NASCAR Betting – Gatorade Duel 1 Free Picks

NASCAR betting odds have been set for the Daytona 500 and although the first 2 rows for this Sunday’s opening season race was determined by last weekend’s qualifying round, the rest of the order for the Daytona 500 will be determined on Thursday in both the Gatorade Duel 1 and Gatorade Duel 2.

Below are free picks for the Gatorade Duel 1 on Thursday!

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NASCAR:  Gatorade Duel 1

150 miles

Where:  Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL

When:  February 17th, 2011 at 2:00 pm EST

Track:  Tri-Oval, 2.5 miles

TV:  Speed

Best Bet A:  Kurt Busch +700

Not only did Kurt win the Budweiser Shootout but he also gets to start in 6th place for Duel 1 on Thursday.  I understand that Duel 1 is loaded with Kurt, Smoke, Dale Jr. and JJ all lining up, but the NASCAR odds on Kurt are much better than they are on any of those other guys to win Duel 1.  Busch has proven over the years that he can grab an early lead and then pull away from the pack.  This race is only 150 miles long.  I’m thinking that KB can take the lead and pull away on Feb. 17th.

Best Bet B:  Tony Stewart +400

Smoke won a Duel in 2007 when he was racing for Joe Gibbs.  Now that he’s on his own for the 3rd year in a row, it’s obvious to me that Tony’s ready to make a huge impact on the season.  I’m hoping that huge impacts starts early with a nice run in Duel 1 on Thursday.  I can’t get too excited because of the odds but Tony’s car took him to an 11th place finish at the Budweiser Shootout on Feb. 12th and Stewart definitely can make a great trip from starting position 5.

Worst Bet:  Dale Earnhardt Jr. +300

Wow.  So, Jr. wins the pole for the Daytona 500 and all of a sudden he’s an awesome driver again?  Jr. finished 19th at the Budweiser Shootout on Feb. 12th because he got into that accident.  So, the finish isn’t why I’m betting against him on Thursday.  The online NASCAR odds are just too low on Dale to warrant a wager to win Duel 1.  Period.

Best Long Shot Bet:  Kasey Kahne +1500

Kasey finished 24th at the Budweiser Shootout on Feb. 12th after his engine found trouble in Lap 7.  That put him last place in the race.  Although that’s obviously not what NASCAR online odds betting fans want out of a driver their backing to win a race, it should be noted that Kasey won a Duel last year.  If Kahne can get his car to the front early on in the race, then he can definitely take home Duel 1 on Thursday.   

Others To Consider

Juan Pablo Montoya +800 – - He did finish 20th at the Budweiser Shootout but he’s starting from position 7 in Duel 1 and should have a better car in 2011.

Jimmie Johnson +500 – -  JJ won a Duel in 2010.  The odds are nice.  He also finished 4th at the Budweiser Shootout.  What’s not to like?  The 10th place finish might hurt him in such a short race.   

Kevin Harvick +300 – - Harvick’s 7th at the Budweiser Shootout should set him up well for this on Thursday.  KH starts from the 9th position, but he can muscle his way to the top quickly.

Log onto the NASCAR sportsbook and bet on the Gatorade Duel 1, click here!