NASCAR Odds – Johnson, Martin Set For Duel In The Desert

Sportsbook odds are predicting a close battle between Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin, who are battling in the point standings, at the Checkers O’Reilly Auto Club 500 on Sunday afternoon, and for good reason: both of these guys are really good at Phoenix International Raceway.

Phoenix Odds – Sunday, November 15, 3:15 PM ET

Jimmie Johnson (+400): The No.48’s lead in the point standings took a big hit when he was wrecked by Sam Hornish Jr. in the second lap of last week’s Texas race, but Phoenix may be the remedy for his ills: Johnson won three straight races here before this year’s spring race, and his 5.4 average is the best among active drivers, which is why many people will put him in their sportsbook sports picks this weekend.

Mark Martin (+400): Who ended Johnson’s run at Phoenix? Martin took the checkered flag from the pole at the spring race for his first Phoenix win in 20 attempts, and his finishing average is second to Johnson, even with eight more races under his belt.

Tony Stewart (+800): The regular-season points leader hasn’t been much of a factor during the Chase, but he hasn’t been awful, either (except for Talladega, which is a crapshoot anyway). In fact, he even won at Kansas. Stewart is third in average finish at Phoenix, but his lone win here came in the 1999 spring race, which may put some sportsbook players off.

Kurt Busch (+900): Last week’s winner at Texas, Busch is another driver that has been decent besides Talladega, and he won the 2005 spring race at Phoenix. As far as a guy with a lame-duck crew chief goes, Busch is doing pretty well.

Kyle Busch (+1200): You want excitement for the weekend? Pacquiao vs Cotto odds on Saturday night, and then watch the younger Busch drive a car around Phoenix, or anywhere, for that matter. Busch came up two laps short of being the first driver to win all three NASCAR races in a weekend, before he ran out of gas and gave his older brother the win.

Betting picks: All eyes will be on Martin and Johnson, but Kyle Busch will win for the second time at Phoenix (the first was the 2005 fall race).

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