Juan Pablo Montoya Offering Excellent Value for Top 3 Finish at Sonoma

Juan Pablo Montoya is offering excellent value in the NASCAR sportsbook to finish in the Top 3 this Sunday at Sonoma.

Montoya, who dominated Formula One before moving to NASCAR, is one of the favorites to actually win the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on Sunday.

Betting on Juan Pablo to win the race might not be the wisest thing to do.

Betting on him to finish in the Top 3 might be, however.

NASCAR: Toyota/Save Mart 350

• Where: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA
• When: June 20th, 2010 at 3:00 pm EST
• Track: 1.99 mile Road Course with 12 Turns
• TV: TNT

Top 3

Best NASCAR Bet A: Juan Pablo Montoya +240

In 3 races over the Infineon Raceway, Montoya has finished 6th twice and has won once.

The only real knock regarding those finishes is the fact that Juan Pablo’s victory at Sonoma occurred in 2007. Since 2007, he’s finished 6th.

I’m guessing he turns things around this Sunday and finishes in the Top 3 with ease because he and his crew have been targeting Sonoma all year long. Montoya has been having a bad year after a terrific 2009.

He and his crew need to do well in this race. I believe that they will. His average finish of 4.3 at Sonoma is fantastic.

Best NASCAR Bet B: Marcos Ambrose +240

In two races, Marcose Ambrose has finished 42nd and 3rd at Sonoma. His 42nd place finish in 2008 can be forgiven as Ambrose suffered through transmission issues. His 3rd place finish in 2009 was absolutely terrific.

Ambrose is a great road course driver and no doubt is going to be right there at the end. I believe “right there” means that he gets a Top 3 finish.

Worst NASCAR Bet: Tony Stewart +130

I do believe that Smoke has a serious shot at winning the Toyota/Save Mart 350 but that’s because the NASCAR odds on him to do so are +450. The bottom line is that the odds on Smoke to finish in the Top 3 at +130 just don’t provide value.

If I’m going to bet on Smoke in this race, then I’m going to bet on him to win it, not finish in the Top 3.

Best Underdog NASCAR Bet: Kasey Kahne +900

+900 are amazing odds on a driver to just finish 3rd in a race who is coming off of a 2nd place finish like Kasey is doing.

Oh, yes, Kasey won at Sonoma in 2009. I do understand that before the 2009 victory, Kasey hadn’t finished better than 23rd in 5 starts over the track, but he’s driving well right now and the victory last year could be a sign that he’s figured out how to succeed over road courses.

Others To Consider

Jeff Gordon +150 – - Gordo’s had some Top 5 finishes this year. He actually out finished Smoke in last week’s race making him a decent bet in this category at the odds.

Kurt Busch +450 – - He hasn’t finished better than 15th at Sonoma since 2006, but he’s also hasn’t had as good of a season since 2006 as he is having this year.

Boris Said +900 – - Either Said or Robby Gordon, who is also going off at +900, is worth a shot at the odds to finish in the Top 3 considering that both guys are road course ringers.

This week, drivers travel to Sonoma for the Toyota/Save Mart 350! Log onto the NASCAR sportsbook and make wagers on the Toyota/Save Mart 350!