The regular season finale for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is this weekend’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, since NASCAR’s yearly stop at Indianapolis Motor Speedway comes in September this year. Adjustments to the schedule have taken the July race to the second weekend in September. It will not be hot at IMS as normal, so teams will have to make some alterations to what they recall about the track.
Speaking of adjustments, NASCAR, as a whole, demands some. The statement that Furniture Row Racing will stop operations because of lack of sponsorship. NASCAR’s problems run deep, as even Jimmie Johnson, that remains a big name in the game despite a lack of results, doesn’t have sponsors lined up for next year. Martin Truex Jr. won last year’s championship with Furniture Row. He’ll stay with Toyota and go to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2019, however that really is a indication of bigger problems for your game.
While our principal focus is still the conclusion of their regular season, NASCAR has a lot of things to find out. CEO Brian France is still receiving treatment for chemical abuse problems and the game is damaging financially with decreasing presence and a lack of sponsors. Some may even think about the situation dire.
In any event, we are a betting information website, so our attention is this weekend’s race. It’s the 26th and last race of the season, with the playoffs starting next week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is one of the most iconic venues in racing and that milk consistently goes down good, irrespective of the temperature outside, for the winner of this one.
For all those on the outside looking in for the playoffs, that milk goes down real, real good. Only two playoff places remain unclaimed. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. have 16 of the 25 wins. Clint Bowyer has two. Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, and Austin Dillon have one win apiece. Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Aric Almirola have been based on points. Jimmie Johnson seems safe, with a 19-point edge on Alex Bowman. He’ll get knocked out, if someone below Bowman wins. If not, he’s got a huge points edge on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.. Kasey Kahne won this mess of a race last year, which had warnings, crashes, and bad weather. If that happens this week, then he’d be in.
Unsurprisingly, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. are the top three on the board at 5Dimes Sportsbook. Harvick and Busch are equally +265 and Truex is +470. There really isn’t much to say about these guys. Truex has some additional incentive to win each and every week for Furniture Row along with his hard-working team, but that may not be enough against Busch and Harvick on a large, quick track. Harvick has not won here since 2003, Busch won in 2015 and 2016, and Truex has never won here.
Harvick won the Michigan race a few weeks back and was second earlier in the year. That is the best barometer we’ve got for this 2.5-mile track because Daytona and Talladega are restrictor plate races and people are an altogether different creature. Busch was fourth and third. Truex was 18th and 14th. Truex did triumph the two-mile loop at Car Club Speedway.
The obvious pick for investment that this week is Kyle Larson. Larson doesn’t have a win, but swept just about everything last week in Darlington. He just finished third instead of first. He led the most laps and won both phases. He was third two weeks ahead at Bristol. Larson has been 17th and 28th at Michigan earlier this year, but he possesses three career wins at Michigan and has run well at Auto Club Speedway. Larson is +660 to receive his first win and it would not be the least bit surprising when he got it .
Brad Keselowski, a week’s winner in Darlington, is +1300. Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are the sole others under 20/1. That is just another problem for NASCAR. It just isn’t all that aggressive anymore. Fans of drivers not named Harvick, Busch, or Truex do not have a lot to watch on a weekly basis.
There are a few non-household names that have won this race recently. Jimmie Johnson has four wins, with the final coming in 2012. Jeff Gordon won five times, with the last in 2014. Ryan Newman won in 2013. Kahne won last year. Paul Menard won in 2011. Jamie McMurray won in 2010. There’s the possibility for somebody to step up as a long shot, but it seems highly unlikely with the gear and the drivers that have mastered the game this season.
Coverage of the 2018 Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard is going to be on NBC Sports Network on Sunday September 9 using a 2 p.m. ET start time.
Curious as of September 5, 3:30 p.m. ET:
Kevin Harvick +265
Kyle Busch +265
Martin Truex Jr +470
Kyle Larson +660
Brad Keselowski +1300
Ryan Blaney +1600
Joey Logano +1600
Erik Jones +2200
Denny Hamlin +2200
Chase Elliott +2200
Kurt Busch +2600
Clint Bowyer +2600
Aric Almirola +4400
Jimmie Johnson +5500
Daniel Suarez +6600
Alex Bowman +8800
Paul Menard +10000
Austin Dillon +11000
Ryan Newman +11000
Jamie McMurray +11000
William Byron +20000
Matt Kenseth +30000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +30000
Chris Buescher +50000
Kasey Kahne +50000
AJ Allmendinger +100000
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