2016 GoBowling.com 400 Betting Odds Preview

2016 GoBowling.com 400 Betting Odds Preview
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Betting Preview
Saturday May 7th, 7:46PM (EST) at Kansas Speedway
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service

The Sprint Cup Series returns to the Saturday night stage this week with the running of the GoBowling.com 400 at Kansas Speedway. After a wreck-filled race last week at Talladega that did not disappoint from an excitement standpoint, we look forward to some more thrilling racing under the lights at Kansas. As we prepare to cash a few more winning tickets, we take this time to take an early look at the 2016 GoBowling.com 400 betting odds and provide a few early predictions on drivers that we feel should run well this Saturday night.

Current Opening Betting Odds:

The Favorites

If I had to list 3 favorites for this weekend’s race prior to practices, then I would have to go with Joey Logano (+775), Kyle Busch (+875), and Jimmie Johnson (+550) in no particular order. Logano has won 2 of the past 4 races at Kansas and has finished no worse than 5th in his last 5 starts. Logano also piloted the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford to a very respectable 3rd place finish at the last 1.5 mile track that solidifies him as one of the overall favorites entering this weekend’s sessions.

Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch should also be in the mix when you compare their 2016 performance and combine it with their track history at Kansas. Johnson has been absolutely excellent on the bigger ovals this season and his 3 Kansas victories are tied with Jeff Gordon for the most all-time. Earlier this year, Johnson scored wins at both Atlanta and Fontana while most recently piloting the #48 machine to a solid 4th place finish at the last 1.5 mile stop in Texas. So all signs from recent 1.5 mile performance and track history point to the #48 being a top competitor this weekend.

Busch on the other hand has a track history that you may want to steer away from at first glance. Busch houses a pitiful average finishing position of 20.38 in his 16 career starts at Kansas and just 2 top 5 finishes over that stretch. However, both top 5 finishes come in last year’s races where he finished 3rd and 5th respectively. Busch has been as dominant as anyone on the 1.5 mile tracks going back to the end of last year and his most recent victory at Texas leads me to believe that he will be a big threat this Saturday for his first Kansas win.

Drivers to Watch

Chase Elliott +1750

I have said all year that I expect Chase Elliott to get a win before the season is over which is starting to be a pretty rare feat for a rookie. To add more boldness to that prediction, I really believe that it will be on the 1.5 mile tracks where he seems to be his best. Every week Elliott looks mediocre at best in practices but goes out to race extremely well. He knows how to get the best out of his equipment and he has a knack for getting better as the race progresses. If you have not paid close attention, the “rookie” has posted top 5 finishes in 3 of his last 4 races. Yes, he is knocking on the door and this Saturday night’s Kansas race will be another good opportunity for the #24 team. Do not be surprised if these odds get better as well.

Dale Earnhardt Jr +1350

If you want another driver to think about from an opening odds perspective, I suggest giving some attention to Dale Earnhardt Jr. I know last week would have been the week most people would have expected Earnhardt to get a victory with the restrictor plate race at Talladega. However, Junior has been really performing on the 1.5 mile tracks this season. In fact, he posted runner-up finishes at both Atlanta and Texas. Add in the fact, he has finished in the top 5 in this particular race in each of the last 2 years and Earnhardt is a surprisingly solid looking dark horse.