2008 Pepsi 500 Picks
Written August 27, 2008 by Jason Lowry
Get ready NASCAR fans the “Race for the Chase” is nearing the end, as only 2 races stand between the top 12 drivers and the 2008 Sprint Cup playoffs. While there is a battle up top between Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards there is a nice little battle going on for the 12th and final spot between Clint Bowyer and David Ragan. Bowyer holds a slim 12 point margin over Bowyer, and you still can’t officially count out Kasey Kahne who sits in 14th 56 points behind. This week drivers head back to Auto Club Speedway for the second time around, as this time they look to tackle the 2008 Pepsi 500. The guy who won on this track earlier this season is the same guy who has posted back-to-back wins over the last two weeks, Carl Edwards. Another guy you have to keep your eye on besides the points leader Kyle Busch, is the defending champion of this race Jimmie Johnson. With just a few days left before the drivers are let loose, Jason Lowry is going to give you 3 guys he thinks has a great shot at winning picking a favorite, a guy in the middle of the pack, and a long shot.
Favorite: Matt Kenseth +800 at BetUS.com
While the list of favorites includes some great drivers like Busch, Edwards, and Johnson, Kenseth has really raced well at Auto Club Speedway. Kenseth is not only 1 of 3 drivers to have one more than once on this track, he has also finished in the top 10 nine times during his career. Kenseth has to be one happy guy that NASCAR decided to stretch the field from 10 to 12 on who gets into the playoffs, as he currently sits in 10th. We think Kenseth keeps his quality streak alive and possibly grabs his first win of the 2008 season.
Middle of the Pack: Jeff Gordon + 1400 at BetUs.com
Here is the guy that holds the most wins on this track, and is coming a 3rd place finish at the race held here earlier this season. While Gordon is no where near the driver he was in 2007, or at least the results are no where near the same, this guy remains one of the best drivers on the track each and every weekend. We really like Gordon to bring the heat this weekend, and just like Kenseth we could be looking at a driver taking home his first victory of the season.
Long Shot: Kevin Harvick +3000 at BetUS.com
The theme of drivers looking for that first win of the season continues in our long shot pick of Kevin Harvick. This guy has raced well enough to earn the 8th spot in the points standings. Even though Harvick hasn’t won this year, he does have 5 top 5 finishes and 10 top 10 finishes. Harvick raced well at the Auto Club 500 earlier this season finishing 8th. Look for Harvick to have an even better race this weekend, as we think he is going to at least break into the top 5 this weekend.
If you like any of our picks to win this weekend, be sure to head over to BetUS.com and get an account up and going now. Also a complete list of the odds has been provided below. For those who just can’t get enough NASCAR information, be sure to head over and check out these Pepsi 500 predictions.
AJ Allmendinger +10000
Bobby Labonte +10000
Brian Vickers +2500
Carl Edwards +400
Casey Mears +10000
Clint Bowyer +5000
Dale Earnhardt Jr +1200
Dave Blaney +10000
David Gilliland +10000
David Ragan +2500
David Reutimann +10000
Denny Hamlin +1600
Elliott Sadler +5000
Greg Biffle +1200
Jamie McMurray +10000
Jeff Burton +3500
Jeff Gordon +1400
Jimmie Johnson +525
Juan Pablo Montoya +10000
Kasey Kahne +1400
Kevin Harvick +3000
Kurt Busch +5000
Kyle Busch +400
Martin Truex Jr +4000
Matt Kenseth +800
Michael Waltrip +10000
Paul Menard +10000
Reed Sorenson +10000
Ryan Newman +6000
Sam Hornish Jr +10000
Tony Stewart +1000
Travis Kvapil +10000