2011 Tums Fast Relief 500 Predictions – Betting Preview + Picks + Odds
Preview: Weather has been an issue already this weekend, both in Martinsville, Virginia, and along the entire northeast coast of the U.S. Rain on Friday and early in the day Saturday forced a change to the Cup schedule, resulting in just one practice session, held Saturday morning, and the cancellation of Cup qualifying.
Race: Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway
Date: Sunday, October 30, 2011
Time: 1:43 PM ET (scheduled Green Flag)
TV: 1:30 PM ET on ESPN
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As a result, drivers will line up by points on Sunday, placing Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth on the front row and all twelve Chase drivers starting at the front of the field. Kenseth, who’s never been a fan of the “paperclip”-shaped track, once described the challenge of competing on this 0.526-mile oval as “racing between two telephone poles in the Kohl’s parking lot.” Kevin Harvick is the most recent Cup winner here (April ’11), while Denny Hamlin won this race last year.
– Safe Bet: (odds of 10/1 or less)
Jimmie Johnson (4/1): Johnson has a remarkable record at Martinsville, winning six times here in just 19 starts. From 2006 to 2009, he posted five wins in six races. Johnson has the best average finish among active drivers at a 5.6. He ran 3rd in practice and had the best consecutive ten-lap average speed. Johnson finished 5th in this race last year and ran 11th here in the spring. [ad-8757089]
– Mid Range: (odds between 10/1 – 20/1)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15/1): Earnhardt Jr. has not posted a win at Martinsville in 23 starts, but he has finished 2nd twice, including the spring race this year, and has led 865 laps overall. Dale Jr. was 10th in practice Saturday and had the 4th-best ten consecutive lap average speed. Junior finished 7th in this race last year.
– Long Shot: (odds of greater than 20/1)
Kurt Busch (22/1): Busch has a Cup win at Martinsville, though it was back in 2002 in a Roush Ford. Still, the fact that he won that race from a 36th-place start, leading 111 laps, should count for some track cred. In the last two Martinsville races, fall 2010 and spring 2011, he finished 16th. He was 11th on the speed chart in practice Saturday.
Summary: Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle tangled on the track during practice and took their disagreement to the garage, where they continued to show their displeasure for one another — likely an indication of the way tempers will be flaring on Sunday.
The weather is predicted to be sunny, though still cool, by the time the Cup race gets underway. Only three Chase drivers ran in the top 10 in final practice: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
