2014 Sprint All-Star Race Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: Favorites, Sleepers and Drivers to Avoid: While a lot of professional All-Star games get knocked for being boring, it’s tough to say that about NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star Race. After all, only race winners from the past season and former champions get into the race, and the 100-lap event has a winner-take-all format with a $1 million purse awaiting the winner of the final 10-lap shootout. Throw in the fact that the All-Star Race doesn’t count for regular season points, and drivers have no reason to be conservative. The end result is usually 100 laps of the best drivers in the series going at it with a checkers or wreckers attitude. Not surprisingly, there have been plenty of memorable moments over the years, and before this year’s All-Star Race goes green, here is a closer look at the top contenders.
The Favorites
Not only is he going for his third-consecutive victory in the All-Star Race this weekend, but Jimmie Johnson also holds the all-time record with four total victories in the event. Meanwhile, he has six victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway in points-paying races. The All-Star Race has used several formats in recent years, but Johnson always seems to have a winning car and a winning strategy. A three-peat is a real possibility this weekend.
Although he has never won the All-Star Race, Kyle Busch has been knocking on the door of a victory in the event in each of the past three years, reeling off three-straight finishes of third or better. He also has six top-five finishes in his last eight starts at Charlotte during the regular season so he clearly has a great feel for the track. Busch is also a great short-run driver so the 10-lap final segment in the All-Star Race plays right to his strengths.
His 4.3 average finish is the best of any driver in the All-Star Race, and Joey Logano finished a career-best second in the race last season. On top of that, his 10.3 average finish at Charlotte during the regular season is also the best in the Cup Series. Last but not least, Logano has been stellar at 1.5-mile tracks in 2014, notching a win and two fourth-place finishes in three tries. This has been a breakout season for Logano, and Saturday’s All-Star Race could be his chance to make his biggest statement to date.
He is one of the most proven big-race drivers in the Cup Series today, and Kevin Harvick has victories in the Daytona 500, Southern 500, Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600 and All-Star Race to his name already. His wins in the All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 are particularly important because both events are held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In fact, Harvick has two wins at Charlotte in his last eight starts at the track during the regular season. He could definitely add to his big-race reputation this weekend.
The Contenders
He is a former winner at Charlotte both during the regular season and in the All-Star Race, and Matt Kenseth has always been consistent in the winner-take-all event. In fact, his 6.5 average finish in the All-Star Race since 2001 is the third best in the series. Kenseth has also cracked the top 10 in his last seven starts in the event, picking up three top-three finishes during the stretch.
Although he has been a little up and down in the All-Star Race, there is no denying that Kasey Kahne knows how to win at Charlotte. In addition to being a former winner of the All-Star Race, he is also a four-time winner at Charlotte during the regular season. Kahne has finished eighth or better in his last five races at the track, picking up second-place finishes in both starts at the track last year. Kahne has plenty of potential this weekend.
Sleeper Special
He hasn’t been running all that well in 2014, but Tony Stewart could make some noise this weekend in the All-Star Race. After all, he is a former winner at Charlotte during the regular season and a former winner of the All-Star Race. Meanwhile, he has finished in the top five in five of his last seven starts in the All-Star Race, and his 8.3 average finish is the fourth best in the event since 2001.
Big Name to Avoid
Although he is having an incredible year, Jeff Gordon hasn’t had a lot of luck at Charlotte lately. During the regular season, he has failed to finish in the top five in his last eight races at the track. Meanwhile, he hasn’t even managed a top-10 in his last seven starts in the All-Star Race. As stout as he has been in 2014, the numbers are not in Gordon’s favor this weekend.
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