Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings
Micah Roberts’ SPRINT CUP Driver Ratings
Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500
At Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.
Noon today, ESPN (30); race starts at 12:16 p.m.
Rating DriverOddsPractice 1QualifiedPractice 2Practice 3
1. Kevin Harvick3/11st3rd1st2nd
Five-time winner; best 10-lap average in final practices; using winning Darlington chassis
2. Brad Keselowski5/13rd2nd2nd12th
Career-best third place in spring race; 2014 winner at New Hampshire and Richmond
3. Joey Logano10/19th4th12th4th
Fourth in spring; also won this year at Richmond and New Hampshire; Atlanta chassis
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.12/15th16th4th5th
Two-time winner, the last in 2004 (fifth or better in past three); New Hampshire chassis
5. Jeff Gordon5/112th7th6th6th
Two-time winner, the last in 2011; fifth in spring race; using new chassis
6. Matt Kenseth12/113th5th10th3rd
2002 winner; second-best average in Practice 3; top-five finish is strong possibility
7. Kyle Busch12/14th6th8th20th
2005 winner with 13.3 average finish in 18 starts; third-best average in Practice 2
8. Jamie McMurray30/120th19th15th1st
Third place in 2008; car practiced with power, handling similar to top Chevy candidates
9. Kyle Larson20/12nd8th7th13th
Third-best average in Practice 3; rookie has car similar to teammate McMurray
10. Denny Hamlin20/18th1st20th10th
2012 winner has 11.3 average at track; must finish 11th or better to advance in Chase
Note: Second Phoenix race of the season. The four races run on similar flat layouts at New Hampshire and Richmond are good comparison points.
Odds courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas
Micah Roberts, a former race and sports book director in Las Vegas, has been setting NASCAR odds since 1995. For more post-practice analysis, visit the Linemakers on SportingNews.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.
