posted September 25, 2009 at 11:40 EST in NASCAR Articles
NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship - AAA 400 Preview
by BetUS Staff
NASCAR betting hits the second leg of the Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship this weekend. The AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway pits the 12 top drivers in NASCAR against each other, while the rest of the field is fighting for stats, money, and a head start on 2010.
Dover, known as the Monster Mile, is one of the trickiest tracks in NASCAR. The short oval shoves cars into tight corners, and the backstretch allows for some jostling at top speeds. Add in Sunday's forecast, which is calling for light rain, and race fans are promised a wild weekend.
Defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and last week's winner, Mark Martin, are both priced as +500 favorites for the AAA 400. Johnson is trying to make it four championships in a row this season. He finished fourth at the Sylvania 300 and led 14 laps in that race. Johnson won May's event at Dover, picking up the checkered flag at the Autism Speaks 400. In 15 career starts at the Monster Mile the No. 48 team has four wins and 10 Top-10 finishes.
Martin took the first win of the NASCAR playoffs, leading 68 laps including the all-important final one at New Hampshire last weekend. The No. 5 car continues to build on this dream season. The victory was Martin's fifth win of 2009 but it started a feud with fellow driver Juan Montoya, who Martin overtook and shut out in the final three laps of the race. The crafty veteran isn't going to let a former Cart driver stand between him and his first Cup title. Martin has had success at Dover, finishing in the Top 10 in nine of his last 11 races there including a 10th-place showing earlier this season.
Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch are priced at +700 for this Sunday's race. Both drivers are racing for different reasons - however, they share the same goal. Gordon, who is among the Top 12 drivers in the Chase, is coming off a 15th-place finish at Loudon last weekend. The infamous No. 24 was a favorite sleeper pick to win his fifth career Cup title entering the Chase, and could still surprise fans given his track record at Dover Speedway. In 33 career starts Gordon has four wins there, and has placed inside the Top 10 in four of his last six runnings at the track.
Busch, who has four wins on the year, is not competing in the Chase. One of NASCAR's most polarizing drivers had a tough go at New Hampshire, finishing in fifth, but was docked 25 points after his car failed to pass the post-race inspection. Some have questioned Busch's motivation after narrowly missing the cut. He has one win in nine career starts at Dover but has struggled on the short oval in recent races. He finished 23rd back in May and placed 43rd at last season's Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA.
Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin head into the AAA 400 listed at +800. Stewart was a little rusty in his first meaningful race since clinching a spot in the Chase. He finished in 14th place on Sunday despite starting the race on the front row. The owner/driver was vocal about his focus following Loudon, despite the fact that he has posted an average finish of 18th in his last five races. Stewart has a shot at getting back into the points lead at Dover, where the No. 14 car has two career victories and placed second in May's event.
Hamlin scored a runner-up finish at the Sylvania 300 last weekend, pushing him to second in the Cup standings. The youngster doesn't have much experience at Dover, and has posted an average finish of more than 25th in his seven runnings there. Hamlin's last trip to Delaware resulted in a 36th-place showing. He has placed 36th, 38th, 43rd, and 38th in his last four races at the Monster Mile – two of which he started on the second row.
