NASCAR betting has Denny Hamlin as one of the main contenders to win the Sprint Cup this season. Those that bet on NASCAR should be aware though that Hamlin will be driving with a bad knee. Hamlin tore the AFC in his knee while playing basketball and he is not expected to have it repaired until after the NASCAR betting season.
NASCAR betting is still going to be popular on Hamlin but those that bet on NASCAR may want to take a wait and see approach to how Hamlin does with the injury. It is not the first time a driver has been injured and still driven in races. Carl Edwards drove with a foot injury last year while Jimmie Johnson has driven with an injured wrist in the past. Both of those drivers are popular among those that bet on NASCAR. He may be just fine driving with an injured knee. Last season was a solid one for Hamlin and he enters the 2010 NASCAR betting season as one of the main contenders.
If there is a driver who can end the run of Jimmie Johnson in NASCAR betting it might be Hamlin. He drives for Joe Gibbs Racing and he has a good teammate in Kyle Busch. “Last year I said I didn’t want to be a contender any more, that I want to be a champion,” Hamlin said. “I was sick of having expectations and no results to back them up. I think we did that this year. We just didn’t have the reliability to win the championship. We just didn’t have the parts and pieces. I think I know how to win a championship. It’s just going to be executing it.”
Those that bet on NASCAR believe that Johnson could be due for a fall this season and Hamlin agrees. “That’s just strictly by the odds,” he said. “The higher the number, the tougher it is. They’ve been able to defy those odds no matter how high they’ve been over the last couple of years. To me, it’s amazing they still keep progressing and staying at the top of the sport for the last four years.”
Hamlin is not the favorite in NASCAR betting to win it all. That role again falls to Johnson but Hamlin is definitely in the mix with Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. Getting a win at Daytona would be a great way for Hamlin to prove he is healthy and a NASCAR betting force.