Dueling It Out - NASCAR Gatorade 150 Selections

Kevin Harvick won the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday evening, which was the first online NASCAR wagering event of 2009, with hefty sports betting value of +1500 aboard. But less than 24 hours after winning the exciting Shootout that saw 14 lead changes, Harvick posted the 49th-fastest time in qualifying on Sunday.

While Harvick struggled during Sunday's Pole Day, Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin locked themselves into the front row for the 51st running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Truex earned pole honors with a lap of 188.001 mph for his newly merged Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team. In his first qualifying run for Hendrick Motorsports, veteran Martin won the outside pole with a lap of 187.817 mph.

The remaining times recorded on Pole Day also set the field for Thursday's Gatorade Duel 150's. These two 150-mile races setting positions 3-39 for The Great American Race, and BetUS NASCAR odds have you covered for both events that can be seen on SPEED, starting at 2:00pm EST. The 150's promise to deliver fast and furious online NASCAR betting action with starting positions on the line for the sport's ''Super Bowl''. Here's a look at each Duel followed by a selection for both.

Gatorade Duel 1 begins at 2:10pm EST and will include pole sitter Truex. But remember, no matter the outcome of either race, the front row is already set in stone. Traditionally, the two cars locked into the front row use the 150's as test sessions and to make any needed tweaks. Often if the driver is happy with his set up, he'll park his machine in the garage and not even complete the event to prevent a possible mishap of an already front row car. With that said, Truex makes for a bad investment despite owning the proven fastest car and stout sports wagering value of +1000.

When the green flag waves for Duel 1, positions 1-6 will be made up of five Chevrolets and one Ford. Dating back to 2002, Chevrolets have won eleven of the 14 duels during the span. If you bet on NASCAR, it's tough to wager against any driver on Thursday that's not behind the wheel of a Chevy, in particular the one driven by Tony Stewart. In Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout, Stewart had a solid third-place run in his debut as an owner-driver for Stewart-Haas Racing. Sunday, he followed it up with another solid performance as the 10th-fastest qualifier.

Stewart's new teammate Ryan Newman, last year’s Daytona 500 winner, wasn't in the Shootout but on Sunday he missed sitting on the front row by .01. Still, it was the third-fastest time of the day. On Thursday, Newman will be in Duel 2 so obviously he won't be able to hook up with Stewart. But keep Newman's speeds in mind on Sunday when betting on the Daytona 500, where drafting is a key to winning. Now teammates, Stewart and Newman could be a factor if they can successfully draft together. And all early indications show both have the speed to make sports betting fans money.

Free NASCAR Picks: Tony Stewart +700 - Gatorade Duel 1

Gatorade Duel 2 is set to begin at 4:00pm EST and leading the field to the green flag is Martin, who'll start on the outside of Row 1 on Sunday. Like Truex in the first duel, I'm excluding Martin because he's already locked into the front row of the 500, and the savvy veteran won't risk a mishap by aggressively pushing the envelope to get a win on Thursday. Martin owns oddsmaker’s modest respect priced at +600, but once satisfied with his car's handling and set up expect him to park his machine.