posted February 24, 2006 at 10:01 EST in NASCAR Betting Trends

Biffle on a roll

Hot tempers, dire predictions, high-speed duels and allegations of cheating. NASCAR is off to a dramatic start this season, and the North American sports world is tuning in.

Last weekend, NASCAR fired up its season with its most prestigious race, the Daytona 500. “The Great American Race” drew a record audience of more than 37 million viewers on television and was the most watched NASCAR event in history.

Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports, who opened as a +800 longshot to win, captured the checkered flag amid allegations of cheating.

A week before the race, NASCAR discovered that Johnson’s crew had tricked up his Lowe's Chevrolet with a device that gave the car an aerodynamic advantage. That resulted in his crew chief Chad Knaus being barred from the race.

Johnson’s subsequent victory has many people suggesting the race was tainted.

During the race itself, last year’s champion Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing was his typical hot-headed self and wreaked havoc on the racetrack. Leading up to the race, Stewart predicted possible deaths at Daytona if NASCAR didn’t get tough on aggressive driving. NASCAR did get tough, and Stewart was the first driver to get penalized on Sunday.

For many NASCAR drivers and teams, the hyped-up Daytona 500 is essentially a season in itself, especially because of Daytona’s complex qualifying procedures and its use of speed-reducing restrictor plates.

This week, NASCAR drives into what many consider is the real season with the Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway, a two-mile D-shaped oval located about 50 miles from Hollywood.

The defending champion of the race is Greg Biffle, who finished second to Stewart in the Nextel Cup standings last season. Biffle won a total of six races last year, including five of the first 15.

Last week at Daytona, Biffle suffered a flat tire on the final lap of the race and crashed his Ford Fusion into the wall. He slid back five spots and finished 31st.

Biffle, who drives for Roush Racing, opened as an early favorite to repeat as champion at the Auto Club and is listed at +400.

Behind Biffle is teammate Carl Edwards, who’s listed at +500. Edwards had four victories last year and finished tied with Biffle for second in the driver standings.

Edwards last raced on the California Speedway in September at the Sony HD 500 where he had the pole position. At the Daytona 500, he was the first driver out of the race, crashing out on lap 78 and finishing last.

Both Stewart and Johnson opened behind Edwards at +800 to win this Sunday’s race, which begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

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