Friday, May 20, 2011

Final Driver Ratings for 2011 NASCAR All-Star Race

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
NASCAR All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, March 21, 2011 - 4:30 pm (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds        Practice       Qualified    Las Vegas* Texas* 

 1. Carl Edwards 7/1               2nd             4th               1st           3rd
Two top-five finishes in five starts, class of the field on 1.5-mile tracks in 2011.
 2. Matt Kenseth 10/1            18th            13th             11th          1st  
2004 winner with 6.6 average finish in last 10 races; using brand new chassis.
 3. Tony Stewart 12/1             13th            6th               2nd          12th     
2009 winner with four straight top-five finishes; gets high mark for great Vegas run.
 4. Kyle Busch 7/1                  1st              1st               38th         16th       
Second best 10 consecutive average lap times in practice; using runner-up Phoenix chassis.
 5. Kasey Kahne 12/1             4th              7th              10th          21st
2008 winner who also won three points races at Charlotte; his best type of track.
 6. Kevin Harvick 10/1           11th             14th             17th        20th
2007 winner and 2006 runner-up; will be using a brand new chassis this week.
 7. Greg Biffle 12/1                 5th               3rd              16th          4th
Runner-up in 2008, his only top-five finish in seven starts; strong run at Texas.
 8. Clint Bowyer 12/1              3rd               2nd              15th         2nd  
Only two appearances with an average finish of 15th. Using seventh-place Fontana car.
 9. Jimmie Johnson 7/1          7th              11th              16th          8th
Two-time winner, the last coming in 2006; leads active drivers with six Charlotte point race wins.
10. Marcos Ambrose 12/1**   5th             DNQ             4th            6th
Second best average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2011. Top average speeds in practice.

Note: All-Star race format consists of only 21 drivers with the race broken into four segments consisting of 50, 20, 20 and 10 lap runs. No points are awarded, only $1 million in cash to winner.
                    
* Results from the March 6, 2011 race at Las Vegas and April 9, 2011 race at Texas, the most similar tracks run at this year to Charlotte‘s 1.5-mile high banked facility. 

** Ambrose will have to qualify for the All-Star race by either finishing in the top two of the Sprint Showdown or by winning the fan vote.

Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com.

All-Star Race Starting Lineup

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