NASCAR AARON 499 WAGERING PREVIEW
The Aaron's 499 could not have come along at a better time on the NASCAR schedule. Eight races into this season, positions one through five in the Nextel points standings are separated by a paltry 77 points. Nextel Cup teams and fans will travel to the veritable Mecca of stock car racing in Talladega Alabama for what may be the pivotal race of this young NASCAR season. Sunday April 30 will see opportunities abound for those close to a competitive status in the standings make a leap at a track that separates contenders from pretenders like no other.
Last week's race in Phoenix saw Matt Kenseth take control of the top spot in the Nextel Cup Series point's standings with his third place finish in the Subway Fresh 500. Jimmie Johnson slipped only nine points behind recording his sixth top 10 finish of the season (7th). Kasey Kahne is the only other driver to accomplish this feat and NASCAR bets have been made to back the #9 car for a title chase as he sits on 51 points behind the leader heading into Talladega on Sunday.
NASCAR odds have to be favorable for the racer considered being red-hot coming out from under the lights in Phoenix and that is Kevin Harvick. Harvick jumped an impressive fifteen spots last week n the Nextel Cup Series points standings, taking over the eighth spot, by winning the Subway Fresh 500 in impressive fashion. This feat, measurable by itself was amplified by the fact he had just left the winner's circle at PIR a day earlier after capturing the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 in Busch Series competition. The only driver to ever complete the double whammy at Phoenix International Raceway prior to last weekend was Jeff Burton in 2000. Harvick's wins at PIR seem like less of an Arizona fluke and more like a building trend though. Kevin and the #29 team have now taken a top 10 finish in the last four races and are certainly impatient to open up the Childress Racing GM Racing Chevrolet on the asphalt of Talladega Superspeedway.
Wagering on NASCAR is often based on looking into the previous year's NASCAR race results at specific locations or for specific races. This holds especially true for Superspeedway restrictor-plate races in the NASCAR season. Talladega has been a bastion for big name dominance over the years. The Rainbow Warrior. Jeff Gordon currently holds the illustrious badge of honor which is being defending champion of the last two spring races at Talladega. Gordon also carries the distinction of have led the most laps at Talladega of any driver currently racing. With four career wins at the track, it is difficult not to think NASCAR bets will be heavily in his favor this week. The two Aaron's 499's previous (2003-2004) saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrates in victory circle. In fact DEI racing has held home turf at Talladega for the better part of a decade by having a driver win six of the last nine races run at the Alabama track (UAW Ford-500 in fall). This history is all the more intriguing noting the current position of both Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon 173 points out of the lead in the Nextel Cup Series point's competition heading into Talladega on Sunday. This rivalry adds even more drama to a race that is boiling over with competitive froth this NASCAR season.
The name and lore that all chase when starting their engines at Talladega is one of the most chronicled in all of NASCAR history. Dale Earnhardt carries the record for most career wins at "Dega" with 10 and has led 1,377 laps during his 44 races at the Superspeedway. His intimidating styles lending itself nicely to a Talladega track already known for its big crashes and hard nosed history. The intense speeds and high degree banking at Talladega produce daunting conditions without such driving tactics. One of the major draws of either race at the Superspeedway is the constant threat of a multi-car collision. The field runs so tight at Talladega that the slightest judgment error by a driver or aggressive call from a spotter can lead to half of the field being eliminated in a scenario known as "The Big One".
Car manufacturers have histories of doing well at different events and tracks. Talladega is no different. Dodge who has had an impressive start to the Nextel Cup Series thus far, winning three of eight races, has not seen a victory in Talladega in an amazing thirty years. Chevrolet on the other hand has owned victory lane in Alabama up until last October when Dale Jarrett put the skids on a 13 race winning streak for the Chevy team by putting his Ford in the
winner's circle. However with the points race as tight at it is (174 points closer than this time last season) and the restrictor-plates in place, the only thing certain in 499 miles is paint will be traded.
The NASCAR schedule offers two races at Talladega each season. During those past races some of the most fantastic records have been set. These include the most contested race in NASCAR history on April 2, 2002 the Aaron's 499 saw 26 different drivers lead at least one lap. This though pales in comparison to the record set in May of 1984 when the lead changed hand 75 separate times. But what NASCAR fans love most about Talladega is the speed and nowhere has there been more to enjoy. Bill Elliot set the qualifying speed record of 212.809mph in 1987. Still more impressive by some standards is Mark Martin's average race speed record ten years later of 188.354mph.
When the checkered flag falls on April 30 a few things will have happened for sure. 499 miles of NASCAR's best racing will have taken place. NASCAR odds makers will have had another incredibly difficult task come to an end. NASCAR race results will read like a Hall of Fame induction list and the Aaron's 499, on of Nextel Cup Series racing's top drawing events will have paved the path for thousands more NASCAR racing fans on the asphalt of Talladega Superspeedway
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