2011 Auto Club 400 Picks: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs – Who to Bet on: Anytime that NASCAR makes a change, it levels the playing field to a degree because every team is facing the change for the first time. This weekend at Auto Club Speedway, drivers will face a 400-mile race at the track for the first time early in the season. A shortened event is going to force crew chiefs to alter their strategies a bit, and even the setups of the cars will have to change. Engines that notoriously wore down during the 500-mile race can now be tuned up a bit with the shorter distance. With all the variables at play, a surprise winner is a definite possibility.
One potential candidate to pull an upset win is Brian Vickers, who is getting 40/1 odds this weekend. He has excelled at the 2.0-mile tracks in his career, and he has finished 12th or better in six of his last seven starts in Fontana. He has finished as high as third at the track, and he has won at Auto Club’s sister track in Michigan.
If his past success at the 2.0-mile tracks isn’t enticing enough to bettors, the addition of his new teammate Kasey Kahne should sweeten the pot. Kahne has been even stronger at ACS and Michigan than Vickers, and the Red Bull Racing teammates should be able to work together to the benefit of both drivers. Kahne and Vickers could both win the race, and the payoff is much more favorable for Vickers.
Another driver that should be on the radar of bettors is Joey Logano, who is currently a 35/1 longshot. He has had a miserable season to date, but a trip to Fontana could be just what the doctor ordered. Logano has a 15.0 average finish at the track, improving in every start. Last fall, he finished a career-best fifth.
Success at the 2.0-mile tracks has come easy for Logano. In addition to his solid record at ACS, he has finished in the top-10 in three of his four starts at Michigan. Logano has enough talent to go from slumping to Victory Lane overnight, and he just might do that in Fontana this weekend.
Check out the opening 2011 Auto Club 400 Lines for Betting on the Auto Club 400 this Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.