2013 Kobalt Tools 400 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Kobalt Tools 400 Favorites and Sleepers to Win on March 10, 2013 at at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Clark County, Nevada: With the first two races out of the way, the Sprint Cup Series will get into the meat and potatoes of its schedule this weekend with a trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 400. The fast, 1.5-mile oval is the type of track that appears on the schedule more than any other, and in fact, tracks like Vegas have been dubbed “cookie-cutters” because of how similar they all are. While that nickname can be a bit misleading, the fact is that 1.5-mile tracks like Vegas have become the symbol of modern day NASCAR. If you want to win a championship and become a star in the sport, you have to figure out how to win at the 1.5-mile tracks.
Last year’s race at Las Vegas was a perfect example of the series’ best getting the job done. Three-time series champ Tony Stewart led the most laps and eventually held off five-time series champ Jimmie Johnson to secure the win. These same two drivers have combined to win seven of the last eight series titles and five of the last eight races at Vegas. Like I said, running well at the 1.5-mile tracks is a precursor to winning championship.
2013 Kobalt Tools 400 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Favorites
Defending race winner Tony Stewart has made it a point to improve at Las Vegas in recent years, and his hard work has paid off. He has compiled a 3.3 average finish in his last three starts at the track, and he has led the most laps in each of the past two seasons. If not for a pit road speeding penalty that forced him to settle for second in 2011, Stewart would be gunning for a Vegas three-peat this weekend instead of just back-to-back wins.
Although he settled for second last March, Jimmie Johnson is no stranger to winning races at Las Vegas. He has made four trips to Victory Lane at the track overall, and his 9.8 average finish is the best in the series. Throw in the fact that he has opened the 2013 season with a win and a second-place finish in the first two races, and Johnson is more than capable of picking up another win at a track where he already owns more victories than any other driver.
The Dark Horses
Although he has yet to win at Las Vegas, Greg Biffle has been trending in the right direction at the track. He has finished in the top 10 in six of his last eight starts at Vegas, including four of his last five. Biffle is coming off a career-best third-place run at the track last year, and 11 of his 18 Cup wins have come at 1.5-mile or 2.0-mile intermediate ovals. He could easily make that 12 out of 19 this weekend with a victory at Las Vegas.
Don’t let his 14.7 average finish at Las Vegas fool you, Jeff Gordon knows how to get around at the speedy oval. Granted, he has had a few wrecks at the track, but he has also finished sixth or better seven times, including five times in his last eight starts. Gordon is a former winner at Las Vegas, and if he avoids trouble this weekend, he has proven on several occasions that he will be in the mix for the win.
Sleeper Special
Despite being labeled as mainly a road course ace, Marcos Ambrose does have a handful of oval tracks where he tends to run well. Las Vegas is one of those tracks, and in four starts, he has compiled 12.8 average finish. Ambrose has finished in the top 15 in his last three Vegas starts, finishing as high as fourth in 2011. Whether or not he ever wins a race at an oval track remains to be seen, but Las Vegas is certainly on the list of potential tracks if it does happen.
Rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will be making his Cup Series debut at Las Vegas this weekend, and despite the inexperience, he could steal the show. After all, his Cup career is off to a strong start with finishes of 16th and 12th in the first two races of 2013. More importantly, five of Stenhouse’s eight Nationwide Series wins have come at 1.5-mile tracks, including a win at Vegas. It also doesn’t hurt that the Roush Fenway Racing organization that he drives for has dominated the intermediate ovals in recent years.
Driver to Avoid
Nevada native Kyle Busch dominated at his home-state track early in his career, and he even picked up a win in 2009. Unfortunately for Busch, he has a 25.3 average finish in his three Vegas starts since the victory. Throw in the fact that he has suffered engine failures in each of the first two races of 2013, and despite his tremendous talent, Busch looks like an awful risky pick this weekend.
Be sure to check the NSAwins.com Betting Daily Blog all week for updated 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 odds, free tips, free picks, predictions and articles from NASCAR expert tipster Brian Polking. NSAwins.com is your home for 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 Betting Odds and Handicapping coverage!
Odds to win the 2013 Kobalt Tools 400
Jimmie Johnson 6/1
Kyle Busch 8/1
Brad Keselowski 8/1
Tony Stewart 8/1
Denny Hamlin 8/1
Carl Edwards 10/1
Jeff Gordon 10/1
Greg Biffle 12/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 12/1
Kevin Harvick 15/1
Clint Bowyer 15/1
Kasey Kahne 15/1
Matt Kenseth 15/1
Joey Logano 30/1
Ryan Newman 30/1
Mark Martin 30/1
Martin Truex Jr 30/1
Ricky Stenhouse 50/1
Kurt Busch 60/1
Aric Almirola 100/1
Paul Menard 100/1
Marcos Ambrose 100/1
Juan Montoya 100/1
Jamie McMurray 200/1
Jeff Burton 200/1
Austin Dillon 200/1
Trevor Bayne 200/1
Danica Patrick 300/1
Bobby Labonte 300/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1
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