The odds are in and the favorite to win the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship is ...
Hot off the press from sports publicist Jimmy Shapiro are the odds for the 10-race Chase that begins Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. Busch, who begins this quest tied for the points lead with Kevin Harvick based on four regular-season wins each, is a 3-to-1 favorite.
Following closely is Jimmie Johnson at 7-2, which puts him five spots ahead of the driver (Kurt Busch) who thinks he is in the five-time defending champion's head.
But that's another story.
The rest of the 12-driver odds: Jeff Gordon, 5-1; Carl Edwards, 13-2; Harvick, 13-2; Matt Kenseth, 10-1; Kurt Busch, 11-1; Brad Keselowski, 12-1; Denny Hamlin, 16-1; Tony Stewart, 16-1; Dale Earnhardt Jr., 20-1; Ryan Newman, 25-1.
There were no odds given on how many bad questions Stewart would field from the media or how many transcripts Kurt Busch would tear up. There also were no odds on whether Earnhardt would win the most popular driver award again, but I can tell you that's where my money would be if I were a betting man.
I agree with the odds for the most part, although it seems Keselowski should be much higher with the momentum he has.
As for my overall pick, for consistency I'll stick with the driver I chose before the season: Kyle Busch. But I like the way Gordon is running and it wouldn't surprise me if he won his fifth title.
Let me know who you'd pick to win it.
David Newton | email
ESPN Staff WriterABOUT THIS BLOG
David Newton
David Newton, an award-winning NASCAR writer, began as a national motorsports columnist at ESPN.com in December 2006. Prior to joining ESPN.com, Newton served as the lead writer for NASCAR.com.
Newton previously covered NASCAR, the Carolina Panthers, Clemson University and University of South Carolina athletics for The State in Columbia, S.C., from 1984 to 2006. He also served as a correspondent for Sports Illustrated, and covered seven Super Bowls, dozens of college bowl games, five Masters, two U.S. Opens, two men's Final Fours, one women's Final Four and every major race on the NASCAR circuit.
The 1981 Wofford College graduate has won numerous state and national press association awards, including the 2009 Aflac Motorsports Journalism Award and second place in the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) columnist category. He also grabbed second-place national honors for his coverage of University of South Carolina football from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) in 1992 and the award for excellence in news reporting from the South Carolina State Press Association in 2002. He has broken major national stories, including the Carolina Panthers' steroid scandal in 2004.
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