2011 FedEx 400 benefitting Autism Speaks Picks: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs

2011 FedEx 400 benefitting Autism Speaks Picks: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs – How to Bet on the 2011 FedEx 400: For bettors that make a habit of picking longshots each week, the 2011 Sprint Cup season has already been a banner year. Trevor Bayne shocked the NASCAR world by winning the season-opening Daytona 500 in just his second career start. In addition, former champions Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth have snapped long losing streaks. Last weekend, Regan Smith came out of nowhere to win his first career Cup race in the prestigious Southern 500. With the series heading to Dover this weekend, there is no reason to think another upset win can’t happen.

Atop the list of potential wildcard winners is A.J. Allmendinger, who is getting 75/1 odds to win this weekend.. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver has excelled at Dover in his last three starts, finishing in the top-15 in all three races and compiling a 10.3 average finish. Allmendinger has a pair of top-10 finishes at the track during the stretch, ncluding a career-best seventh-place finish in the fall of 2009.

While the consistency is nice, it is Allmendinger’s performance in the fall race last season that should have bettors jumping on the chance to bet on him. He won the pole for the event, and he appeared to have the car to beat in the early stage as he led 143 laps. However, a cut tire during a green flag run forced him to pit road, dropping him two laps off the pace. Incredibly, Allmendinger actually made up both laps and finished 10th, but his chances at winning were gone. Expect him to have a fast car again this weekend, along with plenty of motivation to finish what he started last fall.

Another driver lurking under the radar with a history of success at Dover is Joey Logano and his 30/1 odds to win. He has finished in the top-15 in three of his four starts at the track, including a pair of top-10 finishes last season. More importantly, Logano continues to improve with experience. After finishing 10th in the May event last year, he finished a career-best third in the fall event. If he improves much more, he could end up in Victory Lane.

Logano has the added benefit of driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. It appears the organization has figured something out at Dover, and the results last season are proof. Kyle Busch won the May event and finished sixth in the fall, while Denny Hamlin finished fourth and ninth. In other words, JGR drivers combined to make six starts at Dover last season, and the trio combined for six top-10 finishes, three top-five efforts and a win. Bettors have to like those numbers.

View the most current 2011 FedEx 400 Favorites for this Saturday, May 15th in Dover, Delaware.