If the Las Vegas bookies have it right, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will win the Daytona 500 and Jimmie Johnson will win his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title.
Earnhardt is a slight favorite ahead of Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon to win at Daytona on Feb. 15. Earnhardt is +500, Busch is +600 and Gordon is +700, according to Sportsbook.com. Johnson is fourth on the list at +900.
For those who don't bet, this means Earnhardt is the favorite at 5-to-1. If
you bet $100 on Earnhardt and he wins the race, you would win $500.
If that happens, it will be one category in which Junior tops his legendary father in the history books. A victory would give him two Daytona 500 wins, one more than Earnhardt Sr. recorded.
Looking for some long shots? Well, the bookmakers believe rookie Scott Speed has as much chance of winning the Great American Race as former Cup champion Bobby Labonte in his Ford for Hall of Fame Racing. Both drivers are
+10,000, as is Aric Almirola, Travis Kvapil and Reed Sorenson.
So the guy driving the famous No. 43 (Sorenson), which Richard Petty guided to a record seven Daytona 500 victories, ranks with the longest of long shots in the field.
Another oddity is David Reutimann as a betting favorite over Michael Waltrip. Reutimann, who has yet to win a race, drives for Waltrip's Toyota team. Waltrip has won the Daytona 500 twice. But Reutimann is +5,000 and Waltrip is +6,000.
As for the Cup title, Johnson barely edges Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch for top betting pick. Johnson is +350; Edwards and Busch are +400.
Mark Martin, in what may be his last and best shot at a Cup championship, is
+2,000 in the No. 5 Chevy. Those are the worst odds for any Hendrick
Motorsports driver. Gordon is +1,000 and Earnhardt is +1,200.
Rookie Joey Logano is +4,000, which means the bookies believe he has a better chance of winning the title than Jamie McMurray (+5,000), Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya (all of whom are
+10,000).
Logano is driving Tony Stewart's old No. 20 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Stewart is driving for his own team in an organization that hasn't won a thing.
But the oddsmakers believe Stewart has a much better chance of winning the title in his new No. 14 Chevy than Logano has in the No. 20 Camry. Stewart is listed at +1,800.
So place your bets and see if you get lucky. By the way, the bookies aren't always right. Newman was a 30-1 shot to win the Daytona 500 last year.
Terry Blount
