At least for one Sunday afternoon, Las Vegas won’t be about gambling.

Then again, we all know sports gamblers will still be betting on this race anyway. And since it’s still a free-for-all in these early stages of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, betting on these races and cashing in with an underdog should still be a breeze.

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Shelby 427 this Sunday is one of the most exciting stops on the NASCAR schedule since it’s just a few miles north of The Strip and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits like a diamond in the desert.

Fifty-one teams have filed entries for this year’s event, that’s the second-most entries ever for a Sprint Cup race at the Las Vegas Motor Spedway. The most entries happened during the 2007 season, when a whopping 53 entires were filed.

Every former Cup winner at Las Vegas entered, including 2002 race winner Sterling Marlin, who did not attempt to qualify last year. Six Sprint Cup Series champions also are in the field.

This race has a history of multiple winners, as Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Burton have repeated as champions in Las Vegas. Johnson won three consecutive races (2005-07), while Kenseth (2003-04) and Burton (1999-2000)…

Read More » Who will win the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Shelby 427 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this Sunday?

He didn’t care if there were 48 laps left to race too.

Matt Kenseth won the 51st Daytona 500 on Sunday in a race that was called early due to rain. The race was called after 152 laps with 48 laps remaining.

Kyle Busch had led most of the day before being taken out by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a multi-car crash late in the race. Dubbed as ”The Great American Race,” the Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s premiere event scheduled right at the beginning of the NASCAR season.

Matt Kenseth, the quiet, unassuming former NASCAR champion who had never been in contention at the Daytona 500, cried as he celebrated the biggest victory of his career. It was an unexpected show of emotion for one of NASCAR’s most underappreciated stars.

Elliott Sadler prayed for the sky to open up when he was out front, but he was answered a tick too late. Kenseth used a huge push from Kevin Harvick to slide past Sadler 54 laps from the finish, and mere seconds before Aric Almirola spun to bring out a caution.

That’s when the rain began, and after two caution laps, NASCAR sent the drivers to pit road to wait out the storm. Most drivers climbed from their cars to await NASCAR’s decision, but Kenseth stayed put through the delay.

The race was called after 152 of 200 laps. It was just the fourth rain-shortened…

Read More » Matt Kenseth wins shortened 51st Daytona 500

It’s this Sunday and if you’re a bona fide motorhead, you’re probably gonna’ like what the weekend has in store for you.

Unlike other sports leagues that schedule their biggest game of the season at the end of the year, NASCAR has theirs to officially kick off their campaign. And in case you haven’t guessed it yet, the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series officially kicks off in Daytona, where some of the best drivers in racing will once again familiarize themselves with the art of speeding up and turning left.

The Daytona 500 is the crowned jewel of NASCAR racing, and it will jump start NASCAR’s 36-race schedule until we see another champion crowned. Dubbed as ”the Great American Race,” the Daytona 500 is the most prestigious and famed race in the United States.

So before you hear the familiar words, ”gentlemen, start your engines” to start the 51st Daytona 500 this Sunday, you better make your pick on who do you think will win the first race of the Sprint Cup Series. And as always, SportsBetting.com has us covered.

Usual suspects like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch are once again picked as heavy favorites…

Read More » 51st Daytona 500 officially starts 2009 NASCAR Season

I guess they need some sort of a soft opening before officially kicking off the season.

The 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will probably aim to set us all up for the grand opening of the new season in NASCAR, which will be the 2009 Daytona 500 on February 15. But since we are still a couple of weeks away from that, I guess this big race this weekend would do.

You read it, NASCAR returns with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout this Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway. This year, NASCAR will have a new format that puts more emphasis on the series’ four manufacturers and the same star-power appeal that has become a season-opening tradition for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and its fans.

The 31st annual season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway will be held this Saturday night with a field of 24 cars representing the top teams from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota that will showcase the close competition in NASCAR’s premier series.

That lineup will consist of the top six teams from each manufacturer, based on the final 2008 car owner points.

For the Chevrolets you have; No.48 Jimmie Johnson, No.29 Kevin Harvick, No.07 Casey Mears, No.31 Jeff Burton, No.24 Jeff Gordon, and No.88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Dodge camp will bring; No.9 Kasey Kahne, No.12 David…

Read More » NASCAR returns with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway this Saturday

And with the 141-point lead this guy has, I’ll be REALLY surprised if he doesn’t have the title at the end of the weekend.

A commanding 141-point lead, that’s what Jimmie Johnson is enjoying coming to the grand finale of the 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Cup this Sunday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

With that big of a lead, Jimmie Johnson only needs to finish 36th or better to win his third straight NASCAR title. Sure, it ain’t over ’til it’s over but the fact of the matter is, MATHEMATICALLY speaking, it already is.

The only driver probably still in contention for the title is Carl Edwards. However, even if Edwards were to win and lead the most laps on Sunday, Edwards will still need Johnson to take himself out of the race to engineer a shocker.

The ten-race ”Chase to the Championship” is all about consistency, and Jimmie Johnson, once again, showed that no one is better. In the nine races leading up to this weekend’s race, Johnson has three wins, six top 5′s, and eight top 10′s for an average finish of 4.7. That is how you seal the deal people. While Carl Edwards has been impressive as well, he would have had to be nearly perfect to take the hardware away from Johnson.

Johnson will now become only the second driver to win three…

Read More » Jimmie Johnson to win the 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Cup this Sunday at the Ford 400 Miami Speedway

Yes, the championship is probably determined already.

The 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup is probably over after Jimmie Johnson trounced the field at the Phoenix International Raceway to inch closer to his record-tying third straight NASCAR title.

