Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings, May 6
May 6, 2012 - 1:02 am
Aaron's 499
Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.
9 a.m. today, Fox (5); race begins at 10:15
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualified Daytona*
1. Matt Kenseth 15/1 3rd 2nd 10th 1st No top-five finishes since 2006, but has best of Fords
2. Kevin Harvick 8/1 5th DNP 20th 7th 2010 winner with three runner-up finishes; great plate racer
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8/1 27th 22nd 18th 2nd Five-time winner, last in 2004; using runner-up Daytona 500 chassis
4. Jeff Gordon 12/1 4th 11th 1st 40th Six-time winner, last in 2007; has most restrictor-plate race wins (12)
5. Brad Keselowski 15/1 6th 20th 13th 32nd 2009 winner, his first victory; finished fourth last fall
6. Aric Almirola 100/1 1st 1st 4th 33rd Best finish of 13th in 2008; outstanding practices
7. Greg Biffle 15/1 24th 3rd 6th 3rd One top-five finish in 18 starts; using third-place Daytona car
8. Carl Edwards 12/1 15th 14th 7th 8th No wins in 29 plate races, but has come close past three years
9. Clint Bowyer 18/1 22nd 10th 24th 11th Winner of 2010 and 2011 fall races; using 10th-place Bud Shootout car
10. Jeff Burton 20/1 9th DNP 29th 5th Runner-up last fall, his best finish in 36 starts
* Results from the Daytona 500 held Feb. 27. Talladega and Daytona are the only two tracks that use a restrictor-plate package.
Note: With a smaller radiator used in plate races, several cars are likely to overheat under the hot Alabama sun while running in packs with no clean air.
Odds courtesy of LVH.
Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more of Roberts' insights and post-practice analysis, go to VegasInsider.com, TheLinemakers.com or follow on Twitter: @MicahRoberts7.