Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings
Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500
Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.
11:30 a.m. today, NBC (3); race starts at 11:45 a.m.
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Qualified Practice 2 Practice 3
1. Kurt Busch 12-1 3rd 2nd 1st 1st
2005 winner has best 10-consecutive lap average in Practice 2; using winning Richmond chassis
2. Kevin Harvick 9-4 6th 8th 4th 5th
Seven-time winner, including last four; using winning chassis from March race that led 224 laps
3. Jimmie Johnson 10-1 1st 1st 6th 2nd
Four-time winner has track-best 7.8 average finish; best 10 consecutive lap average in Practice 3
4. Carl Edwards 12-1 4th 4th 2nd 8th
Two-time winner, last time in 2013; only seven points out of fourth and final Chase position
5. Martin Truex Jr. 18-1 8th 5th 8th 7th
Career-best fifth-place in 2009 with 17.1 average, but might have his best PIR car ever this week
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 20-1 9th 3rd 5th 3rd
Two-time winner, but none since 2011 repave; looked very fast in Saturday’s practices
7. Kyle Busch 8-1 10th 10th 13th 12th
2005 winner with 14.3 average; can clinch Championship 4 position by finishing third or better
8. Joey Logano 6-1 11th 14th 9th 13th
Career-best third in 2010, must win to advance to Championship 4; disappointing practices
9. Kasey Kahne 30-1 7th 9th 11th 10th
2011 winner with 17.3 average; finished fourth in March race for one of only three top-fives in 2015
10. Erik Jones 30-1 19th 7th 16th 6th
Driving Kenseth’s No. 20 that won last two on similar tracks; won at Phoenix twice in trucks
NOTE: Phoenix’s relatively flat one-mile layout requires a similar setup as Richmond and New Hampshire. Drivers who do well on one usually fare well on the others.
Odds courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
Micah Roberts is a former Las Vegas sports book director who has been setting NASCAR odds since 1994. Follow him: @MicahRoberts7
