posted July 11, 2008 at 19:39 in NASCAR Articles

Hello online NASCAR betting friends, are you ready to buckle-up and win some cash Sprint Cup style? Before we get to your money-making selection for Saturday evening's LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, let's get things settled here and now.

Tony Stewart is not leaving Joe Gibbs racing with his bottom lip stuck out in a pouting posture because teammates Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne are currently schooling the veteran.

For the few who haven't heard, Stewart, a.k.a. Smoke and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, is leaving his current team—Joe Gibbs Racing— of ten years to become owner-driver with Stewart-Haas Racing beginning in 2009. But Stewart will finish the 2008 online NASCAR wagering season as driver of the No. 20 Toyota.

''Smoke Haters'' are confident it's due-in-part to Busch having won a series-best six races, Kahne winning three and Stewart zero. But that's far from the truth. He's simply taking advantage of a golden opportunity to have his own team—Wouldn't you?

Is Stewart just going to go through the motions for the remainder of this season until he's back in a Chevrolet in 2009? No! Stewart is one of the fiercest competitors behind the wheel on any given weekend. This guy will race anything with wheels and loves to win.

Stewart will conduct business balls out for JGR before leaving and I expect him to leave in style with several second-half wins and strong finishes, starting on Saturday in the Windy City.

Stewart took the checkers in this event to start the second-half of the 2007 campaign, which began a span where he won three of four races. In the seven races at Chicagoland Speedway, Stewart has found Victory Lane twice and it's clear that he loves this track.

Chicagoland Speedway is a unique 1.5-mile tri-oval track with conditions ideal for dominant and aggressive drivers like Smoke. This is usually the race that starts Stewart's summer hot-streak, as he's notorious for heating up in the second-half of the season. All three of Stewart's wins in 2007 came after race 18-of-36.

Free NASCAR Picks: Tony Stewart

If you bet NASCAR online and looking for a bigger price in the BetUS NASCAR odds, try Kevin Harvick as a sleeper. Harvick hasn't had a very impressive season to this point but could easily change that on Saturday. He's a two-time winner at Chicagoland Speedway and has a pair of top-five finishes in his last two visits there.

Harvick is currently 13th in the Sprint Cup championship standings and is looking from the outside in at the 12-man Chase field. However, he's back on one of his favorite tracks at a good time this weekend.

If you love motor sports, you’ll love to bet on NASCAR. In the BetUS.com online sportsbook, we have the latest NASCAR odds, futures and props for every race of the season. Join BetUS.com today and you’ll soon love how online sports betting makes each lap exciting.