Micah Roberts’ Sprint Cup driver ratings

Geico 500

At Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala.

9:30 a.m. today, Fox (5); race starts at 10:15

Rating DriverOddsPractice 1Practice 2QualifiedDaytona*

1. Denny Hamlin12/14thDNP17th4th

Won this race last year; has averaged sixth-place finish in past five restrictor-plate races

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.8/116th13th4th3rd

Five-time winner, but not since 2004; using his third-place Daytona 500 chassis

3. Kevin Harvick12/131st16th24th2nd

2010 winner with two others at Daytona; using runner-up chassis from Daytona 500

4. Brad Keselowski12/114th14th15th41st

Three-time winner, including last fall and his first career win in 2009; reads draft well

5. Jimmie Johnson12/135th4th5th5th

Two-time winner, last time in 2011, and also three Daytonas; using new chassis this week

6. Matt Kenseth12/120th6th8th35th

2012 winner, runner-up last fall; Joe Gibbs cars have slight edge in recent plate races

7. Jeff Gordon15/119th12th1st33rd

Six-time winner; passed Dale Earnhardt for most career plate wins (12) with 2007 sweep

8. David Ragan20/15th7th9th17th

Only two career wins are plate races, including 100-1 payout at Talladega in 2013

9. Clint Bowyer18/18thDNP10th7th

Two-time winner for RCR, but almost as strong last season with two thirds for MWR

10. Jamie McMurray20/129th15th27th27th

Four of seven career wins have been in plate races — twice at Talladega (2009, 2013)

* Results from Daytona 500 on Feb. 22. Daytona and Talladega run much differently, but account for the only four restrictor-plate races of the season. Note: At all tracks, practices and qualifying mean the least to driver ratings in restrictor-plate races. Almost every driver has a legitimate chance to win; there really is no bad bet until it loses. Odds courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports book director, has been setting NASCAR odds since 1995. For more post-practice analysis, visit the Linemakers on SportingNews.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.