Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard 2012 Betting Odds

Carrie Stroup here and I have your Crown Royal presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard 2012 betting odds, available at Sportsbook here. 

After a week off, the NASCAR circuit gets back to action at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Crown Royal presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard. This 2.5-mile track is oval-shaped with 9° turns and perfectly flat straightaways that each measure 3,330 feet (0.63 miles). Paul Menard won last year’s Brickyard race, but Jimmie Johnson is Sunday’s favorite having won three of the previous five starts at Indy.

Drivers to Watch

Jeff Gordon (10/1) - It may be a bit chalky, but Gordon is the choice if you’re only betting one driver. Not only has he won four times at the Brickyard, but he has six other top-5 finishes at this track, including last year’s runner-up. With an average finish of 9.1, he’s the best bet to wind up at the front of the pack. And placing in the top-6 in  four of his past five races this season, he’s entering this race on a hot streak.

Kevin Harvick (15/1) - Although he hasn’t won yet this season, Harvick has raced well enough to sit in sixth place in the points standings for each of the past six weeks. And considering his success at both the Brickyard (10.0 average finish) and superspeedways in general (4 wins, 15 top-5’s in career), the odds are quite favorable for the No. 29 car.

Paul Menard (60/1) - He improved greatly in each of his Brickyard races, placing 41^st in 2008, 29^th in 2009, 14^th in 2010 and winning the race last year despite starting in the No. 15 position. Menard continues to hover near the top 12 in the points standings, placing no worse than 15^th all year. He has finished outside the top-20 just once in his past 16 starts.

Jimmie Johnson (6/1) - If he wasn’t on such a roll this season (top-7 finishes in 10 of the past 13 races), he may not be the favorite in this race. Although Johnson has won three times in his past six starts at Indy, he’s finished better than 18^th only one other time at this track (9^th in 2002), posting finishes of 18^th, 19^th, 22^nd, 36^th, 38^th and 39^th in his other Brickyard races.

Jamie McMurray (60/1) - Another strong longshot opportunity presents itself with McMurray, who has top-7 finishes in five of his nine career starts at this track. This includes a victory in 2010 and a strong fourth-place showing last year.

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter