2013 Coca-Cola 600 Free Picks: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs

2013 Coca-Cola 600 Free Picks: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs : A lot can go wrong for a driver in any NASCAR race. From a cut tire or a blown to an ill-timed caution or a wreck not of their making, there are a seemingly endless number of things that can go wrong during the course of an event that can derail a driver’s chance of winning. Add an extra 100 miles into the mix, and there are even more potential hurdles. The extra 100 miles is one of the challenges drivers will be dealing with in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race is the longest of the season, and the first step to winning the race is actually being in contention in the closing laps. Since the race tends to take a toll on both underdogs and big names, the list of drivers in the mix down the stretch usually contains a few unexpected names. With that in mind, here is a closer look at a few drivers that could be surprise factors this weekend.

With only two wins in his Cup Series career, Joey Logano hasn’t exactly been a driver that dominates races and piles up victories. However, Charlotte Motor Speedway has been one of his best tracks on the schedule, and his 10.1 average finish at the 1.5-mile oval is actually the best among active drivers. In eight starts at Charlotte, Logano has finished outside the top 15 only once, and he has cracked the top 10 in five starts. Meanwhile, his best career finish at the track came in the 2011 Coca-Cola 600 so it’s not like he has missed winning by much. The bottom line is that Logano has been the most consistent driver in the series at Charlotte, yet he is only getting 28/1 odds to win this weekend. For a guy averaging a top-10 finish at the track, those odds make Logano a potential bargain for bettors.

While he hasn’t had the best results at Charlotte in recent years, Mark Martin has accomplished way too much at the track to be a 50/1 longshot to win this weekend. After all, he is a four-time winner at Charlotte, and that total doesn’t even include his two All-Star Race wins at the track. Not to mention the fact that the veteran’s patient, smooth style is built for a long race like the Coca-Cola 600. Martin knows how to take care of his equipment and how to relay the information his crew chief needs to make the proper adjustments to keep up with the falling temperatures throughout the night. Bettors won’t find many four-time Charlotte winners in the field this weekend, and they won’t find any getting the long odds that Martin is getting. He could end up being a steal.

There are two tracks on the schedule where Jamie McMurray has won multiple races. One of them is Daytona, and the other is Charlotte Motor Speedway. His first win actually came in his first start at the track when he was forced to sub for an injured Sterling Marlin, and his most-recent win came in the fall of 2010. McMurray also finished second in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2010 so he is just a couple of years removed from an incredible showing at the track. Throw in the fact that he won the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte last weekend and finished eighth in the All-Star Race the same night, and McMurray heads to this weekend’s 600-mile event with a pretty good starting setup. Last weekend’s success could be good news for the two-time Charlotte winner and even better news for the anyone willing to take a chance on the 66/1 longshot. The payout would be substantial if he delivers a third win at the track this weekend.

Bettors looking for a serious longshot this weekend may want to roll the dice on David Reutimann. As his 500/1 odds suggest, he is going to need a lot of things to go right for him if he is going to win Sunday night, but he does run well enough at the track to at least give himself a shot at an upset. After all, we are talking about a driver that reeled off five straight top-15 finishes at Charlotte from 2009 to 2011. During the stretch, he piled up four top-10s, including a victory in the 2009 Coca-Cola 600. Granted, his numbers have slipped drastically the last couple of years as he has bounced between smaller teams, but the history of success is clear. Reutimann should be able to run well enough to stay on the lead lap or at least end up on the lead lap by the end of the 600 miles. If enough of the competition succumbs to various issues as it often does during the marathon race, Reutimann could be in position to use a little pit strategy to pull off a massive upset and deliver a massive payout even on the smallest of wagers.

Be sure to check the NSAwins.com Betting Daily Blog all week for updated 2013 Coca-Cola 600 odds, free tips, free picks, predictions and articles from NASCAR expert tipster Brian Polking. NSAwins.com is your home for 2013 Coca-Cola 600 Betting Odds and Handicapping coverage!

Odds to win the 2013 Coca-Cola 600
101 Jimmie Johnson +600
102 Kyle Busch +600
103 Matt Kenseth +700
104 Kasey Kahne +900
105 Denny Hamlin +900
106 Carl Edwards +1200
107 Brad Keselowski +1200
108 Greg Biffle +1400
109 Jeff Gordon +1400
110 Clint Bowyer +1600
111 Martin Truex Jr +1600
112 Dale Earnhardt Jr +1600
113 Kevin Harvick +1800
114 Tony Stewart +2500
115 Kurt Busch +3000
116 Joey Logano +3000
117 Mark Martin +5000
118 Ryan Newman +6000
119 Jamie McMurray +6000
120 Ricky Stenhouse +6000
121 Juan Montoya +6000
122 Field +2500

Check the latest NASCAR Odds and Betting Lines from BOVADA below: