NASCAR Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET

Chase drivers usually win the majority of races held at this time of year, so it’s no surprise that the favorites are all racing for the championship. Five-time defending champ Jimmie Johnson (+700) has never won at Chicagoland, but he has seven top-10s in nine trips here, while four-time champion Jeff Gordon (+725) won here in 2006 and his 8.6 finishing average in 10 races is the best among active drivers. Kyle Busch (+700) is also in the mix, and those operating bookie software will tell you that the No.18 driver is always a threat he steps into his Toyota, but at Chicagoland he has just two top-10s in six races. One of those was a dominant win in 2008, but he hasn’t cracked the top 10 since here. Carl Edwards (+725) also has a pair of top-10s in six trips to Chicagoland, but he did finish second to winner David Reutimann last year.

But online horse betting players know to look outside of the favorites for some value, and the best is Kevin Harvick (+1000), who romped to a win at Richmond to pull into a tie atop the standings with Kyle Busch, his bitter rival. Harvick won the first two races at Chicagoland back in 2001 and 2002, but he has struggled the last two years here. A better choice may be Tony Stewart (+1200), who took the checkered flag here in 2004 and 2007, and only Gordon and Brian Vickers have a better average at Chicagoland than the No.14 driver, who has been rescuing good finishes out of bad days as of late.

NASCAR is often as difficult to call as online casino games, but you can narrow it down to a Chase driver, and we’re going with the champ, Jimmie Johnson, to get his first win in Illinois as he has been close here in the past, and he hears the critics who say he isn’t as strong as recent years. The No.48 team needs to make a statement as most of the discussion as of late has surrounded his feud with Kurt Busch (+1100), but Johnson had been getting some good results before last week’s 31^st-place finish which ended in a deliberate spinout of the older Busch. Johnson throws down the gauntlet to his challengers on Sunday, so take the No.48 team in your betting picks this weekend.

With four titles to his name already, the driver of the No. 24 car has been frustrated for the past decade while his Hendrick Motor Sports’ teammate has dominated the SCS circuit. But this season has been very different for Gordon. While Johnson moved 21 points ahead of Kyle Busch for the overall points lead, Gordon moved in to second on the overall wins list with three, tying Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski. With more wins this season than in the past three years combined, the 40-year old has re-established his self as a legitimate sports betting bonus threat to take the championship.

It is no secret that the biggest obstacle that stands in Gordon’s way is the driver that he beat out on Tuesday, and that remains the same throughout the field. The No. 48 car still has a target on its rear, and while he hasn’t looked as dominant this year as in past seasons, you don’t have to go fishing long for a list of reasons to think he will get the job done again. Johnson has clinched just one win so far this season, which he earned at Talladega with the help of another HMS teammate in Dale Earnhardt Jr., but he has been the most consistent driver all year with 17 top-10 finishes.

While the best drivers in the SCS will continue to jockey for position this weekend, the most interesting aspect of this race will be the potential for an online casino Wild Card to qualify for the Chase with a win. Of the nine drivers seeded from 11 through 19, the two with the most wins will qualify for a spot in the Chase. Brad Keselowski sits 11^th, and has already locked up one of those spots with three wins, leaving Denny Hamlin as the only other driver in one of those positions that has clinched a victory. It would be difficult for the rest of the field to move past Hamlin by both winning and earning enough points to move ahead, but of the potential contenders AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, and Greg Biffle could all clinch that price per head services final spot if they can earn a win at Richmond.

NASCAR Odds – Sunday, 7:30 PM ET

Jeff Gordon (+850): Gordon led 206 laps at Bristol and deserved to win before he was passed controversially on pit road by Brad Keselowski, but he should be able to shake it off at a place where he likes. Baseball betting players know that some guys just like certain places and Gordon’s experience allows him to perform at a number of places. At Atlanta, Gordon’s 13.9 average in 19 races is sixth among active drivers, including wins in 1998 and 2003.

