Bank of America 500 Race Picks
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Betting Preview
Date and Time: Sunday October 11th, 2014. 7:45PM Eastern
Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway
TV: ABC
By: NASCAR Wagers, NASCAR Handicapping Service
The 2nd race of the “Contender Round” will start tonight in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR’s return home to Charlotte marks a pivotal point in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship as guys like Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Brad Keselowski have to make up for last week’s misfortunes at Kansas to keep their title hopes alive. Tonight’s race at Charlotte promises to present a challenging task for Sprint Cup Series teams on a number of different levels. Find out what challenges will be in play tonight and which drivers could be poised for a big night as we provide our Bank of America 500 race picks.
Throughout practices this weekend, there is not any clear consensus favorites in the garage that everyone feels like will be the car to beat. Sure some of your typical names have shown some strength this week in guys like Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, and Jeff Gordon. However, there are several other guys that are demanding some attention heading into tonight’s 500 mile race. Kurt Busch has shown a ton of speed by finishing in the top 5 in each practice including the fastest of all drivers in practice 2. Brad Keslowski has shown speed, Dale Earnhardt Jr has been strong in race trim. Then you have guys like Jimmie Johnson who has owned Charlotte Motor Speedway and Rowdy Busch who will lead the field to the green tonight at 7:45pm (EST).
Not only are there a ton of drivers that could contend for the victory tonight but there are also several factors that could influence the outcome of tonight’s event as well. Last night’s Nationwide Series event shed light on several issues including GoodYear problems that teams experienced during green flag runs. Brad Keselowski had a tire go out but rallied back for the victory in last night’s Drive for the Cure 300. However tire issues were apparent throughout the night. Sprint Cup crew chiefs, including Chad Knaus, were walking up and down pit road surveying the issues. Tire issues appear to be on everyone’s mind tonight especially during long green flag runs.
Outside of the tire concerns, last night’s Nationwide Series race also saw many guys lead throughout the night. Not only was track position out front important but pit crews were having a hard time of making changes to stay ahead of the race track. The consistent change of the race track was evident with several guys in practices that could never get a good grip on the handle of their race cars. Expect plenty of come and goers as they call it during tonight’s race especially as the higher groove comes into play the later it gets into the night. Needless to say, there are several of factors that make tonight’s Bank of America 500 a fairly wide open race. Do not be afraid to pull the trigger on a few mid-range long shots as we could easily see a new face in victory lane tonight for the first time since the Chase began.
Bank of America 500 Race Picks
Kurt Busch +2800 (1 units): fastest in practice 2, 2nd fastest in final practice, using new chassis that tested at Charlotte last month, 2010 winner, starting 11th
Kevin Harvick +600 (2 units): very fast in all practices, best 10 lap average in practice 2, 3rd best 10 lap average in final practice, using Atlanta chassis that led 195 laps
Denny Hamlin +1400 (1 unit): 3rd best average finish at Charlotte over last 3 races, really strong in final two practices, starting 3rd
Parlay
Ford +330 wins Bank of America 500
Denny Hamlin +110 finishes top 10
Risking 1.5 units to win:+1200
H2H Matchups and Props
Jimmie Johnson -105 over Jeff Gordon (2 units)
Kurt Busch +340 wins Group C (Stewart, McMurray, Edwards, Bowyer)
Denny Hamlin -125 over Jamie McMurray (3 units)
*Check back for added plays closer to race time
