Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings, Oct. 7
Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500
Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.
11 a.m. today, ESPN (30); race starts at 11:16 a.m.
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Practice 2 Qualified Talladega*
1. Matt Kenseth 10-1 22nd 4th 15th 3rd Led race-high 73 laps in spring race; finished third or better in all three 2012 plate races
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10-1 10th 1st 12th 9th Five-time winner, last in 2004; using chassis that averaged 8.7 finish in three plate races
3. Greg Biffle 15-1 14th 15th 5th 5th Two top-five finishes in three plate races this season; using new chassis
4. Clint Bowyer 15-1 19th 7th 3rd 6th Winner of the past two fall races; using eighth-place Budweiser Shootout chassis
5. Jeff Burton 25-1 33rd DNP 26th 10th Lone plate win at Daytona in 2000; using runner-up chassis from Daytona Firecracker
6. Brad Keselowski 12-1 4th 25th 22nd 1st Two career wins, including first of career in a part-time ride; using new chassis
7. Jeff Gordon 15-1 3rd 8th 6th 33rd Six career wins, last in 2007; finished third or better in five of past six races
8. Carl Edwards 15-1 8th 3rd 7th 31st Career best of fifth in 2005; Fords have the edge; using sixth-place Daytona chassis
9. Kevin Harvick 12-1 23rd DNP 21st 25th 2010 winner with three runner-up finishes; using seventh-place Daytona 500 chassis
10. Tony Stewart 15-1 24th DNP 4th 24th 2008 winner, his last top-five finish; using winning chassis from Daytona that started 42nd
* Results from the May 6 Aaron's 499 at Talladega.
Note: Practice times at restrictor-plate tracks like Talladega and Daytona mean little to the rating equation because individual speeds fluctuate drastically due to cars drafting.
Odds courtesy of the LVH.
Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights on the race, go to The Linemakers on SportingNews.com or follow on Twitter: MicahRoberts7.