Brad Keselowski (+1000): Keselowski is the hottest driver in NASCAR after last week’s win, and he hasn’t finished lower than third in his last four races. He finished 25^th last year at Atlanta, but even CFL betting players know all about momentum, and Keselowski is as hot as they come right now. He’ll be a popular sports betting pick this weekend.

Matt Kenseth (+1100): The No.17 driver finished sixth last week at Bristol, a place where he normally doesn’t perform well, and now he goes to Atlanta, where his 11.4 average in 11 races is second only to teammate Carl Edwards. If Kenseth were a horse betting option, he would be the one that steadily goes along, minding his business and next thing you know, he is in the top 10.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+2200): The most popular driver in NASCAR has never won at Atlanta, but his 13.9 average in 12 races is equal to his Hendrick teammate, Gordon, and a win would essentially clinch his spot in the Chase, so look for that team to take a risk this weekend as the drivers behind him will be doing it as well.

Ryan Newman (+3000): Newman has three top-10s in his last four starts after winning the pole and finishing eighth at Bristol. His boss, Tony Stewart (who dominated last year’s Atlanta race), isn’t performing that well as he has been trying to tie up the Danica Patrick deal, but he may also see Newman as the team’s best chance to win a Cup and we have heard in the past that some drivers have better equipment than their teammates, depending on their status for the Chase. Newman has a 19.9 average in nine starts at Atlanta, but he also has seven poles in 18 starts overall at Atlanta, tied with Buddy Baker for the most in NASCAR history.

Sports Betting Pick: Jeff Gordon +850

While that doesn’t make it right, it does make things a lot more interesting in the SCS as time continues to tick down towards the Chase. This Saturday’s race at the Bristol Motor Speedway will be the third-last one before the Chase gets underway in mid-September, with Atlanta and Richmond the final two online casino stops before it begins. With his second win of the season last weekend, Busch is now in the driver seat to make something happen, 10 points clear of Johnson for first place in the standings. Despite the fact that he has three more wins and four more top-5’s than the defending champion this season, Busch is only 10 points up because they both have finished in the top-10 15 times. That may not seem like a huge gap right now, but when the Chase begins every point will be absolutely crucial. Johnson was harsh on his team earlier in the season for not providing him with the best sports betting opportunity to win, and you can bet that if he feels the same way down the stretch fireworks will fly as he shoots for an improbable sixth straight points championship.

While Busch and Johnson have dominated at the top, the cutoff for the Chase is as interesting as it has ever been this season with the addition of the two Wild Card spots. According to the new rules, the top-10 drivers in the standings earn a berth in the Chase, with the two drivers with the most wins ranked between 11-19 earning the Wild Card spot to qualify. As it stands right now, the two drivers in that category that would qualify are Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin, who have two and one win respectively. Hamlin is actually tied with Paul Menard at a single victory, but has the edge with more points overall. If one of those two can manage a second win now it will all but ensure their qualification into the Chase alongside Keselowski, while the six other drivers in that category fight for their chance to make it in. Things are beginning to heat up heading into this weekend’s race at Bristol, and it is only a betonline prelude to the Chase to come.

Another top-five finish last weekend at Pocono lifted Carl Edwards back into the SCS lead, nine points ahead of five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson. The difference between the two are the pair of top-five finishes that Johnson trails by in that category, something that Johnson will need to make sure he fixes down this final stretch. The driver of the No. 48 car is well aware of Edwards’ trademark consistency, as he has dominated the sport in that area since the final stretch of last season. Johnson has already called out his teammates and demanded more of them in the pit, and it will be up to Chad Knaus and his Hendrick Motor Sports team to react and ensure that Johnson has the best car in every online casino race.

As if worrying about Edwards and his own crew wasn’t enough, Johnson is also wary of the disruptions that Kyle Busch has caused for him so far this season. It was Busch and Edwards that opened the season by explaining how they were not going to fight among themselves for position in a race and allow Johnson to capitalize on their feud, but things escalated to another level when Johnson approached Busch after last weekend’s race and called him out for costing him so crucial points with his driving. With Busch’s brother Kurt right behind him in the standings, and the man that John son beat out last year in Kevin Harvick currently in fifth, the defending champion doesn’t have many friends at the top as he aims for a sixth straight title. How Johnson reacts to that adversity and whether or not he can get any help will be crucial in determining the betonline outcome of this season.

One driver who has helped Johnson before, and can be there again is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who helped his teammate to his only win of the season early this year. The most popular driver in NASCAR ranks 10^th in the standings, and is in a good position to return to the Chase. Jeff Gordon is a couple of sports betting spots higher at seventh, while Mark Martin may be the best bet to help out Johnson as a veteran driver that isn’t likely to make the Chase from all the way back in 15^th.

The biggest reason for the traffic jam at the top of the standings is the new point system that the NASCAR officials put into place before this season to make the year more exciting to the casual fan. According to the new system every position in the race is crucial in terms of finishing, and that is why consistency is the online casino key at the top. While it is very difficult to predict a winner for any given race with so much parity at the top this season, there are a handful of drivers that can be counted on for top-10 finishes, including Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, who are tied for the SCS lead with 10 top-five finishes.

Once again, right in the middle of the equation is five-time defending SCS champion Jimmie Johnson, who is the biggest reason why the rule was put in place. Johnson finished 19^th at the Brickyard in last weekend’s race for his second dip outside of the top-10 in four weeks, and consistency will be the key for him the remainder of the way if he is going to have any chance of closing the 11-point gap between he and Edwards for first place in the standings. With just one win this season, the No. 48 car has to be among the sports betting bonus favorites to take the trip to Victory Lane at Pocono, with the more likely scenario being a return to the top-10.

While Johnson will continue to fight to defend his betonline championship run, the urgency is even greater near the bottom of the Chase qualification, as fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. holds a slim 19-point lead on Denny Hamlin for the final spot. Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, and Paul Menard are all right there on the bubble, and as Menard proved a week ago with his win at the Brickyard, those drivers that are pressing to get into the top-12 will be the ones that are the most likely to finish high or even win due to the new SCS Wild Card rule which awards a spot in the Chase to the two drivers that didn’t qualify but won the most races out of those that didn’t.

It took two online casino weeks for them to get to the Brickyard, a place where legends have been born but not as many true contenders have established themselves in recent years. The NASCAR governing body seems to have hit things dead on this year with the new points system that has made the race to the SCS Chase that much more exciting, with a top-five that is divided by just 20 points. The closest to Edwards is already a legend, but he can help his improbable chase for a sixth straight points trophy if he can put together another solid performance this coming weekend. Johnson finished fifth at New Hampshire in the last SCS race to get to seven top-five finishes, which ranks third-most behind Edwards and Kyle Busch, but the fact that he has now hit that mark in consecutive weeks is a sign that he could be ready to go over the top. The driver of the No. 48 car sounded off this past week about how things will need to get tighter in the Hendrick Motor Sports pit, and criticized his crew for poor performances, something that he has not had to deal with during his championship runs with crew chief Chad Knaus and him getting the job done on a consistent sports betting basis.

Right behind Johnson is Kevin Harvick sandwiched in between the two Busch brothers, who have made this season a much more competitive one with their drive and focus. Kurt is 11 back of the lead while Kyle, with 10 top-five finishes, is back in fifth. Harvick is lodged in between them 15 points back, and consistency will be the key for all three drivers down the stretch as it has been all year. Consider that Kyle has the most wins with three, two more than Edwards, and that his top-five mark of 10 matches Edwards’. The difference has been his three less top-10’s and how he has finished in sports betting bonus races outside of it, and if he can get those numbers higher beginning this weekend at the Brickyard 400, then he could make a push in a wide open Brickyard 400.

