NASCAR Coke Zero 400 Qualifying Matchups

Race-day: 7/3/2009

Race-time: 1:00 pm est.

NASCAR drivers return to Daytona for the Coke Zero 400 this week. Matt Kenseth, who won the Daytona 500 earlier this year, will try to get back into the Sprint Cup Championship discussion when he faces off against the best that NASCAR has to offer in the Coke Zero 400.

But before Kenseth can do that he will have to do well during the qualifying stage. That’s where a likely victory all starts.

Let’s take a look at the most intriguing Qualifying Matchups for the Coke Zero 400.

NASCAR: Coke Zero 400 Qualifying Matchups

1. Jeff Gordon -105 vs. Mark Martin -125 - - Two Hendrick Motorsports drivers face off in this matchup as Jeff Gordon is a slight underdog to Mark Martin. The odds are strange because Gordon almost always qualifies to drive in the first 6 slots while Martin rarely breaks the top ten. The pick is Gordon.

Pick: Jeff Gordon

2. Carl Edwards -125 vs. Matt Kenseth -105 - - Edwards started in 5th place at Loudon last Sunday while Kenseth started from the 10 hole. Usually, Edwards would be the solid bet in this matchup as he has been driving much better than Kenseth lately, but Matt knows Daytona and has probably been waiting for this Sunday for a while. I’m going with Matt Kenseth.

Pick: Matt Kenseth

3. Juan Montoya -120 vs. Martin Truex Jr. -110 - - This one is almost a no-brainer from my point of view. Truex Jr. is a good driver but Juan Montoya has slowly become a threat with two top ten finishes and an 11th place finish in his last three races. Not only that but Juan started out in 12th place last Sunday while Truex Jr. started out in 22nd.

Pick: Juan Montoya

4. Ryan Newman -150 vs. Kurt Busch +120 - - The odds are pretty crazy in the sportsbook regarding this matchup as Busch started out in 4th place and Newman started out in 6th place in New Hampshire last Sunday. The 30 point odds difference is sort of alarming. I’m not sure what’s up, but I can’t go against Busch at those Nascar betting odds.

Pick: Kurt Busch

5. Kasey Kahane -120 vs. Elliot Sadler -110 - - Sadler is the underdog in this matchup and he should be. He should be a bigger underdog as Kahane started in 13th place last week and won at Sonoma while Sadler started in 23rd place. Kahane is the play.

Pick: Kasey Kahane

6. Kyle Busch -130 vs. Denny Hamlin Ev - - Busch is a much bigger favorite over Denny Hamlin than most gamblers probably thought he would be. Hamlin started two places in front of Busch last Sunday, in 7th while Busch started in 9th. That makes Hamlin the bet at better odds.

Pick: Denny Hamlin