Will Smoke Finally Break Through With a Victory at Daytona on Saturday?

Tony Stewart has started to heat up in recent weeks.

Earlier this year, Stewart found it difficult to crack the Top 10 much less the Top 5 but in recent weeks, Smoke has not only cracked the Top 10 but has put himself into position for victories.

He hasn’t yet closed the deal in any race this year but that could all change this Saturday night because Tony The Tiger loves the Daytona International Speedway and he particularly loves the early summer race at Daytona.

Is Tony, as one of the NASCAR betting favorites, a good wager in the sportsbook to win this Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400?

NASCAR: Coke Zero 400

• Where: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
• When: July 3rd, 2010 at 7:30 pm EST
• Track: Tri-oval 2.5 miles
• TV: TNT
• Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)

To Win

Best NASCAR Bet A: Tony Stewart +1000

Smoke won the Coke Zero 400 in 2009 after a somewhat controversial finish involving Kyle Busch. I’m not going to get into that right now because 2010 is another year.

I am going to say that Tony has 3 total victories at Daytona International Speedway and that he’s been on fire lately finishing 3rd at the Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide 500, 5th at the Heluva Good! 400, 9th at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 and 2nd at the Lenox Industrial Tools 301.

He’s ready to break through for his first victory of 2010.

Best NASCAR Bet B: Kurt Busch +1500

Kurt’s never won at Daytona but he does have 9 Top 5 finishes at Daytona International Speedway in his career. Save for a 32nd place finish at the Toyota/Save Mart 350, Busch has been about as good as any driver on the Sprint Cup Circuit not named Denny or Jimmie.

His 6th place finish at the Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide 500, 3rd at the Heluva Good! 400, and 3rd at the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 means that Kurt’s ready for that first Daytona victory!

Best Underdog NASCAR Wager: Mark Martin +2500

Mark is another driver that has never found the winner’s circle at Daytona.

He’s got a shot to do so this Saturday because in order to win the Coke Zero 400 drivers are going to have to patient.

There is no more patient driver on the Sprint Cup Circuit than Mark Martin.

He also has 9 Top 5 finishes at Daytona to his credit. Who knows? Martin could break through with a great race on the dreaded Daytona track when NASCAR fans least expect him to.

At the excellent NASCAR odds of +2500, Martin has to be considered the best underdog bet in the sportsbook to win on Saturday night.

Others to Consider

Jeff Gordon +1200 – - 6 victories during his career at Daytona means that Gordo has shot anytime there’s a race at Daytona.

Denny Hamlin +1200 – - Only 1 Top 5 finish and an average finish of 23 at Daytona should give Denny fans cause for concern, but he’s having an awesome year so he deserves NASCAR bet consideration.

Jimmie Johnson +1000 – - King JJ is back on top after a 5th place, 6th place, and 2 straight victories in the last 4 Sprint Cup races. Still, only 1 lifetime victory at Daytona makes him nothing more than a “consider” wager to take home the Coke Zero 400 trophy.

Kyle Busch +1000 – - Kyle could have won the Coke Zero 400 last year and has won a race at Daytona during his career.

This Saturday NASCAR heads back to Daytona for the Coke Zero 400! Log onto the NASCAR sportsbook and bet the Coke Zero 400!