2011 Quaker State 400: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs

2011 Quaker State 400 Expert Picks: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs – How to Bet on the Quaker State 400: Saturday’s race at Kentucky Speedway presents a rare opportunity for bettors. It isn’t often that a new track gets added to the schedule, but that is exactly the scenario that presents itself this weekend. There is no greater equalizer than facing a track for the first time. Not a single driver has setup information to fall back on, making this weekend’s race a bit more wide open than most. In a year when three drivers have already become first-time winners, there is no better time to try to hit it big with an underdog.

Consistency has not been the strong suit of Joey Logano in 2011, but he has a couple of things going for him as the series heads to Kentucky, making him an attractive option at his current 30/1 odds. For starters, he is coming off a third-place finish at Daytona, giving him back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time this season. More importantly, Logano’s other top-five finish this year came at Charlotte – a track with the same 1.5-mile layout as Kentucky.

Logano also has a history of success at the track in the Nationwide Series. In fact, he has never lost in three starts, and he has been as perfect as a driver can be. He has started from the pole in each of his three victories, leading the most laps twice. Granted, Nationwide success doesn’t always translate to the Cup Series, but it is pretty tough to ignore three wins in three starts at the same track regardless of the series. 

Another driver bettors need to consider is Paul Menard. At his current 65/1 odds, the payout would be well worth it, and a win by Menard isn’t totally out of the question. After all, he has scored the 11th-most points at 1.5-mile tracks the last 10 races, finishing in the top 10 in five of his starts. During the stretch, he has outscored bigger names such as Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch.

Menard should also benefit from his offseason move to Richard Childress Racing. The organization is championship-caliber, and it has put drivers in the Chase on a consistent basis. More importantly, his teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer both rank in the top five in terms of points scored at 1.5-mile tracks in the last 10 races. Menard is now behind the wheel of the same equipment, which could help him become the next driver to become a first-time winner in 2011.

View the most current 2011 Quaker State 400 Odds for the Quaker State 400 this Saturday, July 9th at Kentucky Speedway.