US sportsbook odds (US sportsbook review) had Carl Edwards as the main challenger to Jimmie Johnson’s fourth straight title last year, but Roush-Fenway’s best driver never even had a win in 2009. After an exciting Daytona 500 which was won by one of their former drivers, Roush-Fenway will look to show they can push Hendrick Motorsports this season, and Edwards will be their best shot.Auto Club 500 Odds – Sunday, February 21, 2:00 PM ET
Edwards joins teammate Greg Biffle at +1000, while defending champion Matt Kenseth is rated at +1500. All three Roush-Fenway drivers finished in the top seven in this race last season, and all three have been a part of Roush-Fenway’s five-year streak in the spring race at Auto Club Speedway. Kenseth has three of those wins, with one going to Biffle and Edwards, and a win here would help erase the memory of last week’s win in the Daytona 500 by Jamie McMurray, who was dropped by Roush-Fenway in the offseason and even used a push from Biffle to do it.
Roush-Fenway will have to deal with the Hendrick stable of Jimmie Johnson at +450, Mark Martin at +750 and Jeff Gordon at +800. Johnson has a startling six top-fives in eight spring races here, but only one of his four wins at Fontana have come in the spring race, and that was back in 2002. Like Johnson, Gordon is a California boy and he has three wins in this race, the last of which came in 2004. The No.24 driver also finished second to Kenseth last year. Martin won the second race at Fontanta after Gordon’s win in 1997, and he has six top-10s in 13 spring races here, although he also has four DNFs, including last year’s blown engine, so he’s a risky sportsbook choice despite his solid record here.
Watch out for the Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt, at +900 and +1200, respectively. Kyle finished third in last year’s spring race here after winning the Trucks and Nationwide races, and he has four top-10s in five spring races at Fontana, not including a win in the 2005 fall race. Kurt has five top-10s in nine spring races, including a win in 2003, and his finishing average of 9.2 is just a little bit better than Kyle at 9.8.
Edwards is far past due for a win after failing to visit Victory Lane in 2009. If someone would have told you that Edwards would go winless after taking nine checkered flags in 2008, you would have had to slap them, but Roush-Fenway just didn’t have the horsepower to catch up to Hendrick, and then Edwards broke his foot in the second half of the season, which surely hampered his efforts in the Chase.
Internet betting pick: Carl Edwards +1000
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