NASCAR Betting - Watkins Glen Top 3 Picks

NASCAR: Stewart, Montoya and Ambrose Figure in Top 3 Wagering

Race-day: 8/9/2009

Race-time: 1:00 pm EST.

Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Marcose Ambrose figure to duke it out for the victory this Sunday at Watkins Glen.

Both Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon have be talked about when it comes to that category as well, but when it comes to finishing in the Top 3, do Busch and Gordon qualify as good wagers?

Let’s take a look at some of the contenders to finish in the Top 3 at Watkins Glen on Sunday.

1. Juan Pablo Montoya +200 - - Juan Pablo has an average finish at Watkins Glen of 21.5, but there’s no doubt that he is good on road courses and, more importantly, is driving exceptionally well with 10 top tens and 1 top five so far in 2009. He finished 2nd at Pocono last week. Juan Pablo looks like a good bet in this category.

2. Tony Stewart +125 - - Smoke’s just been fantastic at Watkins Glen with an average finish of 5.7. He has 12 top fives in 2009 which means he could very well get into the Top 3 at Watkins Glen at low odds.

3. Kyle Busch +180 - - Busch won at Watkins Glen last year and is one of the favorites in the sportsbook to win it again in 2009. I know that Busch can make ridiculous mistakes on the track, but I really believe that he’s going to play it cool on Sunday and just drive the car. If he does, a Top 3 finish isn’t out of the question.

4. Jeff Gordon +180 - - Gordon’s average finish of 13.4 at Watkins Glen isn’t fantastic but he has 4 victories and 6 top five finishes on the track. That’s pretty good and Jeff did do well at Pocono last week.

5. Jimmie Johnson +600 - - Johnson’s average finish of 13.1 at Watkins Glen is better than Gordon’s. The fallacy still exists that Jimmie can’t drive on road courses even though he finished 4th at Sonoma earlier this year. Not only can he drive on road courses but he can be successful on them. At the odds, he’s a pretty good bet in this category.

6. Marcose Ambrose +200 - - Ambrose’s average finish of 3.0 at Watkins Glen makes him one of the favorites in the category. I like his chances to do finish in the Top 3 on Sunday, but I’m chilly on the odds. I believe that Juan Pablo, at the same odds, is a better wager.

Best Long Shot

Kasey Kahne +900 - - Kasey’s never even finished in the top ten at Watkins Glen much less in the top five or top three, but he did win at Sonoma earlier this year and that’s a road course, like Watkins Glen. Also, Kasey’s been turning it on lately. It’s all about the odds with Kahne. At 5 to 1 or lower to finish in the Top 3, I probably wouldn’t consider him, but at the odds of 9 to 1, I have to consider betting on him.