Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup Driver Ratings, March 11
Kobalt Tools 400
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Noon today, Fox (5); race begins at 12:16 p.m.
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Qualified Practice 2 Practice 3
1. Kasey Kahne 10/1 8th 1st 2nd 8th 2004 runner-up with 14.9 average finish in eight starts; had strongest practices
2. Tony Stewart 8/1 3rd 7th 10th 13th Two-time runner-up; one of three tracks yet to win on; using winning ’11 Chicago chassis
3. Kevin Harvick 10/1 10th 3rd 12th 2nd 2010 runner-up; 13.2 average finish in 11 starts; fastest average speeds in final practice
4. Matt Kenseth 7/1 11th 11th 24th 7th Two-time winner; 11.7 average finish in 12 starts; using 2011 chassis that won two races
5. Jimmie Johnson 8/1 1st 6th 4th 24th Four-time winner; track-best 10.6 average finish; using backup car after wreck in practice
6. Mark Martin 30/1 9th 13th 21st 3rd 1998 inaugural winner; 13.1 average finish; one of four drivers to start every Vegas race
7. Kyle Busch 8/1 20th 2nd 5th 19th Won in 2009 starting from the rear (engine change); using backup car; starts from rear
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 30/1 6th 4th 1st 17th Two-time runner-up; 16.8 average finish in 12 starts; using 2011 Homestead chassis
9. Marcos Ambrose 50/1 4th 15th 16th 4th Using chassis that finished fourth at Vegas and fifth at Charlotte; looked good in practice
10. Greg Biffle 12/1 5th 9th 7th 15th Best finish of third in 2008; 14.8 average finish; using Texas chassis that ran sixth in 2011
Note: Two-time winner Carl Edwards was one of the favorites to win coming into the weekend, but poor practices revealed that he might struggle again, as he did last week at Phoenix.
Odds courtesy of LVH.
Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. He can be reached at VegasInsider.com, TheLinemakers.com or Twitter: MicahRoberts7.
