NASCAR Betting - The Pepsi 500 from Fontana

NASCAR: Top 3 in the Sprint Cup Chase Look to Hook Grills in the Pepsi 500 but Smoke and Gordo Might Have Other Plans

Race-day: 10/11/2009

Race-time: 2:30 pm EST

The Top 3 drives in the Sprint Cup Chase no doubt will be battling for the right to hoist the Pepsi 500 trophy at the end of this Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Fontana.

Last week at the Price Chopper 400, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon made a lot of believers out of those NASCAR betting fans who had written off their chances to win this year’s Sprint Cup. Smoke finished first in the Price Chopper 400. Gordon finished second.

This Sunday, both drivers will be looking to continue their climb towards the Top 3 in the Sprint Cup Standings: Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya. Smoke, no doubt, will have a chance as he was the most consistent driver during the regular season. His average finish of 9.0 on the season, with 4 victories, is impressive, but Tony could be up against it at Fontana as he only has 11 Top 10 finishes to his credit and his average finish of 15.9 at Fontana isn’t going to help matters. Tony is at +1000 NASCAR betting odds to win the Pepsi 500.

Gordo on the other hand could be spectacular this week at Fontana. He was terrific last week when finishing second and has been known to string together two even three or four excellent races in a row. He’s going to need to as he is still in 7 th place in the Sprint Cup Standings. The +700 wagering odds on Jeff Gordon to win at Fontana are pretty good.

Martin and Johnson Look for a Bounce Back While Montoya Tries For Consistency

Martin, Johnson and Montoya all drove well last week in the Price Chopper 400. Martin won the pole and finished 7 th, Johnson started 11 th and finished 9 th and Montoya started 14 th and finished 4 th.

For Martin and Johnson, a bounce back is necessary even though the Hendrick pair drove well as it is apparent that Top 5 finishes will be needed to secure the Sprint Cup Championship this year and not just Top 10 finishes. This is easily one of the toughest Sprint Cup Championship runs I’ve seen in a long time, Jimmie’s not running away with it, and extra effort is going to be needed by every driver.

Jimmie, at +350 to win the Pepsi 500 in the sportsbook, has had terrific success at Fontana with 3 victories and 8 Top 5 finishes. His average finish of 6.2 could spell victory on Sunday.

Martin and Montoya haven’t done as well at Fontana. Martin, +500 in the sportsbook to win, only has 1 victory at Fontana and finishes 14.9 on average while Montoya, with limited runs, has averaged a finish of 22.0.

Out of the three, the online bet that makes the most sense is on Montoya because he’s been so close to victory, finishing in the Top 5, so far in all three Sprint Cup Chase races and his odds of winning the Pepsi 500 are still at the double-digit odds of +1200.

When the 3 rd place driver in the Sprint Cup Standings is going off at fantastic odds, there’s no reason to look for a long shot.

I’m betting on Juan Pablo Montoya to win the Pepsi 500.