Here are the sportsbook auto racing betting odds to win the 2017 STP 500 race, which is the sixth event in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series:
Denny Hamlin +600
Hamlin has had a rough start to 2017, finishing 38th in Atlanta for the second time in three years as a result of mechanical issues. But fans who bet on auto racing know that Martinsville Speedway is where Denny usually begins to warm up. He has three wins three wins there in the then-Sprint NASCAR Cup Series, plus two more in the Camping World Truck Series. Additionally, he has finished in the top 3 on two occasions.
Kyle Busch +600
Busch is the current STP 500 champion. He accrued 45 points in 500 laps in the 2016 edition, six points ahead of A.J. Allmendinger, and has had four top 5 finishes in Martinsville. This season, Busch had a top 3 finish in Phoenix and a top 10 finish in the Auto Club 400.
Brad Keselowski +700
Keselowski has had four straight top 5 finishes – including a second place in the Auto Club 400 and winning in Atlanta (add two consecutive Martinsville top 5 finishes). It would probably five out of five had he not crashed out of Daytona. Keselowski enters the STP – where he finished 5th last year and 2nd the year before – fourth in the 2015 Drivers’ Standings.
Jimmie Johnson +700
The reigning and defending Monster Energy (then-Sprint) NASCAR Cup Series champion’s slow start doesn’t seem to have affected his auto racing betting odds of winning an eighth title, which is a true testament to the acumen and savvy of the 41-year old veteran. He’s not too far behind either as far as his chances of winning STP, which would be his first win of the season – at a point where last year he had come in twice already. Like Hamlin, JJ has three wins in at Martinsville Speedway.
Joey Logano +800
Excepting Phoenix, Logano has been en fuego. He finished sixth in Daytona and Phoenix and has had two top 5 finishes. Logano has also been the bane of Busch’s existence, crashing him into a 22nd place in Las Vegas and getting in a fistfight with him after the race. Fun for everyone whether or not the bet on auto racing. Logano finished 2nd in Martinsville in 2010 and 3rd last year. Logano is arguably the best in Martinsville as far as track positioning is concerned, with the Team Penske driver having an excellent average starting position of 1.4 on that track.
Martin Truex Junior +800
Truex won the Auto Kobalt 400 in Toyota’s first win of the 2017 season with the new 2018 Camry. This was also Truex’s first career win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, becoming the first racer to win all three stages of the new Monster Energy NASCAR stage format system. Truex has had two top 5s at Martinsville Speedway.
Kevin Harvick +1000
Harvick has failed to crack the top 5 in any of the five races ran this season, coming closest in Phoenix with a 6th place finish. The auto racing betting odds are not necessarily in his favor in this outing, either.