2011 Showtime Southern 500 – Post-Practice Predictions

2011 Showtime Southern 500 Post-Practice Predictions, Picks and Preview – Favorites and Sleepers to Win 2011 Showtime Southern 500: Rain caused all sorts for problems at Darlington Raceway Saturday, knocking out almost all of the scheduled practice sessions as well as any rubber that had been on the track. Without the added benefit of two practices worth of information, bettors will have to turn to a combination of practice times, qualifying results and past performances at Darlington when making their picks this weekend.

Post-Practice Top 5

Ryan Newman: Newman topped the charts in the one practice session that did have a chance to be held, and he followed that performance up by qualifying on the outside of the front row. In 11 career starts at Darlington, Newman has managed eight top-10s, including six top-five finishes. He has finished as high as second at the track, and bettors have to like his chances of getting to Victory Lane Saturday.

Carl Edwards: He is always a threat to win at the intermediate ovals, and Edwards’ weekend is off to a strong start. He posted the second-fastest lap in practice, and he qualified inside the top-five as well. With the Fords running strong in 2011 and the No. 99 running well this weekend, Saturday night could be a big one for Edwards.

Denny Hamlin: There is a lot for bettors to love about Hamlin this weekend. Not only is he the defending winner of the race, but he owns the best average finish at Darlington among active drivers and has never finished worse than 13th. He showed his typical muscle during the Friday activities, posting a top-five practice time and qualifying third.

Kasey Kahne: Although his success at Darlington has been limited to his earlier years in the Cup Series, all signs are pointing to a rebound from Kahne this weekend. After posting a top-five time in practice, Kahne went out and won the pole for Saturday’s race. With all the teams being limited on practice time, starting up front should give Kahne an big enough edge that bettors will want to consider him.

Jeff Gordon: He didn’t show much in practice, but in all fairness, there wasn’t much practice for him to show his stuff. Gordon is one of the best in NASCAR history when it comes to Darlington, and he has seven straight top-five finishes and counting to prove it. He qualified fifth for Saturday’s race, and bettors won’t find a more proven option to back.

Post-Practice Top Sleeper

Brad Keselowski: He doesn’t have a lot of starts in the Cup Series, but in Keselowski’s two starts at Darlington, he has managed a seventh-place finish and a 12th-place run. He secured a top-10 starting spot for Saturday’s race during qualifying, and considering his past success, he is the most likely driver to come from out of nowhere to pull the upset this weekend.