2012 AAA 400 Picks: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs

2012 AAA 400 Expert Picks – Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs: Dover International Speedway hasn’t exactly been a breeding ground for upsets in recent years with the likes of Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch dishing out dominating victories on multiple occasions. However, the concrete oval has been known to serve up a surprise winner every now and then. Looking at the odds for this weekend’s race at the track, there are a few promising drivers that are getting such long odds that even a small bet could turn into a huge pay day. With that in mind, here is a look at the three most enticing options.

He seems to be constantly underrated, and this week is no exception for Ryan Newman. Despite being a three-time winner at Diver, he is a 33/1 longshot to win this weekend. Granted, he has hasn’t been to Victory Lane in several seasons, but he has remained consistent at the concrete track. Newman has cracked the top 15 in seven of his last nine Dover starts, including in the June race earlier this year. He has also opened the Chase with back-to-back top-10 finishes, and even though he isn’t running for the title, Newman appears to have plenty of motivation. The bottom line is that he knows how to get around Dover, and there are a lot of drivers that aren’t three-time winners that are being favored ahead of Newman. He could easily crash the Chase part this weekend.

Although he will be making just his second start in the Cup Series this season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. could make a splash this weekend at Dover. For one, he has a pair of top-five finishes at the track in the Nationwide Series and is the defending champ of the series. More importantly, he will be driving for a Roush Fenway Racing organization that has dominated at the track over the years. Fellow RFR drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards are all former winner at the track, and while Stenhouse is unproven at the Cup level, his talent is undeniable. A talented, young driver behind the wheel of an excellent racecar can be a dangerous thing. After all, it was only last year that Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in his second career Cup start. At 125/1 odds, Stenhouse is an intriguing option for bettors.

It is a small sample size, but Aric Almirola was pretty darn impressive in his first start at Dover earlier this year. He qualified 12th for the race, posted top-10 practice times throughout the weekend and ended up finishing sixth. For the record, that performance remains his best finish of the year. Whether or not he can repeat the performance remains to be seen, but at his current 200/1 odds, bettors might just want to gamble on him in case that he can back up his run from June. The payoff would certainly be sizeable.

Check out the latest 2012 AAA 400 odds and predictions from NSAwins.com’s NASCAR handicapping expert Brian Polking!