You read it, Jimmie Johnson, now with 6561 championship points, is on his way for yet another world championship. With the commanding 141-point lead over Carl Edwards, Johnson needs only to finish 36th or better to win it all.

It seems all the changes Jimmie Johnson and his team made worked. Johnson led a race-high 217 of the 313 laps to stretch his lead over Carl Edwards in the standings from 106 to the commanding 141-point barrier.

”He’s doing something pretty special,” 2004 champion Kurt Busch said after finishing second. ”It’s just tough to beat.”

Jimmie Johnson was coming into the Phoenix International Raceway on the verge of losing his grip of the title after a rather disappointing 15th place finish in Texas. Thankfully, he rebounded perfectly from…

Read More » Jimmie Johnson on the verge of winning 2008 NASCAR Nextel Cup with 141-point lead over Carl Edwards

Time to rev up the engines people. (In case you’re not a fan of NASCAR like most of us…)

For the rest of you who are fans of oval tracks and the exhilarating art of turning left, the 2008 NASCAR season resumes at the Talladega Superspeedway for the AMP Energy 500 this Sunday.

The top three finishers in Kansas were Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle. Johnson still leads the pack with 5575 points, closely followed by Edwards with 5565. Biffle is right behind at third trailing by 30 points. Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick rounds up the top five of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Expect all five to come out strong, each looking to take the advantage as the season’s Sprint Cup race heats up. Things to know heading to race number 30? Ten of the top 13 finishers were Chasers, the exceptions being David Ragan, 8th, AJ Allmendinger, 9th, and Elliott Sadler, 10th.

Jimmie Johnson, the race winner, did have the dominant car, starting on the pole and leading the most laps, 124 of 267. Kyle Busch finished 28th with mechanical problems, and Tony Stewart, who started 41st, finished 40th after his splitter was damaged during a trip through the infield grass.

Matt Kenseth led 49 laps and finished 5th, while Edwards led 31 and Casey Mears, 29. Martin Truex Jr., who looked strong in the early going and…

Read More » The 2008 NASCAR Season Invades the Talladega Superspeedway this Sunday for the AMP Energy 500

The final twelve drivers are feeling the pressure now.

Twelve drivers made the 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, and while the field tightens up, anyone STILL has a shot at the cup.

Here is how they have stacked up. Carl Edwards finds himself at the top of the standings with 5390 points. He came with two strong Chase finishes. Edwards has a strong intermediate speedway program and will continue to be a factor in this points battle.

After all, he does have 13 top fives and 21 top 10s. He also finished second to Jimmie Johnson at the Brickyard. Add to that, Edwards was also second to Kyle Busch at Darlington, Dover and the second Daytona race. If Edwards can get pass Martinsville and Talladega without bad finishes, then Edwards might find his way to the 2008 Championship.

Following at the second and third spot respectively are NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle who trails the current leader Carl Edwards by 10 points.

Jimmie Johnson comes into the 2008 Chase for the Cup as the two-time defending Sprint Cup Champion. Johnson has posted two strong Chase finishes…

Read More » The 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup in NASCAR tightens up the way your girlfriend obviously can’t

It’s that time of the year when NASCAR tries to bring in some racing fans too dumb to understand Formula One.

And since NASCAR’s target market are mostly rednecks, these guys could just rename this thing they do going around in circles for 300-plus laps as the 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Cup, and have their fans get excited about it.

So who are the favorites? Well, there’s Jimmie Johnson for one. Johnson comes into the 2008 Chase for the Cup as the two-time defending Sprint Cup champion. Johnson has been relatively quiet in 2008. He has just four wins in the series this season. However, he comes into the Chase with lots of momentum as the winner of the last two races.

Jimmie Johnson and his no.48 Hendrick Motorsports team know how to get the job done during the Chase. They have been in this situation before and prevailed.

Next we have Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior is one of four drivers with one win during the regular season. He comes into the Chase 70 points behind Kyle Busch and since he’s now one of the more popular figures in the sport, getting his fan base going for the Chase is as easy as, well… you get the drift.

Clint Bowyer, who had to battle his way into the Chase, also has to be a favorite. He was 12th in points coming into Richmond and held off David Ragan for the final Chase spot.

Among other notables include Denny Hamlin, who had a frustrating…

Read More » Who are the Favorites to win the 2008 Chase for the Cup in NASCAR Racing? (Like we care right?)

The fourth quarter of the calendar year always men one thing in sports, CRUNCH TIME.

Yes, it’s that time of the year when baseball teams prepare for the playoffs, football teams clinch division titles, and in this case, NASCAR drivers try to take that first step towards the Cup. And in case you haven’t guessed, the 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Cup is here, when everything is back to square one.

The 2008 Chase for the Cup features twelve drivers battling for ten races to determine the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. The fifth edition of NASCAR’s Chase has three clear favorites; Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Jimmie Johnson. But in a system where twelve drivers are separated by just 80 points, anyone could come out on top in a playoff race that seldom goes according to plan.

Kyle Busch had a great regular season and found his way to Victory Lane eight times while Carl Edwards ruled the intermediate tracks like those that dominate these final ten races.

Will one of these three favorites win it all or will one of the other nine contenders win it in 2008?

For Kyle Busch, he has dominated the competition so far this year. He comes into the 2008 Chase for the Cup with more wins (8) wins and more top five finishes (15) than any other driver in the series during the first twenty-six races of 2008. He has 5080 total points and is the overall…

Read More » The 2008 Chase for the Cup heats up NASCAR