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Carrie Stroup here with your 2012 Coke Zero 400 betting odds. You can find all these odds at Sportsbook, which was offering up to $350 in FREE CASH for qualified customers.
The NASCAR drivers will race for the second straight time under the lights when they start their engines in Daytona Beach, FL on Saturday night for the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola. Daytona International Speedway, completed in 1959, is a 2.5-mile, tri-oval track with huge bankings (31° turns, 18° tri-oval banking). The frontstrech measures 3,800 feet with the backstretch coming in at 3,000 feet. David Ragan is the defending champion of the Coke Zero 400, while Matt Kenseth won the last race at this track -- the crazy jet-dryer accident fueled Daytona 500 -- in February. This is one of two tracks that are restrictor plate races.
Drivers to Watch
Denny Hamlin (15/1) - He is second in laps led in the past five years at this track (behind only Kyle Busch), but that hasn’t equated to finishing success. In 13 career Daytona races, Hamlin has tallied just two top-12’s. However, one of those was finishing fourth at this year’s Daytona 500. That was the first of eight top-5’s he’s racked up in the 2012 season.
Tony Stewart (12/1) - He hasn’t fared too well in his past five races at Daytona, finishing no better than 11th, but Smoke has had plenty of success on this track with seven top-5’s and three victories, which includes his win in 2009. And although he’s been wildly inconsistent this season, he does have five top-3’s in his past nine starts.
Jimmie Johnson (12/1) - Daytona has been a nightmare for the No. 48 car recently, with two accidents and a rear axle issue in his past five starts at this track. But Johnson is always dangerous on a superspeedway, with six wins and 14 top-5’s at the giant venues. This includes one victory and six top-5’s at Daytona. And this season, Johnson continues to run near the front of the pack with an average finish of 4.7 in his past seven races (two wins, 4th, 5th, 5th, 6th and 11th).
Brad Keselowski (12/1) - Not only did he earn his third victory of the 2012 season last Saturday, but Keselowski already has a pair of superspeedway wins in his young career. He’s been pretty consistent lately too, with top-12 finishes in eight of his past 10 races.
Joey Logano (30/1) - He’s the best longshot for Saturday’s race, as he finished ninth in the Daytona 500 and third in last year’s Coke Zero 400. He also has four top-10’s in his past seven races in 2012, including his victory at Pocono. And although Logano is looking for his first-ever win at a superspeedway, his three top-5’s and seven top-10’s at the long tracks is pretty strong for such a young driver.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
