Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings

MICAH ROBERTS' SPRINT CUP DRIVER RATINGS

Amp Energy Juice 500

Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.

Coverage begins at 10 a.m. today on ESPN (30)

Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualifying April 25*

1. Kevin Harvick 5/1 31st DNP 14th 1st
Won two of three restrictor-plate races this season; using same car that won in April.

2. Jamie McMurray 8/1 3rd DNP 12th 2nd
Won this race in 2009 and Daytona 500 this year; using runner-up chassis from April.

3. Jeff Burton 20/1 22nd 2nd 5th 32nd
Led most laps in April race; using same chassis that finished sixth at Daytona in July.

4. Juan Pablo Montoya 18/1 36th DNP 1st 3rd
Career best of second in 2008; using same ECR engine as Harvick and McMurray.

5. Denny Hamlin 25/1 1st 4th 17th 4th
Has led a lap in all nine career starts; using chassis that started last three at Talladega.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10/1 10th 6th 6th 13th
Five wins, with last coming in 2004; using runner-up chassis from Daytona 500.

7. Clint Bowyer 20/1 16th DNP 2nd 7th
Using powerful ECR engine inside his fourth-place Daytona 500 chassis.

8. Kyle Busch 8/1 2nd 15th 32nd 9th
Won in spring of 2008, his only top-five finish on track; has led a lap in last six starts.

9. Kurt Busch 12/1 30th 3rd 3rd 8th
Average finish of 12.8 in 19 starts, including third four times; using same car from April.

10. Mark Martin 30/1 9th 1st 30th 5th
Making 46th career start on track with two wins; new chassis this week.

*Results from the Talladega Aaron's 499.

Note: Talladega is one of two tracks that require teams to use restrictor plates, which accounts for four races on the 36-race schedule. This is an impound race with only two scheduled practices. Many teams chose not to run the final practice.

Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. He writes for multiple publications covering all sports. He can be reached at MM.Roberts7@gmail.com. For more of Roberts' insight on the Talladega race, log onto LVRJ.com/Motorsports.