2010 All-Star Challenge Predictions – Betting Preview + Picks + Odds
Preview: Before planning any wagers for the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Challenge, you’d better check and see if your favorite driver is in the field. And that can be complicated, because three of the race’s entrants – the 1st- and 2nd-place finishers in the preliminary Showdown Race, and the winner of the fan vote – won’t be known until moments before the green flag.
Race: 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Challenge at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Date: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Time: 9:00 PM EST
TV: 9:00 PM EST on FOX (following the Showdown Race)
Among the other criteria to make the race are drivers who’ve won a race this year or last, Sprint Cup champions from the past ten years, and All-Star Race winners from the past ten years.
Among the drivers *not* currently in the All-Star Race, but hoping to make the field either through the Showdown or the fan vote, are Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Elliott Sadler, and Martin Truex Jr.
Safe Bets:
1. Jimmie Johnson (9/2): Charlotte Motor Speedway has been called “The House that Jimmie Built,” because of the way Johnson dominated this track from 2003-2006 in the regular Cup Series races.
He won the All-Star Race in ’03 and ’06 and won segment one last year.
2. Kyle Busch (9/2): Though Busch has not won the All-Star race yet, he has won at least one segment of it in each of the past four All-Star races.
Busch is known for his strong restarts and that, along with a strong pit crew, may be his strong suit in this short race.
Dark Horse:
1. Jamie McMurray (25/1): McMurray started this season right with a win in the Daytona 500, and he has also won a Cup race at Charlotte in the past (2002).
Though he hasn’t been strong in the All-Star Race itself, he also hasn’t run it with the confidence he’s showing this season. 
Summary: This year’s race could be decided on the final pit stop, as NASCAR has added a mandatory four-tire pit stop before the final ten-lap shootout. If they’re still contending for the win at that point, the benefit of the doubt goes to the pit crews of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Jimmie Johnson.
Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in All-Star wins with three, though his last win was in 2001.
Weather may also be a factor, with rain and thunderstorms in the forecast both Friday (qualifying day) and Saturday (race day).
Sprint All-Star Race
Race Date: Saturday, May 22
Location: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, N.C.
Odds to win 2010 Sprint All-Star Race
Jimmie Johnson 9/2
Kyle Busch 9/2
Jeff Gordon 5/1
Denny Hamlin 8/1
Kurt Busch 12/1
Matt Kenseth 12/1
Kasey Kahne 15/1
Tony Stewart 15/1
Mark Martin 15/1
Kevin Harvick 15/1
Joey Logano 25/1
Ryan Newman 25/1
Jamie McMurray 25/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 25/1
David Reutimann 30/1
Brad Keselowski 40/1
Bobby Labonte 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 6/1
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Becca Gladden is a freelance writer and race handicapper specializing in NASCAR.
