NASCAR Preview: Allstate 400

After putting things in neutral for a week, NASCAR's Sprint Cup circuit restarts its engines this weekend with the running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sunday, 2 pm ET, ESPN).

Mark Martin won NASCAR's most recent event two weeks ago, taking the checkered flag at the Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland. In doing so, Martin provided his financial backers at Oddsmaker.com with a +800 payout.

Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, points leader Tony Stewart, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the Top 5.

Stewart's lead in the points standings going into this weekend sits at 175 over second-place Gordon and 212 over third-place Jimmie Johnson. Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Busch, Martin, and Matt Kenseth complete the Top 12 who, if the “regular season” were to end today, would comprise the field eligible to win this year's series championship in the Chase for the Cup (which is only seven races away).

Greg Biffle, David Reutimann, and Clint Bowyer are Kenseth's closest competitors for that 12th and final spot in the Chase, sitting 10, 76, and 126 points out of it, respectively.

Johnson won the Allstate 400 last year and in 2006, while Stewart won it in 2005 and 2007. And with Gordon's victory there in 2004, Chevys have won the last five Sprint Cup races at the Brickyard.

Gordon has won four times in 15 career starts on the Indy track, with five other Top-5 finishes. He placed fifth here last year, and third in 2007.

Last year's race was marred by tire problems that plagued every team, and necessitated mandatory yellows after 10- and 12-lap sprints. And those concerns have carried over to this year.

As of Thursday morning, Oddsmaker.com is listing Johnson as a +500 favorite on its Allstate 400 betting board, followed by Stewart at +600, Gordon and Martin at +700, Kyle Busch and Edwards at +800, Hamlin at +1,000, Biffle and Kurt Busch at +1,200, Kahne at +1,500, Kenseth at +2,000, Brian Vickers at +2,500, Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Newman at +3,000, Montoya at +4,000, Harvick at +5,000, Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray, David Ragan, Reutimann, and Martin Truex Jr. at +6,000, and A.J. Allmendinger, Sam Hornish Jr., Bobby Labonte, Joey Logano, Paul Menard, David Stremme, Reed Sorenson, Elliot Sadler, Scott Speed, Casey Mears, and Michael Waltrip at +10,000. And “The Field” is listed at +5,000.

On Oddsmaker's updated 2009 Sprint Cup championship betting board, Stewart tops the list at +150, followed by three-time defending champ Johnson at +300, Gordon at +500, Martin at +800, Kyle Busch and Newman at +1,000, Edwards and Kahne at +1,200, Kurt Busch at +1,500, Biffle and Montoya at +2,500, Earnhardt, Hamlin, and Kenseth at +3,000, Vickers at +5,000, Bowyer at +6,000, Harvick at +7,500, Burton, Logano, McMurray, Mears, and Truex at +10,000, and Ragan at +15,000. And “The Field” is being offered at +5,000.

Bettors should also check back at Oddsmaker.com for driver vs. driver matchups and other propositions on this weekend's race as green flag time approaches.

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