Posted on 4/11/2008 4:07:57 PM

NASCAR Wagering - Subway Fresh Fit 500

By Robby Maddux

Race 8-of-36 of the Sprint Cup series schedule will make for a NASCAR online sports betting dream, as the field is wide-open and a hefty payday looms. Here are the contenders and pretenders for Saturday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, starting at 8:45pm EST.

Contenders:

Carl Edwards - Won last week at Texas, leading a race-high 123 laps prior to his celebratory back flip; ninth in points. He has a series-best three wins in '08; only driver with multiple victories. Edwards has fives finishes of 11th or better at Phoenix in seven career starts; ran 11th there in April '07; won pole in the fall race. -- Edwards will start third at Phoenix on Saturday.

If you bet on NASCAR and support #99, you may also be doing a back flip all the way to Victory Lane on Saturday.

Jimmie Johnson - Finished a strong second last week; sixth in points. He ran fourth at Phoenix in April '07. Johnson has finished 15th at Phoenix twice in his career. His other seven races resulted in top-10 finishes; 6.6 average of finish. Johnson has collected 817 points in the last five races at Phoenix, more than any other driver. -- Johnson will start seventh at Phoenix on Saturday.

Johnson has nearly earned Hendrick Motorsports its first win twice this season. He finished second at Fontana and was the runner-up at Texas. Can you say way overdue?

Jeff Gordon - Finished 43rd last week at Texas, which marked only the second time in his career he finished last in a Sprint Cup race; 14th in points. Gordon won this event last year; has six top-5s and eight top-10s for a 9.4 average of finish. -- Gordon will start 11th at Phoenix on Saturday.

Gordon will be looking for his sixth straight top-10 finish at Phoenix and his 13th top-10 finish in the last 14 races at the one-mile track. It should come as no surprise if he rebounds from last week's disaster to take the checkers on Saturday.

Tony Stewart - Coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes; fifth in points. Stewart has one victory at Phoenix, six top-5s and eight top-10s for a 9.4 average of finish; ran 25th in this race last year. -- Stewart will start 12th at Phoenix on Saturday.

In last year's fall race at Phoenix, Stewart ran second which was a bitter disappointment after he led three times for a race-high 132 laps. He's solid at this track and could easily win on Saturday.

Note: In 39 combined starts, Johnson, Gordon, and Stewart have collected six wins, 27 top-fives and finished no worse than 15th only twice on tracks similar to Phoenix since '06. Gordon's average finish on these types of tracks during the past two years is 4.6

The trios combined average finish during that span is 6.4, despite Johnson and Stewart each enduring crash damage at New Hampshire in '06. If you throw out the New Hampshire outing, they have an average finish of 4.7.

Pretenders:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Finished 12th last week at Texas; fourth in points. He's riding a 69-race winless streak. Earnhardt's last victory was at Richmond in May '06. He won consecutive races at Phoenix in '03-'04. He also has four top-5 and five top-10 finishes in 11 Phoenix starts; finished 19th in this race last season. -- Earnhardt Jr. will start 13th at Phoenix on Saturday.

Earnhardt Jr. is arguably the most overrated athlete in all of professional sports. Yet, BetUS NASCAR odds give him plenty of respect on a weekly basis. Earnhardt's winless streak will reign supreme when the checkers wave in the desert.

Ryan Newman - Finished fourth last week at Texas; penalized 25 points by NASCAR because car was too high; dropped from eighth to 10th in the points. Newman has never won at Phoenix and has only three top-5 and top-10 finishes for a 20.6 average of finish; was 38th there in April and fifth last November. -- Newman will start on the pole at Phoenix on Saturday.

Last week's 25-point penalty may have killed any momentum Newman had entering Phoenix. The only place Ryan will be flyin' in this one is out of the top-10 standings.

Kasey Kahne - Was a dismal 25th last week at Texas; dropped from seventh to 12th in points. Kahne has no wins at Phoenix and has only one top-5 and three top-10 finishes for a 19.0 average of finish; was 31st there in April and 40th last November. -- Kahne will start fifth at Phoenix on Saturday.

Kahne has yet to post a top-5 this year and owns a dismal 16.0 average of finish in '08. Don't expect any improvements at Phoenix.

Note: This weekend’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 marks the first of eight Sprint Cup races that will be run on Saturday under the lights this season.

NASCAR Free Picks: - Carl Edwards

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.