Saturday, October 9, 2010

Final NASCAR Driver Ratings: California Pepsi Max 400

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Pepsi Max 400
California (Auto Club) Speedway
Sunday, October 10, 2010 - 12:16 pm (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds   Practice 1  Qualifying  Practice 2  Practice 3

 1. Jimmie Johnson 2/1       9th              8th             23rd             1st 
Won last three fall Fontana races; five wins overall with 5.5 average finish in 15 starts.
 2. Greg Biffle 8/1                3rd              7th             1st               4th 
2005 winner with three other top-fives; was the most impressive of all during Saturday practices.
 3. Kevin Harvick 10/1         24th            21st           13th             5th 
Had best career finish in the spring as runner-up; using winning Michigan chassis this week.
 4. Jeff Gordon 8/1              21st            17th            5th              2nd 
Three career wins with an average finish of 11.0 in 20 starts; outstanding Saturday practices.
 5. Matt Kenseth 15/1          15th            3rd             2nd             10th 
Last win came at Fontana in spring of 2009, 64 races ago; three career wins with 9.1 average.
 6. Kyle Busch 12/1              4th             16th           14th             6th 
2005 winner while with Hendrick Motorsports; 10.8 average finish in 12 starts. Using Michigan car.
 7. Jamie McMurray 30/1     1st              1st             4th              3rd 
Great practices Saturday, but too inconsistent to be rated higher. 16.4 average finish in 14 starts.
 8. Denny Hamlin 15/1         18th            34th           6th               9th 
Struggled in last two Fontana starts; using winning chassis from Richmond this week.
 9. Carl Edwards 8/1            17th            20th           11th            20th 
2008 winner with a 7.2 average finish in 12 starts; using runner-up Atlanta chassis this week.
10. Tony Stewart 15/1          28th           22nd           10th            23rd            
One of only three tracks he has never won at; using sixth-place Michigan chassis this week.

Note: California Speedway is the sister track of Michigan Speedway with each having similar traits. The August 15 Michigan race is a good barometer to use for handicapping this weeks race.

Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former Race and Sports Book Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. He currently writes for multiple publications covering all sports. He can be reached at MM.Roberts7Gmail.com.

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