NASCAR Betting: All-Star Challenge Preview, Odds, and Free Picks

The good ol’ boys of NASCAR take a week off from competitive races this weekend for their annual All-Star festivities at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. The unpredictability of this weekend’s race on Tobacco Road could open up some fantastic opportunities for bettors to cash in with big prices, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re analyzing the NASCAR betting lines to try to find some winners for the event!

This race dates back to 1985, and several past champions litter this field that will take the green flag at Charlotte on Saturday.

Last year’s champion, Tony Stewart (+1200 at BetUS Sportsbook) is struggling a tad in the standings in 14th place, two slots outside of the Chase for the Championship. He doesn’t have a fantastic history here at Charlotte Motor Speedway either, as he only has a win in last year’s All-Star Challenge to go with his 2003 triumph in the UAW-GM Quality 500 when he was with Joe Gibbs racing. Stewart became the first owner/driver to win this event since its inception, and he’ll look to become just the second man to ever win back-to-back All-Star races (Bobby Allison 1991-92).

The all-time winningest All-Star racer in this field is the Rainbow Warrior, Jeff Gordon (+500 at BetUS Sportsbook). He won this event in 1995, 1997, and 2001, but since that point, he hasn’t been able to capture the elusive million dollar prize. The #24 car has five top five finishes in 12 races this year and currently sits sixth in points, just 163 off of the pace. Hendrick Motor Sports has captured this crown six times, which is two more than Richard Childress Racing for the most by a team in NASCAR history.

Grabbing the points leader, Kevin Harvick (+1200 at BetUS Sportsbook) at this type of a price might be a steal for NASCAR betting fans. Harvick already has found his way to Victory Lane once this year, and his nine Top 10 finishes is easily the most in the business in the 2010 season. Harvick got Richard Childress Racing that aforementioned fourth victory in the All-Star Challenge in 2007.

The leaders on the season in wins are also going to be ones to watch for. It has been seven races since Jimmie Johnson (+450 at BetUS Sportsbook) has tasted victory, but he still has three wins, five Top 5s, and seven Top 10s on the season. Johnson’s first race ever actually came at this track, so it is a bit of a homecoming of sorts. He won this race in 2003 and 2006, but his success at Charlotte stretches well beyond All-Star races. Johnson won the 2009 NASCAR Banking 500, the ’05 UAW-GM Quality 500, the ’05 Coca-Cola 600, the ’04 UAW-GM Quality 500, the 2004 Coca-Cola 600, and the 2003 Coca-Cola 600 as well.

The other man with three wins this year is Denny Hamlin (+800 at BetUS Sportsbook). Hamlin has another thing going for him aside from just his in-car experience, as his pit crew won the Pit Crew Challenge on Wednesday night, changing four tires, filling the car up with gas, and pushing it 40 yards in 23.132 seconds. Hamlin has won three of the L/7 races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, and many feel as though he has a chance to not only take down this race, but to win the Chase for the Championship as well in the quest of final stopping Jimmie Johnson’s reign over the racing world.

2010 NASCAR All-Star Race Odds @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 5/20/10):
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Bobby Labonte +8000
Brad Keselowski +3500
Dale Earnhardt Jr. +2000
David Reutimann +2500
Denny Hamlin +800
Jamie McMurray +2000
Jeff Gordon +500
Jimmie Johnson +450
Joey Logano +2500
Kasey Kahne +1200
Kevin Harvick +1200
Kurt Busch +1000
Kyle Busch +400
Mark Martin +1200
Matt Kenseth +1000
Ryan Newman +2000
Tony Stewart +1200
Field +500