NASCAR betting players are used to seeing Jimmie Johnson dominate in the Chase, which he’s done during his four-year run as the Sprint Cup champion, but he’s off to a blazing start to the year, winning the last two races. Johnson will go for a third straight win at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 500, and Kobalt is the sponsor of….you guessed it, Jimmie Johnson.
NASCAR Betting – Sunday, March 7, 2:00 PM ET
Jimmie Johnson (+400): the No.48 team is just out of control good, and you’ve seen why over the last couple of weeks. In California, it was Johnson’s skill to a late-charging Kevin Harvick and some luck in the pits not to get caught a lap down as they went on to win. In Las Vegas, it was a call from crew chief Chad Knaus to get four tires, which allowed him to take over the lead from teammate Jeff Gordon. Oh yeah, Johnson’s 8.8 average (and a win) in the Atlanta spring race is the best among active drivers.
Jeff Gordon (+800): Gordon was a sitting duck with two tires last week, and it was just a matter of time before Johnson went past him. Still, that was the best the No.24 car has looked in a while, leading 219 laps along the way, so that must be encouraging. His 10.5 average in 17 Atlanta spring races (nine more than Johnson) is second only to Johnson, with wins in 1995 and 1999.
Kevin Harvick (+1000): Harvick has had chances to catch Johnson in the last two weeks, but he ran into the wall in California, and he ran out of laps in Las Vegas after passing Gordon for second place. We’re betting management at RCR is preparing for a return to Victory Lane soon, and Harvick is the most likely driver to get them there. He has three top-10s in nine spring races here, with a win in 2001.
Tony Stewart (+1400): Stewart won this race in 2002, and he has a 10.8 average in 10 spring races at Atlanta. He’s also great at Atlanta any time he races here with a 9.2 average in 18 races, which is tops among active drivers. His seventh-place run last week at Las Vegas makes it two in a row.
Matt Kenseth (+1400): It won’t be a good week for longshots, so it looks like it’s Stewart and Kenseth, who has finished in the top 10 in half of his 10 Atlanta races. Kenseth finished fifth at Las Vegas last week, and he’s one of four drivers to finish in the top 10 of all three races so far this season.
Pick: Honestly, Kenseth was going to be picked, but Johnson is great in this race, and he’s great in Charlotte at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, who also sponsors him. Johnson loves to entertain his sponsors, so look for him to be a popular handicapping pick this week.
