posted May 2, 2008 at 14:23 EST in NASCAR Free Picks

NASCAR rides under the lights on Saturday night online betting action, as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Richmond International Raceway for the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400. Kyle Busch may be running red-hot right now and closing in on the points lead, but is he the best choice for NASCAR betting fans this weekend?

If you don’t recognize the name of the Dan Lowry 400, that’s because it didn’t exist under that title on the NASCAR circuit last season. Last year the Dan Lowry 400 was called the Jim Stewart 400, named for the winner of an essay contest sponsored by Crown Royal. The Crown Royal people held the essay contest again this year and, as you’ve probably already guessed, this year’s winner was Dan Lowry.

Last year Jimmie Johnson claimed the checkered flag at the Jim Stewart 400 on this same track. Johnson also won the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 held at Richmond International Raceway, and because of those wins he is the favorite this weekend at +450. Johnson won his first race of the season three weeks ago at Phoenix, but he couldn’t maintain that wining pace at Talladega Superspeedway last week where he faded late and finished 13th.

While Johnson fell back at Talladega, Kyle Busch recorded his second victory of the season after mounting an impressive comeback from a lap down. With five Top 5 finishes this season, Busch has been one of the most consistent racers in the Sprint Cup series this season and is a favorite to win again at Richmond this weekend at +600.

Following Busch on the odds list are Carl Edwards at +650 and Denny Hamlin at +700, despite the fact neither driver has ever won before at Richmond. The relatively short odds on Edwards and Hamlin have arisen from the results they have posted so far this season. Edwards has a series-high three wins so far this season, but he had a horrible day at Talladega last week where he crashed early and finished 40th. Not only does Edwards have zero wins at Richmond, but he also has only zero Top 5 finishes and only two Top 10’s in seven races. Hamlin, meanwhile, has been flying up the standings since his win at Martinsville five weeks ago. Hamlin has finished in the Top 5 in the three races since, including back-to-back third-place finishes in his last two races.

Based on previous results at Richmond, NASCAR bettors could be in line for some heavy profits if history repeats itself. Leading this weekend’s field with three previous wins each at Richmond are Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart. Both drivers are still looking for their first win of the season and have high odds because of it, with Stewart listed at +800 and Junior coming in at +1000. Jeff Gordon, who has two career wins at Richmond, is also much higher than usual on the odds list at +1000.

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