posted January 23, 2009 at 13:30 EST in NASCAR Props
Gentlemen, Start Your Engines - NASCAR Futures Are Here
by Robby Maddux
With 36 races making up roughly a nine month Sprint Cup season, online NASCAR betting futures assure yourself weekly action with stout sports betting value. The countdown to green is underway, as the 2009 NASCAR wagering campaign revs up with the 51st Daytona 500 on Feb. 15, and now's the time to place your future wagers.
As the season draws closer, gear-head gurus will begin dumping money on drivers that currently hold value to win this year's Sprint Cup championship. So let's race over to the BetUS NASCAR odds (Sprint Cup Championship 2009 Futures) and select a trio a drivers that have strong potential to raise the Cup and earn bettors a big payday.
Carl Edwards (+400)—Edwards started second and was runner-up in the Chase, finishing with an overall Sprint Cup series-best nine wins. Incidentally, he finished second in the Nationwide Series standings, too. He was on eventual three-peat champion Jimmie Johnson's bumper throughout the Chase and in terms of 2008 regular-season stats he was better than Johnson in several major categories, including series-bests top-5's (19), top-10's (27) average of finish (9.5), most laps ran on lead lap (9993) and finished with the highest driver ranking of 108.6.
More importantly than winning a series-high nine races, Edwards got to taste what it’s like to lose a championship, something that will be invaluable this year and will revolve into an incentive to drive even harder in 2009. Edwards will have learned from his mistakes – which weren't many – and will be even better this season. NASCAR betting fans, don't overlook him on any of the intermediate tracks (1.5 miles) in 2009. In addition to selecting him to win the Cup, he's
always going to be a stout investment on weekends the circuit runs on the 1.5 miles configurations.Driver Notes: Team: No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford; 2008 Final Standing: 2nd (-69); Best Race: Fontana, Las Vegas, Texas (twice), Pocono, Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta & Homestead (1st); Worst Race: Atlanta (42nd-place); 2008 Average of Finish 9.5; Poles 1; DNFs 2.
Jeff Gordon (+1000)—After six wins in 2007, Gordon failed to post a win during last season for the first time since his 1993 rookie year. However, he made last season's Chase and started in tenth. The problem seems to be Gordon's still not comfortable in the COT. Though, being Johnson's teammate at Hendrick, he's most likely only one step from returning to his winning ways by catching up to the COT program.
We certainly know the four-time champ has the talent to make the adjustments. Gordon is probably going to benefit the most from the offseason, because time away will help him rejuvenate himself mentally, provide the opportunity to share team notes, do some testing and allow him to put the 2008 season in his rear-view mirror. He'll begin the season at Daytona riding a 41-race winless streak, however, oddsmakers are still giving him a lot of respect to start this season strong by winning The Great American Race, having him priced among the favorites to win the prestigious race at +500.
Once the winless streak ends in 2009, expect good things to come naturally and to again see him in the Chase, where his consistency got him there last year and could payoff this season, literally. Gordon has excellent sports waging value to win the Cup in 2009, and if he can make up that one step he's behind in the COT, he has a legitimate shot at claiming his fifth championship.
Driver Notes: Team: No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet; 2008 Final Standing: 7th (-368); Best Race: Martinsville & Texas (2nd); Worst Race: Texas (43rd-place); 2008 Average of Finish 14.5; Poles 4; DNFs 6.
Jeff Burton (+2000)—Burton had a fantastic regular-season and was strong in the early portion of last year's Chase when he began seventh, though he faded in the latter stages to finish a respectable mid-pack. Burton is the best active driver to never have won a title in his career, but he'll be back in 2009's Chase for his 16th year of trying to win a championship. He's as consistent as they come and Sprint Cup's postseason format heavily favors and rewards consistency.
He finished the season with two victories, seven top-5s and 18 top-10s. Burton is a veteran who's races ''big picture'' and won't win a lot of races, but you can count on him being near the front when the checkers wave. He's good on all configurations and his experience allows him to adapt to any track's style, while having the talent to race competitively even if he has a car not capable of winning. If you bet on NASCAR weekly, he's always going to be a sound wager in 2009 to finish in the top-3 at any given track. And with a little online NASCAR wagering luck, Burton could win his first Cup championship.
Driver Notes: Team: No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet; 2008 Final Standing: 6th (-349); Best Race: Bristol & Charlotte (1st); Worst Race: Bristol (42nd-place); 2008 Average of Finish 12.5; Poles 0 DNFs 2.
Free NASCAR Picks: (Sprint Cup Championship 2009 Futures)—Carl Edwards (+400), Jeff Gordon (+1000) and-or Jeff Burton (+2000).
We all know the four most famous words in motorsports is: Gentlemen, start your engines! But to newcomers of NASCAR wagering online that's placing your first future bet on the driver(s) to become the 2009 Sprint Cup Champion, here's a brief overview of the ''Chase for the Cup'' which is the sport's postseason.
Of the 36 races on the schedule, the first 26 events decide the 12 drivers that will be in the Chase. Following race 26 (regular season), the top-12 drivers are locked in and begin the postseason according to the order of finish in points earned during the regular season. Only these 12 'chasers' are eligible to raise the Cup.
Races 27-36, making up the ten event postseason, will be ran in traditional fashion of a 43 car starting grid. But when the Chase begins, the 12 eligible drivers to win the title will have their regular-season's points re-adjusted, as they start from scratch, per say.
