Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings, April 1
April 1, 2012 - 1:01 am
Goody's Fast Relief 500
Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.
9:30 a.m. today, Fox (5); race begins at 10:16 a.m.
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualified Fall 2011*
1. Jeff Gordon 7/1 1st 1st 9th 3rd Seven-time winner with 15 top-5 finishes in last 18 starts; dominated practices.
2. Denny Hamlin 4/1 3rd 27th 3rd 5th Four-time winner with nine top-5 finishes in last 11 starts; top average speed in practice 1.
3. Kevin Harvick 10/1 12th 14th 2nd 4th 2011 spring winner, with 2.6 average finish in last three; great average lap times in practice.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 15/1 4th 18th 14th 7th Two-time runner-up, nine top-5 finishes; using Martinsville runner-up car from last spring.
5. Tony Stewart 6/1 7th 23rd 15th 1st Three-time winner, including last fall, and is using the same winning chassis this week.
6. Ryan Newman 25/1 5th 4th 5th 10th Strong in practice with winning Loudon chassis that led 44 laps at Martinsville last year.
7. Jimmie Johnson 9/2 38th 16th 22nd 2nd Six-time winner, average finish of 5.5 in 20 starts; using runner-up chassis from last fall.
8. Brad Keselowski 20/1 11th 3rd 7th 17th Fresh off short-track win at Bristol two races ago; fast average speeds in both practices.
9. Clint Bowyer 25/1 9th 17th 4th 19th Best finish fifth in 2009, but has consistent 15.1 average finish in 12 starts; good practices.
10. Kyle Busch 6/1 2nd 29th 8th 27th Six top-5 finishes, including third last spring; tenacity always suits him well on short tracks.
* Results from October 30, 2011 race at Martinsville, the last race run on the track.
Note: Only two scheduled Friday practice sessions with qualifying run Saturday.
Odds courtesy of the LVH Super Book.
Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com, TheLinemakers.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.