NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
STP 500

Odds to Win Race

After a week off, the Sprint Cup drivers will head to Martinsville Speedway for the STP 500 on Sunday. This track runs 0.526 miles long and features an asphalt surface. Two guys that will really be looking forward to racing on Sunday are Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin. Both Johnson and Hamlin have won this race three times in their careers. Johnson also happens to be coming off of a big victory at the Auto Club 400 on Mar. 20. Hamlin, however, was the winner of the STP 500 just a year ago. He’ll be seriously amped up because only a few other racers have ever won this race in back-to-back years. With that being said, let’s now take a look at some of the best value plays for Sunday’s race:

Jimmie Johnson (6-to-1) - As previously mentioned, Jimmie Johnson has already won the STP 500 three times in his career. He also happens to be coming into this race in ridiculous form. Johnson won last week’s Auto Club 400 and has already emerged victorious in two races this season. He also has a third place finish to his name as well. At 6-to-1, it’s really hard to not take Johnson at this track. He has finished in the top-five at five of his past 10 races in Ridgeway and passing up on a guy that is a near-lock to be at the front of the pack is very tough to do.

Denny Hamlin (12-to-1) - Like Johnson, Hamlin has also won three times at this race in his career and he is also having a very good season early on. Hamlin won the Daytona 500 and has finished in third place at each of the past two races. This is a track that he has really raced well at in his career, coming in the top-10 at six of his nine appearances. The only active driver who has been better than Hamlin at this track is Johnson, but Hamlin can emerge as the better of the two here with a win on Sunday. He’ll be eager to do that and is a great pick at 12-to-1.

Ryan Newman (45-to-1) - Newman is off to a poor start this season, failing to crack the top-10 in all five races. He has, however, performed at a high level in Martinsville in his career. Newman won this race back in 2012 and he has also recorded a total of four top-10 finishes in this race. He’s a guy that is more than capable of winning a race or two in any given season and this is a good track to take a chance on him. He’s getting some favorable 45-to-1 odds and is the right type of high upside pick to pair with Johnson and Hamlin on Sunday.

Austin Dillon (100-to-1) - Dillon is coming off of a lousy 24th-place finish at the Auto Parts 400, but he has been enjoying a breakout season this year. Dillon already has three top-10 finishes and he also finished in 11th at Atlanta in the second race of the year. Although he has never won a race, Dillon is a very talented young driver and he is going to break through for a victory soon. This is a very good place to bank on that victory, as he is getting absurd 100-to-1 odds. It would pay off huge if he was to win and it’s really not that much of a long shot.