Kentucky Derby odds are about to get hot, but the best thoroughbreds would have a tough time getting around 2.66 miles at Talladega Superspeedway, site of Sunday’s Aaron’s 499. Here are five drivers worth keeping an eye on this weekend.Talladega Betting – Sunday, April 25, 1:00 PM ET
Jeff Gordon (+1100): Gordon’s six wins at Talladega is the most among active drivers, and four of them have come in the spring race. The No.24 driver has been on the cusp of winning all season, and he had the best car at Texas before he was caught in a wreck. It’s been 37 races since Gordon has visited Victory Lane, and he drove like a guy who hadn’t won in a while at Texas, but he knows as well as anyone that you have to be patient or Talladega will bite you.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+1100): The No.88 driver is next with five wins here, half of his father’s record total of 10, but all five of those came in a seven-race span between the 2001 fall race and the 2004 fall race. Junior finished 11th here in the fall, and he’s been very consistent this season as he sits seventh in the standings, and if he’s going to win for the first time since Michigan 2008, this is as good a place as any to place a sportsbook bet on Junior.
Kevin Harvick (+1200): Harvick is still rolling after a seventh-place result at Texas, and he didn’t fare that well at Talladega last year, failing to break the top 20 in either race. Still, he has a 16.3 average in 18 races here, good for ninth, and he has seven top-10s. More importantly, the No.29 driver has brought his racecar home at the end of all 18 Talladega races he’s been in.
Kurt Busch (+1500): Taking the older Busch brother is like making Orlando your basketball betting pick; he’s overlooked at a lot of places, but we know he has the talent to do it. The No.2 driver has a 13.1 average in 18 races here, and the only two drivers ahead of him (Joey Logano and last year’s winner, Brad Keselowski) have raced at Talladega just twice. He’s probably the best driver left in the Sprint Cup series to never win a plate race, but he’s pushed plenty to a victory, notably former teammate Ryan Newman in the 2008 Daytona 500.
Joey Logano (+3000): This isn’t like taking Oklahoma City in the NBA’s Thunder vs Lakers odds; the reigning Rookie of the Year can actually win. Like the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, Logano has made a big jump this year, and he looks like he belongs in the Cup series now. He was also one of four drivers to finish in the top 10 of both Talladega races in 2009
Sports betting pick: Jeff Gordon
