2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Betting Odds
Gambling911.com has your 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series betting odds courtesy of Sportsbook.ag.
STP 500
Martinsville Speedway – Ridgeway, VA
Sportsbook.ag Odds to Win Race
The fifth race of the Sprint Cup Series ensues at Martinsville Speedway as the drivers run in the STP 500, a 263-mile event that has been held since 1950. The oval-shaped track is sometimes referred to as a paper clip with long straightaways and 12-degree bankings on each side of the multi-paved surface with straightaways being asphalt and the corners being concrete.
Of the racers in the field this week, three have won multiple times as this event as Jeff Gordon (1997, 2003, 2005) and Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2009, 2013) have three victories and Denny Hamlin (2008, 2010) has won twice. Last year, Kurt Busch earned the checkered flag for the first time since joining Stewart-Haas Racing and overcame 33 lead changes throughout the day; a track record. Now that we have the season in full swing, let’s take a look over the entry list and see who has the advantage going into the weekend.
Denny Hamlin (+700) - As mentioned above, Hamlin has won here twice before and in total has four victories at the course while holding an impressive average finish of 8.7 and a driver rating of 110.1; third-best among active drivers. He’s been in the top-15 83.1% of the time when on this track and can make his way from deep in the pack forward with 659 career quality passes (5th-most). Hamlin has been all over the place this year, getting two top-fives sandwiched around a few finishes outside of the top-20, but he is coming to a spot where he is obviously comfortable and should show up ready to go.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+1000) - Earnhardt Jr. has pretty favorable odds despite ranking in the top-six at four of the first five races this year. He has led a total of 37 laps in that time and should do well once again as he has 12 career top-fives at this track in 30 starts. Those impressive runs have led him to an average finish of 12.4 here while owning a driving rating of 101.2 (4th-best among active drivers). He is among the most experienced drivers at this venue and could be a real factor on Sunday.
Matt Kenseth (+2000) - He has four top-fives at this course in the past and has a solid driver rating of 84.9, ranking him 12th among his peers. He has been all over the place this year and has just two top-10’s despite leading 54 laps on the year and most of those came last week in California as he started in the third spot and led a total of 43 laps before eventually finishing in 31st. Kenseth has the third-most green flag passes (1,097) at Martinsville and that should help him, especially if he can get a solid starting spot.
Martin Truex Jr. (+4000) -Truex Jr. has been on an absolute tear to start this season, going a perfect 5-for-5 in top-10 finishes as he’s improved on his starting position each time. He currently ranks third in the Sprint Cup Standings and is running hot since his best career finish is 11th in the series. He’s raced on this track 18 times in his career, putting up a pretty poor driver rating of 68.7, but with the odds he’s getting and how well he’s been racing, it would not be a surprise to see him compete for his third career victory.
Aric Almirola (+20000) - Almirola has been one of the more consistent racers this year despite failing to crack the top-10 as he has finished between 11th and 20th in four of his five performances. He also does have three top-10s at this track over 12 visits in his career and one victory, so it wouldn’t be out of the question to see his consistency pay off with a strong showing in Virginia this week.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter