Denny Hamlin is the 3-1 favorite in sports betting online odds for Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500.It is a rare occurrence in sports betting when Jimmie Johnson is not favored in a NASCAR race but that is the situation this week.
Sports betting odds list Johnson and Kyle Busch as the co-second choices at 5.5 to 1. There are not many races remaining before the Chase begins so the pressure is on many of the drivers just outside the top 12. Pocono is a big race for many of the teams. Last year it was David Reutimann and Kyle Busch finishing poorly at Pocono and those finishes really hurt their chances of making the Chase. Conversely, a strong finish can really help a driver. Denny Hamlin won this race last year and he also won the race at the track earlier this season. Hamlin is third in points and is considered the favorite to win at Pocono again.
The race for the Chase is really narrowing down with just over a month to go. There are only two drivers within 100 points of Clint Bowyer who is in 12th place. Mark Martin is 62 points back while Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 93 points back. Martin might have the car to win this week while Jr. has really done nothing in recent weeks to suggest he is a contender.
Denny Hamlin has four wins at Pocono and is a deserving favorite in sports betting NASCAR odds. He has the best finishing average of any driver in the race. Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson are always capable of getting a win while Kevin Harvick is the point’s leader. Harvick is 9-1 to win on Sunday as is Jeff Gordon. Bowyer and Tony Stewart are 10-1. Stewart has four straight top-10 finishes at Pocono.
Kurt Busch has some value at 16-1. He is a two-time winner at the track and has finished second four times. Carl Edwards has won twice at Pocono and he has some value in NASCAR odds at 18-1. A long shot this week could be Joey Logano who was running in the top five earlier this season at Pocono when he was spun by Kevin Harvick. Logano is 32-1 in NASCAR odds for Sunday’s race.