NASCAR Preview - Lenox Industrial Tools 301

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series could find itself cold and soggy again at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. Sunday's forecast is calling for rain in the Loudon area, which could make the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 anyone's ballgame – and the NASCAR betting odds reflect that.

There are just two standout favorites for this weekend's event. Jimmie Johnson is the sportsbook chalk, priced at +500. Johnson has two career victories on the tight one-mile oval and is coming off a tough day in Sonoma last weekend. The No. 48 car was battling its way to the front of the pack when a pit-stop penalty dashed any hopes of a checkered flag. Johnson still managed to salvage a fourth-place finish, improving his Top 10 total to 10 on the season.

Another notable, according to bookmakers, is racing's bad boy Kyle Busch. His brother, Kurt Busch (+1,500), is the defending champ, however Kyle would love nothing more than to win at Loudon to snap his current funk. Busch has started the past two races in second but has dropped to 13th and 22nd-place finishes. The same thing happened his last time out in Loudon. Busch won the pole but wrapped the day in 34th place at last September's Sylvania 300.

As for the rest of the race favorites, this is where the NASCAR betting gets interesting. There are four qualified drivers priced at +800, most notably points leader Tony Stewart.

The man known as Smoke currently holds an 84-point lead and is coming off his eighth Top 5 finish of the season at Infineon Raceway. Stewart wrapped the day in second place and has captured third place or better in seven of his past 10 races. The No. 14 has two career wins at New Hampshire and has finished in the Top 5 in 10 of his 20 career starts at Loudon.

Sitting at +800 is Jeff Gordon, who is hot on Stewart's tail in the points standings. Following a disappointing day at Sonoma, in which Gordon finished ninth on one of his best tracks, the No. 24 car is aiming to capture the Chase lead. New Hampshire has been tough on Gordon the past two times out but the veteran driver owns three wins and 12 Top-5 placings during his 28 career starts at Loudon.

Denny Hamlin (+800) is currently the most successful driver at New Hampshire. In just six starts at the motor speedway he has five Top-10 finishes, including claiming the checkered flag at the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 back in 2007. Hamlin led 33 laps at Sonoma last weekend and is picking up momentum with two Top-5 finishes in the past two events.

Veteran Mark Martin is the other driver set at +800 for this weekend's race. Martin has made 24 career starts at New Hampshire but remains winless at the Loudon oval. His best showing in the past eight years was a fourth-place finish in 2007. Martin has struggled with consistency this season; he followed his win at Michigan with a 35th-place disappointment last weekend.

Sitting at a tempting +1,000 is Carl Edwards, who is currently in fifth in the Chase standings. Edwards had his five-race streak of Top 10 finishes snapped with a 13th-place showing at Sonoma last weekend. He has started nine career races at Loudon but has yet to perform his famous victory lane back flip. Edwards’ best display at New Hampshire was his third-place finish at last September's event.