2014 Auto Club 400 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: Favorites, Dark Horses, Sleepers and Drivers to Avoid

2014 Auto Club 400 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: Favorites, Dark Horses, Sleepers and Drivers to Avoid: The Cup Series heads back out to the West Coast this weekend for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 in Fontana, California. Auto Club Speedway will play host to the event, and the track is one of two on the schedule that have a 2.0-mile layout with the other being Michigan International Speedway. As a result of the track’s long straightaways and wide racing surface, passing tends to be a little bit easier than most weeks for drivers with faster cars. Side-by-side and even three-wide racing is also possible, at least when drivers are willing to give a little bit. That was not the case at the end of last year’s race as Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin spent the last lap trading paint, resulting in a nasty wreck that allowed Kyle Busch to sneak into victory lane and sent Hamlin to the hospital. Whether or not Sunday’s race will be as exciting remains to be seen, but in the meantime, here is a closer look at who to bet on and who to avoid for the Auto Club 400.

The Favorites

California native Jimmie Johnson has enjoyed nothing but success at his home-state track. His 5.7 average finish at Auto Club Speedway is by far the best in the series, and more importantly, he leads all drivers with five victories at the 2.0-mile oval. Meanwhile, Johnson has finished in the top three in 12 of his 19 starts at ACS, including 10 finishes of either first or second.

In recent years, nobody has been better at Auto Club Speedway than Kyle Busch. Not only he is the defending winner of this weekend’s race, but he has finished third or better in each of the last three races at the track. More impressively, Busch had led 356 of the 529 laps during the stretch while no other driver has led more than 71.

Although he normally does his best work in the summer months, Auto Club Speedway has been an exception for Tony Stewart. In seven starts at the track since joining Stewart-Haas racing, “Smoke” has six top-15 finishes, including five top-10s. Meanwhile, Stewart has won two of the last four races at the track and has led the second-most laps at the track since 2011.

The Dark Horses

Although he only has one victory at Auto Club Speedway, Carl Edwards has been in contention in nearly every start at the 2.0-mile oval. His 8.4 average finish at ACS is the second best in the series, and he has finished seventh or better 13 times in 16 total starts. Edwards has also finished sixth or better in his last three starts at the track entering Sunday’s race.

Over the past two seasons, Greg Biffle has quietly been the king of 2.0-mile tracks. In six races, he has a series-leading 4.5 average finish and leads all drivers with two wins. He also ranks third in the series in laps led during the stretch. At Auto Club Speedway specifically, Biffle has back-to-back sixth-place finishes.

Sleeper Special

He came within a lap of winning at Auto Club Speedway last year, and Joey Logano blossomed at the 2.0-mile ovals in 2013 in his first year with Team Penske. He compiled a 4.3 average finish in three starts, winning at Michigan in the summer and finishing a career-best third at Auto Club Speedway. Logano also led at least 20 laps in all three races, including 41 at ACS. Watch out for him this weekend.

Big Name to Avoid

Although he is off to a strong start in 2014, bettors may want to steer clear of Brad Keselowski this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. After all, he has a dismal 22.8 average finish in five starts at the 2.0-mile oval. Worse yet, Keselowski has never finished better than 18th at ACS and has four finishes outside of the top 20.

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