2011 Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Breakdown – Beating the Odds: Who to Bet On

2011 Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Betting Odds Breakdown – Who to Bet On and How to Win Money on NASCAR Betting this week:It’s another week of bumping and banging as the Cup Series heads to a short track in Martinsville, Virginia. NASCAR’s smallest and slowest track has been dominated by Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson the last few years, and the two have combined to win the last nine races at the track. Needless to say, bettors should lean toward both drivers when putting money down this weekend.

At the same time, the streak has to end sometime. If it does, you should ready to capitalize on the odds.At 9/1 odds, Jeff Gordon is obviously among the favorites to win Sunday, but given his numbers at the track, he is the most likely candidate to end the dynasty of Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin. Since the odds of someone other than the top-two drivers winning this weekend are slim, picking the next driver in line might be as risky as bettors want to get. For the record, Gordon leads all active drivers with seven wins at Martinsville and has finished in the top-five in 11 of his last 12 starts.

If you take his career numbers into account, then Mark Martin’s 28/1 odds seem fair. However, he has been a new man since joining Hendrick Motorsports. He has finished in the top-10 in three of his four starts at Martinsville with the organization, and he finished second at the track last fall. Don’t count the veteran out.

He didn’t manage a top-five finish at Martinsville last year, but Jeff Burton deserves better than his 16/1 odds. He led the most laps in both races last season, but a cut tire and a poor pit stop ended his chances at winning. Burton has been having a miserable season, but he could provide a nice payoff for bettors if he is able to finish what he started one year ago.

Even though he won last weekend’s race in Fontana, Kevin Harvick isn’t worth backing at his 8/1 odds. Despite being a solid short track and flat track racer throughout his career, the success hasn’t really been there at Martinsville. He has just a single top-five finish at the track in his 10-year career.

It is pretty obvious from his strong start that Carl Edwards is going to have bettors smiling throughout the 2011 season, but he is a bit overrated at his 12/1 odds this weekend. He has just one top-five finish at Martinsville in his career, and Roush Fenway Racing has struggled at the track as a whole. Edwards hasn’t exactly been great at the flat tracks in general, and it would be a stretch for him to win Sunday.

Longshot of the week honors go to Brad Keselowski. At 80/1 the potential for a huge payoff is available for bettors. He has managed just two top-10 finishes in the Cup Series since joining Penske Racing, and one of those top-10 runs came at Martinsville. In fact, Keselowski has finished 12th and 10th in his only two starts at the track. If he can improve even a little bit, he could be in the mix for a top-five finish. At a short track like Martinsville, anyone running near the front has a chance.

Driver/Odds
A.J. Allmendinger #43 80/1
Bobby Labonte #47 250/1
Brad Keselowski #2 80/1
Brian Vickers #83 70/1
Carl Edwards #99 12/1
Casey Mears #13 500/1
Clint Bowyer #33 20/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 25/1
Dave Blaney #36 500/1
David Gilliland #34 500/1
David Ragan #6 100/1
David Reutimann #00 75/1
Dennis Setzer #92 500/1
Denny Hamlin #11 7/2
Derrike Cope #75 500/1
Greg Biffle #16 40/1
Hermie Sadler #71 500/1
J.J. Yeley #46 500/1
Jamie McMurray #1 25/1
Jeff Burton #31 16/1
Jeff Gordon #24 9/1
Jimmie Johnson #48 5/1
Joe Nemechek #87 500/1
Joey Logano #20 28/1
Juan Pablo Montoya #42 30/1
Kasey Kahne #4 40/1
Ken Schrader #32 500/1
Kevin Harvick #29 8/1
Kurt Busch #22 25/1
Kyle Busch #18 8/1
Landon Cassill #09 500/1
Marcos Ambrose #9 100/1
Mark Martin #5 28/1
Martin Truex Jr. #56 40/1
Matt Kenseth #17 35/1
Michael McDowell #66 500/1
Paul Menard #27 100/1
Regan Smith #78 200/1
Robby Gordon #7 500/1
Ryan Newman #39 28/1
Tony Raines #37 500/1
Tony Stewart #14 10/1
Travis Kvapil #38 500/1
Trevor Bayne #21 250/1

View the most current vegas betting odds to win the 2011 Goody’s Fast Relief 500 for this Sunday, April 3rd at Martinsville Speedway at 1PM EST on FOX TV.