2013 Bojangles’ Southern 500 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Southern 500 Favorites and Sleepers to Win on May 11, 2013 at at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina: If NASCAR had majors, Saturday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 would be one of them. The race is held at Darlington Raceway, and the egg-shaped oval is one of the oldest and most unique tracks on the schedule. “The Lady in Black” is probably the most of the track’s many nicknames, and it stems from the black marks that end up covering the walls around the outside of the track because so many cars bounce of it during the course of a race. Even though Darlington’s trademark sandpaper-like surface has been smoothed out in recent years, side-by-side racing remains treacherous thanks to the track’s tricky corners. As a result, a win at Darlington ranks high on the list of accomplishments for any driver.
Last year, Jimmie Johnson had to hold off several quality drivers in order to secure the victory. Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin more than 30 laps, but Johnson led a race-high 134 of the 368 laps, holding of Hamlin in the closing laps to secure the victory. Overall, it was a race when the drivers with the best cars all finished near the front with just two laps being led by drivers that ended up outside the top 12.
2013 Bojangles’ Southern 500 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Favorites
He is the defending winner of this weekend’s race, and Jimmie Johnson is a three-time winner at Darlington overall. In 14 starts at the track, he has piled up 10 top-10 finishes, including six finishes of third or better. Throw in the fact that Johnson has been far and away the best driver in the series in 2013, and he seems like a pretty good bet to win at Darlington for the second year in a row and fourth time overall.
After missing several weeks with a back injury, Denny Hamlin is set to run the entire race this weekend, and it couldn’t come at a better track. His 5.9 average finish at Darlington is the best in the series, and in seven starts, he has tallied six top-10 finishes. More importantly, Hamlin has been even better at the track in recent years. He has a 3.0 average finish in his last three starts, winning at the track in 2010 and finishing second last year. Don’t be surprised if Hamlin’s return to the track ends with a trip to Victory Lane.
The Dark Horses
Although he has not won at the track since 2007, Jeff Gordon has still been building on one of the most impressive Darlington resumes in NASCAR history. In addition to his seven career victories at the track, he has finished in the top five in seven of his last nine starts at the track. Darlington seems to bring out the best in Gordon, and the four-time champ’s best is still enough to win races.
He is still looking for his first win at Darlington, but Carl Edwards has already had several close calls. He has six top-10s in nine starts at the track, and he finished second in 2008 and 2011. Edwards enters Saturday’s race second in the standings, and after managing a seventh-place finish at Darlington during a disappointing 2012 campaign, a special run could be on tap this weekend now that he has returned to championship form.
His lone Cup Series win came in 2007, but Martin Truex Jr. has a chance to put an end to his long winless drought this weekend at Darlington. After all, his 11.3 average finish at the track is the fourth best in the series, and in seven starts, he has never finished outside the top 20. More importantly, Truex has been getting stronger at Darlington, finishing 10th and fifth in his last two starts at the track. If the trend continues, he should be in the mix for the win Saturday night.
Sleeper Special
On the heels of Phoenix Racing’s announcement that the team could close up shop as soon as July, Regan Smith will try to help the organization go out on a high note beginning this weekend at Darlington. Keep in mind that Smith already pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory at the track when he won the 2011 event for the single-car Furniture Row Racing team. He followed the win up with a 14th-place run at Darlington last year so he flat out knows how to run well at the track.
Big Name to Avoid
The normally consistent Clint Bowyer has had his issues with Darlington. In seven starts, he has compiled a dismal 22.6 average finish and has managed just a single top-10 finish. Worse yet, Bowyer has finished outside the top 30 in three of his last four starts at the track.
Be sure to check the NSAwins.com Betting Daily Blog all week for updated 2013 Bojangles’ Southern 500 odds, free tips, free picks, predictions and articles from NASCAR expert tipster Brian Polking. NSAwins.com is your home for 2013 Bojangles’ Southern 500 Betting Odds and Handicapping coverage!
Odds to win the 2013 Bojangles’ Southern 500
101 Kyle Busch +600
102 Matt Kenseth +800
103 Jimmie Johnson +800
104 Denny Hamlin +800
105 Kasey Kahne +1000
106 Carl Edwards +1000
107 Brad Keselowski +1200
108 Greg Biffle +1200
109 Martin Truex Jr +1200
110 Jeff Gordon +1200
111 Clint Bowyer +1800
112 Tony Stewart +1500
113 Kevin Harvick +1800
114 Dale Earnhardt Jr +1800
115 Joey Logano +2500
116 Ricky Stenhouse +3000
117 Mark Martin +3000
118 Kurt Busch +4000
119 Jamie McMurray +4000
120 Field +2000
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