The regular season finale for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is the weekend’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, as NASCAR’s yearly stop at Indianapolis Motor Speedway comes from September this year. Adjustments to the schedule have taken the July race into the second weekend in September. It won’t be hot at IMS as normal, so teams will have to make some alterations to what they remember about the track.
Speaking of adjustments, NASCAR, as a whole, demands some. The announcement that Furniture Row Racing will cease operations because of lack of sponsorship. NASCAR’s issues run deep, as even Jimmie Johnson, who stays 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 will stay with Toyota and go to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2019, but this is a indication of larger problems for the game.
While our primary 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 substance abuse issues and the sport is damaging financially with decreasing attendance and a lack of sponsors. Some could even consider the situation dire.
In any event, we’re a gambling information website, so our attention is that this weekend’s race. It’s the 26th and final race of the regular season, with the playoffs starting next week in Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is among the most iconic places in racing and milk always goes down good, irrespective of the temperatures outside, for the winner of this one.
For those on the outside looking in for the playoffs, that milk would go down real, real good. Just two playoff spots remain unclaimed. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. have 16 of the 25 wins. Clint Bowyer includes two. Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, and Austin Dillon all have one win apiece. Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Aric Almirola are in based on points. Jimmie Johnson appears safe, using a 19-point border on Alex Bowman. If someone below Bowman wins, he will get knocked out. 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 cautions, crashes, and bad weather. If this happens this week, then he would be in.
Not surprisingly, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. are the best three on the board in 5Dimes Sportsbook. Harvick and Busch are equally +265 and Truex is +470. There is actuallyn’t much to say about these guys. Truex has some extra incentive to acquire each and every week for Furniture Row and his hard-working team, but that may not be sufficient from Busch and Harvick to a big, fast track. Harvick hasn’t won here since 2003, Busch won in 2015 and 2016, and Truex hasn’t 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 a completely different animal. Busch was fourth and third. Truex was 18th and 14th. Truex did win the two-mile loop in Auto Club Speedway.
The obvious choice for investment that this week is Kyle Larson. Larson does not have a triumph, but swept just about everything last week in Darlington. He just finished third instead of first. He led the most laps and won both stages. He was next two weeks ahead at Bristol. Larson was 17th and 28th at Michigan earlier this season, but he owns three career wins at Michigan and has run well at Car Club Speedway. Larson is +660 to get his first win and it would not be the least bit surprising if he got it .
Brad Keselowski, a week’s winner in Darlington, is +1300. Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are the only others below 20/1. That is just another problem for NASCAR. It isn’t all that aggressive anymore. Fans of motorists not named Harvick, Busch, or Truex don’t have a whole lot to see on a weekly basis.
There are some non-household names which have won this race recently. Jimmie Johnson has four wins, with the final coming in 2012. Jeff Gordon won here five times, with the past in 2014. Ryan Newman won in 2013. Kahne won last year. Paul Menard won in 2011. Jamie McMurray won in 2010. There is the chance for somebody to measure as a very long shot, but it appears highly unlikely with the gear and the drivers who have dominated the game this year.
Coverage of this 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.
Odds 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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