2013 Toyota/Save Mart 350 Free Picks: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs: The Cup Series heads to Sonoma Raceway this weekend, and the road course offers more sleeper option for bettors than almost any other track on the schedule. After all, Sonoma is one of only two tracks where drivers from road racing series from around show up to try to beat the Cup Series regulars. These drivers are often referred to as road course ringers, and several of them have made a mark on the series over the years. Of course, not every potential sleeper bet is a road course ringer, but the fact that drivers can simply show up once or twice a year and compete with the biggest names in NASCAR says something about the unique set of skills that it takes to excel at road racing. Needless to say, a trip to Sonoma can definitely level the playing field and open the door for some surprise names to get to victory lane. With that in mind, here is a closer look at a few underdogs that could pull off the upset Sunday at Sonoma.
While he has only made three starts in the Cup Series, Jacques Villeneuve still deserves plenty of attention from bettors at Sonoma this weekend at his 40/1 odds. For starters, he is a former CART and Formula One champ, and both series require a driver to be a master of road course racing. Perhaps more importantly, he has excelled in his recent starts in stock cars in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series. Villeneuve has six top-10s, including four top-five finishes, in nine starts at the Nationwide level. He is also driving for a Phoenix Racing team that finished third at Sonoma last year so his equipment should be able to get the job done. Yes, Villeneuve is inexperienced in a Cup car, but he has a deep background in road racing that has already translated to success in the Nationwide Series. There is no reason that same skillset won’t allow him to contend at the Cup level, making him a potential steal at his current odds.
Although he has never won a road course event in his Cup career, Greg Biffle is an underrated betting option at his current 40/1 odds. After all, he has been quietly piling up solid results at the track for nearly a decade, and in his last nine starts at the track, he has seven top-15s. Biffle has been even better recently, logging four finishes of seventh or better in his last seven starts at Sonoma. At the end of the day, Biffle is a proven winner at the Cup level that has been trending in the right direction at Sonoma. Throw in the 40/1 odds, and it doesn’t take a huge investment for bettors to see a hefty reward if he puts it all together and earns his first road course win this weekend.
Several road course ringers have dabbled in NASCAR over the years, but none have had the level of success of Ron Fellows. The Canadian road racing ace is a 50/1 longshot this weekend, but he has already proven he can contend for victories in the Cup Series. He has finished as high as second on two occasions at road races at the Cup level, and he already owns a couple of top-10s at Sonoma. Meanwhile, Fellows is a four-time winner at road courses in the Nationwide Series and has two road course wins in the Camping World Truck Series. He is driving for a Circle Sport team that gets its equipment from Richard Childress Racing so Fellows should have a car capable of contending, and he has already shown he has the skills. No road ringer has come as close to winning a Cup race as Fellows, and if he finally seals the deal this weekend at Sonoma, bettors will want to be a part of it.
Bettors looking for a serious sleeper this weekend may want to consider David Gilliland. He is a 500/1 longshot this weekend, and in terms of pure road racing skill, he doesn’t measure up with the top drivers or even with some of the better options for that matter. However, he is a decent enough road course driver to run competitive lap times, and more importantly, he has a knack for conserving fuel and using fuel mileage to his advantage. Gilliland has used pit strategy to his advantage on multiple occasions at Sonoma, and in his last five starts at the track, he has three top-20 finishes. In fact, he has finished as high as second during the stretch. Yes, Gilliland needs some breaks to fall his way in order for his approach to work, but it has nearly delivered him a Sonoma win in the past. At his 500/1 odds, bettors could get a massive payout with only a minimal investment.
Be sure to check the NSAwins.com Betting Daily Blog all week for updated 2013 Toyota Save Mart 350 odds, free tips, free picks, predictions and articles from NASCAR expert tipster Brian Polking. NSAwins.com is your home for 2013 Toyota Save Mart 350 Betting Odds and Handicapping coverage!
Odds to win the Nascar Toyota Save Mart 350
101 Marcos Ambrose +600
102 Tony Stewart +800
103 Juan Montoya +900
104 Kyle Busch +900
105 Jeff Gordon +900
106 Jimmie Johnson +900
107 Kurt Busch +1100
108 Kevin Harvick +1100
109 Clint Bowyer +1100
110 Brad Keselowski +1600
111 Carl Edwards +2500
112 Kasey Kahne +2500
113 Brian Vickers +3500
114 Martin Truex Jr +3500
115 Ron Fellows +4000
116 Jacques Villeneuve +4000
117 Greg Biffle +4000
118 Dale Earnhardt Jr +6000
119 Danica Patrick +6000
120 Paul Menard +6000
121 Joey Logano +3000
122 Jamie McMurray +4000
123 Denny Hamlin +4000
124 Matt Kenseth +4000
125 Ryan Newman +7500
126 Ricky Stenhouse +7500
127 Field +2000
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