Dale Earnhardt Jr. heads out of NASCAR's Easter break with the lead in the Sprint Cup Series standings, but he's not the favorite this week on the odds to win the STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Earnhardt Jr. is ahead of Brad Keselowski by 12 points and Jimmie Johnson by 16 points in the current Sprint Cup Series standings, but it's Johnson who sits as the +500 favorite on the NASCAR odds at Sportsbook to win the STP Gas Booster 500 on Sunday.
Keselowski is next at +700 odds on that list, followed by Kyle Busch at +800, and Jeff Gordon at +1150. Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, and Kasey Kahne all then hold down +1300 odds at Sportsbook, with Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick at +1350.
Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle are tied for fourth place in the current Sprint Cup Series standings, and they're at +1700 and +2300 odds, respectively, at Sportsbook for this weekend. Ryan Newman, who won this race last year when it was still called the Goody's Fast Relief 500, is set at +2250 odds for Sunday.
A.J. Allmendinger and Earnhardt Jr. followed Newman across the finish line at the Goody's Fast Relief 500 last year, with Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. finishing fourth and fifth at that race. Keselowski was ninth at that event, while Johnson ended up in 12th place.
Odds to Win 2013 STP Gas Booster 500 at Sportsbook:
Jimmie Johnson +500
Brad Keselowski +700
Kyle Busch +800
Jeff Gordon +1150
Tony Stewart +1300
Clint Bowyer +1300
Kasey Kahne +1300
Dale Earnhardt Jr +1300
Matt Kenseth +1350
Kevin Harvick +1350
Carl Edwards +1700
Mark Martin +1700
Ryan Newman +2250
Greg Biffle +2300
Joey Logano +2800
Martin Truex Jr +2800
Brian Vickers +3250
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Tony Stewart has followed up his Sprint Cup Series title of last season by winning two of the first five races this year and paying off on the NASCAR odds.
Stewart will try to make it back-to-back wins on the circuit and grab his third victory overall when the series' drivers take on Martinsville Speedway at the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 this Sunday.
The betting lines at Sportsbook do not indicate a clear favorite at this time, with Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch the co-favorites at 5/1 on the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 betting lines. Hamlin and Johnson both have multiple Cup wins at Martinsville Speedway in their careers.
Stewart follows just behind that trio at 7/1 odds at Sportsbook, while seven-time Martinsville Sportsbook Jeff Gordon rolls in at 8/1 on the NASCAR betting lines. Defending champion Kevin Harvick rounds out the top group of contending drivers at 10/1 odds.
Last year’s Sprint Cup Series runner-up Carl Edwards hasn’t torn up the track so far this season, but he's a respectable 14/1 on the NASCAR betting lines for this weekend's race. Brad Keselowski has one win on the season and is tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 15/1 odds.
Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Ryan Newman round out a cluster of drivers at 25/1 odds on the lines at Sportsbook for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. Those drivers have all been inside the Top 10 or Top 5 in multiple races this season and could be good longshot wagers this week.
Current Sprint Cup Series standings leader Greg Biffle isn’t getting much credit for his start to the season - he’s been in the Top 10 in four of the five races. Biffle is back on the NASCAR betting lines at 30/1 odds for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on Sunday.
