2011 Sylvania 300 Race Predictions – Betting Preview + Picks + Odds
Preview: It’s race number two in the ten-week Chase for Sprint Cup and the first time that Loudon has been the second Chase race. Last week’s race at Chicago was won by Tony Stewart, posting his first win of the 2011 season and shaking up the early point standings.
Race: Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Loudon)
Date: Sunday, September 25, 2011
Time: 2:15 PM ET (scheduled green flag)
TV: 2:00 PM ET on ESPN
Stewart climbed seven places to second in points, while Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon fell eight spots each to 9th and 11th, respectively. Kevin Harvick heads into Loudon leading the points after finishing 2nd in Chicago last week.
Safe Bet: (odds of less than 10/1)
• Jimmie Johnson (4/1): Johnson has the best overall record at both mile and mile-and-a-half tracks in the last ten races and qualified 10th for Sunday’s race. He’s won four times at Loudon, most recently in June 2010, and finished fifth here in July. Johnson has the second-best average finish here (9.6) to Denny Hamlin’s 7.2.
Mid Range: (odds between 10/1 – 20/1)
• Ryan Newman (14/1): Newman won at Loudon back in July, starting from the pole and leading 119 laps, and will start from the pole again on Sunday. Newman is one of four active drivers with three Loudon wins – the others are Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch. [ad-8757089]
Newman has four straight finishes of 8th or better at Loudon, including the win earlier this year.
Long Shot: (odds of greater than 20/1)
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (25/1): Though he’s never posted a win at Loudon, Dale Jr. is coming off a third-place showing in Chicago and is currently 5th in the point standings. He finished 4th in this race last year and qualified 12th on Friday, one of his better qualifying efforts in recent weeks.
Junior finished 15th here in the July race from a 27th-place starting spot.
Summary: Rain is an issue in New Hampshire this weekend, particularly on Saturday, though the forecast looks a bit more positive Sunday. Six of the top-10 qualifiers are Chase contenders, while four other Chasers (Stewart, Edwards, Kenseth, and Hamlin) qualified 20th or worse.
Four straight Loudon races (both summer and fall dates) have been won by Chevy teams, as well as 8 of the past 11.
Aside from Newman, other double-digit lap leaders here in July included Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon.
