-point advantage atop the standings. Gordon won here last in 1995, but he has eight top-10s in 16 summer races here, while Stewart has a pair of wins from 2000 and 2005, and he can't fall out of the top five if he wanted too. These are two of the best drivers NASCAR has ever seen, so it's no surprise that gambling software would have them close to the favorites.
Longshots to watch out for are Carl Edwards at +1100, and Martin Truex Jr. at +2000. Edwards' 13th-place run at Sonoma was excellent for his standards, and he's run in the top seven in five of his last six races. Truex Jr.'s 8.3 average in three summer races here is second only to Hamlin, and if they put a good car under him, he can surely challenge for the top.
However, this will come down to Johnson and Hamlin, and with all the rough luck Hamlin has had, you have to think he's due. He's also one of the best short-track racers of the last 10 years, and New Hamsphire is right up his alley. Go with the No.11 this week in your New Hampshire odds.
