Vegas Bets On Johnson

Las Vegas odds makers have made Jimmie Johnson the early favorite to win the 2013 Sprint Cup championship, but 2012 champion Brad Keselowski is lurking not far behind.

JJ is an early favorite in Vegas

The sports book in Ceasars Palace has made Johnson a 4-1 favorite to end his two-year drought.  Keselowski is at 5/1, Kyle Busch 7/1 and Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon are 8/1.  Some of the very early money was being played on Busch and Gordon, both of whom have narrowed their opening odds.  Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart are both at 10/1.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who opened at 15/1, is now 10/1 too, the biggest drop of any driver.

So have Junior’s early test sessions been so impressive that Las Vegas has narrowed the odds on him winning his first Cup title?  Hardly.  Just ask the 10 guys who went home with wrecked cars after the Daytona test.  But Vegas odds markers love balance even more than race car drivers.  Too many people were betting on Earndhardt compared to other drivers (what a shock!) at his early 15/1 odds.  So the odds were lowered.

Earnhardt, Busch and Gordon weren’t the only ones getting some early play.  Danica Patrick went from 200/1 to 180/1.  But the biggest mover has been Juan Pablo Montoya.  Like Danica, he opened at 200/1, but he’s now at 175/1.  Others of interest: Clint Bowyer, 11/1; Greg Biffle, 12/1; Carl Edwards, 12/1; Martin Truex, Jr., 15/1; Kevin Harvick, 18/1; Joey Logano, 40/1.

NOTE:  Looks like one of our 13 key questions for 2013 mentioned last week will soon be answered; Kyle Busch is expected to re-sign with Joe Gibbs Racing later this week.