MICAH ROBERTS’ SPRINT CUP DRIVER RATINGS, July 6
MICAH ROBERTS’ SPRINT CUP DRIVER RATINGS
Coke Zero 400
Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
4:30 p.m. today, TNT (18); race starts at 4:45
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualified Daytona 500*
1. Matt Kenseth 8/1 11th DNP 2nd 37th
Two-time Daytona 500 winner; led 228 of 392 laps in two restrictor-plate races this year
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10/1 5th 8th 16th 2nd
Two-time winner, last in 2004; 12.9 average finish in past 20 starts best among all drivers
3. Tony Stewart 15/1 30th 16th 13th 41st
Four-time winner, all in summer event, including last year; this is Stewart’s time of year
4. Clint Bowyer 15/1 2nd DNP 3rd 11th
Career best of fourth twice; two-time winner on other restrictor-plate track (Talladega)
5. Kyle Busch 12/1 18th 7th 1st 34th
2008 winner with two second-place finishes; has eight top-five finishes this season
6. Carl Edwards 18/1 3rd 9th 12th 33rd
Two-time runner-up, last in 2011; seeking first plate win, but looks to be best of Fords
7. Jeff Gordon 15/1 32nd 4th 23rd 20th
Six-time winner, last in 2005; no one in NASCAR history has more restrictor-plate wins
8. Jimmie Johnson 12/1 10th DNP 8th 1st
Two-time Daytona 500 winner; last driver to sweep season was Bobby Allison in 1982
9. Kevin Harvick 12/1 27th DNP 26th 42nd
Two-time winner, last in 2010; using winning Sprint Unlimited chassis this week
10. Denny Hamlin 18/1 8th DNP 24th 14th
Career best of third in 2009; led three times for 33 laps in Daytona 500
NOTE: Only 17 drivers participated in Practice 2, with others choosing to avoid any possible volatile situation on the track preventing damage to their cars.
*Results from Daytona 500 on Feb. 24. This is the third restrictor-plate race of the Sprint Cup season.
Odds courtesy of LVH
Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more of Roberts’ insights on the race, go to The Linemakers on SportingNews.com or follow him on Twitter: @MicahRoberts7.
