2009 Sprint Cup All-Star Challenge Predictions – Betting Preview + Picks + Odds
Race: Sprint Cup All-Star Challenge – Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2009
Time: 7:30 PM EST Sprint Showdown / 9:00 PM EST Sprint All-Star Race
TV: 7:00 PM EST on SPEED
Preview: This weekend, NASCAR drivers and fans take a week off from points racing to focus on fun and funds … a non-points paying event with a guarantee of at least $1 million to the winner of the Sprint All-Star Challenge. The race consists of four short segments and will include some mandatory pit stops, with the final segment a 10-lap free-for-all.An estimated 22 drivers will make up the field, including those who’ve won a race in the preceding year or a Cup title or All-Star race in the past 10 years. Two drivers will make the race by finishing 1-2 in the preliminary Sprint Showdown race on Saturday, and one driver will be voted in by the fans.
Safe Bets:
1. Kyle Busch (+600): Though Busch hasn’t won a Cup race at Lowe’s yet, he has won at least one segment in each of the past three All-Star races. He’s also the hottest driver in the series right now, winning three of the last nine races on a variety of track lengths. In the past three Lowe’s points-paying events, Busch has one pole, two third-place finishes and a fourth.
2. Jimmie Johnson (+700): Johnson is a two-time winner of the All-Star race (2003, 2006) and a five-time Cup race winner at LMS, including four straight in 2004-2005. He has the best average finish among active drivers here with an 8.9, although his performance stats have fallen off a bit the last two years.
Dark Horse:
1. Kasey Kahne (+1400): Kahne was voted into the All-Star race last year and went on to win – not that surprising given his record at Lowe’s. He’s won three times here including the sweep in 2006 and the spring race last year; he finished second in the fall. He also leads all drivers in points accumulated over the past five races at Lowe’s including bonus points.
Summary: With a lot of money – but no championship points – on the line, the All-Star race tends to be checkers or wreckers.
Look for at least a few favorites to end up taken out in crashes and the possibility of a very unexpected winner.
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Becca Gladden is a freelance writer and race handicapper specializing in NASCAR.
