NASCAR

Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings

November 16, 2014 - 1:33 am

Micah Roberts’ sprint cup Driver Ratings

Ford EcoBoost 400

At Homestead-Miami Speedway, Miami

Noon today, ESPN (30); race starts at 12:16 p.m.

Rating Driver OddsPractice 1 Qualified Practice 2 Practice 3

1. Jimmie Johnson5/18th12th 4th1st

One of four tracks to never win at; best 10-consecutive lap average during practice 3; using Chicago chassis.

2. Jeff Gordon5/1 7th1st 2nd6th

2012 winner with 10.6 average finish in 15 starts; strong in both of Saturday’s practices; using new chassis.

3. Brad Keselowski7/1 1st4th 3rd 9th

Career-best sixth-place last season; good practices despite smacking wall; using winning Chicago chassis.

4. Denny Hamlin12/111th 8th 5th13th

Two-time winner; third-best 10-consecutive lap average in practice 2 and 3. He looks bound for title.

5. Kevin Harvick9/22nd 5th 1st 8th

Career-best second place twice, 8.1 average; didn’t dominate practices like he has on 1.5s all season.

6. Kasey Kahne25/1 17th23rd 9th2nd

Looked similar to teammates Johnson and Gordon in practice; using his winning Atlanta chassis.

7. Kurt Busch20/16th2nd22nd 3rd

2002 winner; second-fastest 10-consecutive lap average in practice 2; he and new crew chief are clicking.

8. Joey Logano7/122nd 9th6th7th

Career-best eighth in 2013; got better as practices went on Saturday; using fourth-place Chicago chassis.

9. Clint Bowyer60/1 19th 6th11th 11th

2012 runner-up, 11.3 average finish; best 10-consecutive lap average in practice 2; using Kansas chassis.

10. Matt Kenseth12/14th3rd7th5th

2007 winner and runner-up last season; second-best 10-consecutive lap average during final practice.

Note: This will be the 11th race on a 1.5-mile track this season, but the big difference between Homestead and all the others is the layout. Instead of the normal D-shaped tri-oval like the others, Homestead is shaped like a paper-clip with 20 degrees of progressive banking.

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.

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