NASCAR Betting - Handicapping the LifeLock 400

NASCAR heads to the Michigan International Speedway for the LifeLock 400.

Tony Stewart won his first race as an owner in the Old Spice car when he took the checkered flag at Pocono last week. Smoke will be looking to make it two in a row when he revs his engine up for the Michigan.

Standing in his way will be the second place finisher at Pocono, Carl Edwards.

Let’s take a look at some of the drivers, and their odds, lining up for the LifeLock 400.

NASCAR: LifeLock 400 To Win

1. Carl Edwards +600 - - Edwards led a lot of laps at Pocono before Tony Stewart took over and won the race. For Edwards it was a fantastic race. It took him to 6th place in the Sprint Cup Standings and signaled to the other drivers that he’s getting back into the swing of things. Now, he gets to start on a track where he has won twice already. He’s the top pick.

2. Jimmie Johnson +500 - - The defending champion is still in 3rd place in the Sprint Cup Standings even though he’s only won twice so far in 2009. Johnson hasn’t had real success at Michigan as he has never won on the racetrack. But his 7th place finish at Pocono last week tells me that he’s got what it takes to get his first victory at Michigan.

3. Tony Stewart +1000 - - Who said driving and being an owner was difficult? In less than a year, Stewart has accomplished what many owners before him as failed to do. That’s win a Sprint Cup race. Smoke did it last week at Pocono. Michigan will be tougher as he only has 1 victory on the track, but he’s in 1st place in the Sprint Cup Standings. Smoke is back.

4. Kyle Busch +600 - - Kyle has been awful in his last few races. The 22nd place finish last week at Pocono was another big disappointment. Nobody really knows what the problem is. Kyle is, once again, a favorite. This time he’s a favorite at a track where he has never won. It’s going to be tough for Kyle to pull it off, but I just have to believe that sticking with him will yield big profits sooner or later.

5. Jeff Gordon +800 - - 2 victories at Michigan means that Jeff can handle himself on the racetrack. That 4th place finish last week at Pocono means that Jeff should be in line to show his best this Sunday. The odds are good, but Gordon has tailed off some since his torrid start to the season which is why he’s 2nd in the Sprint Cup Points Standings.

6. Mark Martin +1200 - - Martin is one spot away from making the Chase as he’s in 13th place. That’s not good because he has two victories in 2009. It means that he’s driving so horribly in races where he doesn’t win that he’s not picking up enough points to stay in the Chase. His 19th place finish at Pocono is an example of that. The good news is that Martin will be driving over a track where he has tasted victory 4 times. He could bring victory number 3 home at Michigan.

Best Long Shot

Ryan Newman +1800 - - The 4th place driver in the Sprint Cup Standings had another excellent race as he finished 5th at Pocono. He’s driving exceptionally well but he hasn’t been able to quite get to victory lane just yet. With 2 victories at Michigan, this could be Newman’s turn.