Johnson showed his emotions following a fifth place finish at NHMS, as two forced pit stops under caution prevented him from what looked like an excellent chance to clinch a victory. One of those cautions was due to a missing lugnut that a member of his crew forgot to replace, something that he noted simply could not happen once the Chase got underway with so many valuable betonline points on the line. Johnson noted that his team had been working hard, but that he has been very patient as they try to mature a group of guys on the staff, and they can’t afford those mistakes anymore. 20 laps after the mistake in the pit the No. 48 car ended up spinning out as he made contact with Montoya to drop all the way back to 33^rd, and while he took him for his word that it was a mistake he also pointed out that this represented the third such online casino instance where it was supposed to be a mistake and that it has gotten old. The fact that he was able to rally to finish fifth is impressive, but at this point Johnson simply wants more.

Meanwhile, Montoya made some major changes with the extra week off before the final stretch towards the Chase. The Earnhardt Ganassi team has made a change in the pit, with crew chief Brian Pattie dismissed and Jim Pohlman taking over as the new man in charge. The move was made with Montoya once again on the outside looking in from 17^th in the SCS standings, just 59 points back of the 10^th position in a guaranteed spot in this year’s Chase. Pattie had worked with Montoya since the 2008 season, but there were simply too many sports betting bonus mistakes that continued to plague the team for him to stay on.

The parent company for the Kentucky Speedway offered their apologies to fans that weren’t able to make it in time for the race due to the awful traffic conditions that backed up the highway leading to the track, as well as a ticket exchange for a future race. While the experience of the first SCS race to take place at the venue was lost on those that couldn’t make it in time, there has to be a considerable amount of optimism about the interest in the sport in the area. NASCAR avoided bigger markets such as New York to expand their schedule into Kentucky, and it seems to be the right betonline.com decision.

As far as the standings are concerned, NASCAR should be just as happy. While it wouldn’t make sense for them to want Johnson at the top of the standings at this point in the season once again, the fact that he is still within striking distance will attract attention from the casual observer as they follow whether or not he can close the gap or not. Johnson sits in fifth place, 19 points back of Busch with eight races remaining before the Chase gets underway, and all of the attention will shift from MLB scores to the No. 48 car once the playoff begins as he guns for a sixth straight overall championship.

In between Busch and Johnson are Edwards, Harvick, and Kurt Busch, with Harvick the only one among that group that has been able to match Kyle’s win total to this point in the season. Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in eighth, and it will be a huge boost to the NASCAR ratings if one of their biggest stars is able to clinch a spot in the Chase after missing out a year ago. Earnhardt Jr. is still without a win dating back the past couple of seasons, but he has come very close in 2011 and could break through with a little luck. The SCS heads to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for the LENOX Industrial Tools 201 on Sunday, and with so much action at the top it should make for an exciting online casino race.

It is that calm and focused demeanor that has some betting fans thinking this is finally the year that Johnson’s incredible run comes to an end. Edwards has been a model of consistency since the end of the 2010 season, and that counts more than ever considering how the new points system works. The No. 99 car has already matched its top-five finishes from a year ago with nine, and is on pace to surpass his top-10 numbers by a large amount as well. They key could be how many wins he finishes the season with, as one may not be enough when Johnson decides to switch gears and make his push for the front of the pack.

The Hendrick Motor Sports’ captain has faced some adversity though so far this online casino season, and although he has shown resiliency more is expected of the sport’s most dominant driver than just a single win. Johnson may very well be overdue for a victory at this weekend’s race at Daytona as he looks for redemption after a 27^th place finish there to start the SCS season, and while he doesn’t have to come in first the pressure will be on the five-time defending champion not to lose any more ground to Edwards in top spot.

That same pressure could be felt by his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has helped NASCAR steal some of the MLB spotlight this summer by remaining in contention for the Chase. Earnhardt Jr. has looked more determined than he has in a while, but with that winless streak hanging over his head it will be important for the No. 88 car to remain on track with a win at Daytona, where he opened the first SCS race of the season on the pole but placed 24^th.

The DIS is known as one of the more difficult tracks for drivers to handle, and this could be the week that Kurt’s brother Kyle Busch bounces back to make it consecutive wins for the brothers. Kevin Harvick is another name to keep an eye on for a top-five finish as he has made his climb into second place with three wins to lead the SCS in that sports betting bonus category, but the media spotlight will remain on Edwards and Johnson as they continue to battle it out.