2008 Sharpie 500 Picks
Written August 20, 2008 by Jason Lowry
It’s nearing the end of yet another exciting NASCAR season, and this week drivers are heading back to Bristol for the 2008 Sharpie 500. This is the second event held here at Bristol with the first being the Food City 500, where Jeff Burton was the first driver across the finish line. Last year at this event Carl Edwards was able to take home the checkered flag, just as he was able to do so last week for the 5th time this season at the 3M Performance 400. There has been some kind of dominance at this event by the Chevy and Ford drivers, as they have combined to win 36 of the 47 races, with Chevy leading the way with 20 wins. Ford has really picked it up over the last few seasons, as they have won 4 of the last 5. Thats good news for Ford drivers Matt Kenseth and Edwards, but don’t look past the Chevy team of Hendrick Motorsports. To help you get going on the race this weekend Jason Lowry is going to take a closer look at the 5 favorites to win this weekend.
Kyle Busch +500 at Sportsbook.com
This guy has been the best driver so far this season, and it will be up to him and how he races the rest of the way if he wants to stay on top the points lead and eventually become this year’s champion. With Toyota drivers just not fairing well on this track it really imposes a challenge for Busch this week, but for a guy that seems to win on almost every kind of track, we don’t see any reason why he couldn’t pull out the win this weekend.
Carl Edwards +500 at Sportsbook.com
Edwards has really turned it on of late with two wins in his last 3 races, and 2 second place finishes in his last 6 races. Edwards seems to be making his statement that Busch will not be alone in this one, as he now sits just 222 points behind the leader. Coming in as the defending champion has to give this guy a big edge to pick up some more points this weekend.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Sportsbook.com
His first season with Hendrick Motorsports hasn’t been exactly what he dreamt up, but its not over yet and he sits 4th in the point standings, and is not out of the picture just yet. Earnhardt Jr. has won this race before, and if he is able to do so again this weekend he could make a big move in getting back in contention with Edwards and Busch.
Denny Hamlin +800 at Sportsbook.com
We had a little bit of trouble understanding why this guy has such great odds this weekend, as he doesn’t drive a Chevy or a Ford, and has never finished better than 6th at Bristol. One thing is for sure Hamlin is in need of a big finish this weekend, as he is the guy that sits just 26 points ahead of Clint Bowyer and David Ragan for the 12th and final spot.
Tony Stewart +800 at Sportsbook.com
Even though Stewart sits in 6th its been a pretty disappointing season, as he is a very distant 558 points behind the leader Busch. Stewart hasn’t won a race this season, and even though he has won at Bristol before, we think its best to stay clear of this guy, as we don’t see him coming away with a win this weekend.
If you want to get a bet in on the race this weekend or any race this season, head over to Sportsbook.com and get an account started today. Also if you want to see what others are saying about the race this weekend, check out these Sharpie 500 predictions.
Complete list of the drivers odds thanks to Sportsbook.com
AJ Allmendinger +10000
Aric Almirola +10000
Bobby Labonte +10000
Brian Vickers +5000
Carl Edwards +500
Casey Mears +10000
Clint Bowyer +3000
Dale Earnhardt Jr +800
Dave Blaney +10000
David Gilliland +10000
David Ragan +7500
David Reutimann +10000
Denny Hamlin +800
Elliott Sadler +6000
Greg Biffle +1500
Jamie McMurray +10000
Jeff Burton +1800
Jeff Gordon +1200
Jimmie Johnson +2000
Juan Pablo Montoya +10000
Kasey Kahne +1000
Kevin Harvick +1000
Kurt Busch +1500
Kyle Busch +500
Martin Truex Jr +4000
Matt Kenseth +1000
Michael Waltrip +10000
Paul Menard +10000
Reed Sorenson +10000
Ryan Newman +4000
Sam Hornish Jr +10000
Tony Stewart +800
Travis Kvapil +10000
zx Field (Any Other Driver) +2500
