JJ held off teammate Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick in order to secure the victory. That means that Team Johnson has won 2 out of the first 3 Sprint Cup races of 2010. Counting the Budweiser Shoot-out and Gatorade duels, and Johnson is 3 out of 6 so far in 2010. JJ and his crew are obviously well on their way to another Sprint Cup Championship. Going off at 4 to 1 in the NASCAR sportsbook, Jimmie was expected to win at Las Vegas, but that shouldn’t keep fans and sports gamblers from looking at the masterful Johnson in awe.

As crazy as it sounds, JJ and his crew appear more focused this year than they have in the four previous NASCAR Cup Championship years. If that is the case, that they are actually more focused than they have been in the past, then does any other team in NASCAR have a shot at winning the Sprint Cup? Probably not. I thought that Johnson solidified his credentials as one of the best athletes in the world in 2009 and the best racecar driver of all time. Now, I’m beginning to believe that he’s one of the best athletes in any sport ever.

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Jeff Gordon laughed at his own bad back and finished 3rd in the Shelby American to Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson on Sunday.

Gordon hadn’t finished in the Top 20 in either the Daytona 500 or the Auto NASCAR Club 500. In the Shelby American, Gordo was almost perfect. It looked like he might win the race until both JJ and Kevin Harvick found a way to finish in front of him.

If the 3rd place finish is indeed a sign that Gordon has returned, and that he isn’t being hampered by his bad back, then Hendrick Motorsports look as powerful as they have looked in their NASCAR history. That says a lot considering that Johnson has won four Sprint Cup Championships in a row and Jeff Gordon is considered one of the best NASCAR racecar drivers to ever live.

But stats don’t lie and the stats are already piling up for Team Hendrick in 2010. Mark Martin, who drove for Hendrick for the first time in 2009, finished 4th on Sunday. Martin is averaging an 8th place finish in 3 Sprint Cup races so far in 2010. Johnson has won 2 of the 3 Sprint Cup races in 2010 and Gordon just finished in the Top 5 in the Shelby American. Hendrick Motorsports is not only dominating again but could have their best year ever.

This weekend NASCAR travels to Atlanta for the Kobalt Tools 500. Jimmie Johnson most likely will be the favorite in the NASCAR sportsbook once again as JJ won both races at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2007. Since 2007, Carl Edwards, the Busch brothers, and Kasey Kahne have had success in Atlanta. Will one of those drivers take down King JJ, or will Johnson once again prove to be the best in the Athens of the South?

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McMurry crashed out of the NASCAR race in 2009 before winning it this year. Sunday’s Daytona 500 victory, no doubt, is the biggest of McMurray career. McMurray knew how important the victory was because he could not stop himself from weeping like a little girl who had found her freakin puppy after a flood. Seriously, it was one of the worst displays of non-manhood I have ever seen in NASCAR sports. The man made Terrell Owens look like a mannequin. I was afraid he was going to drown; he was crying so much.

Besides McMurray’s awesome display of tear duct invulnerability, some might argue that another positive came out of this past Sunday’s Daytona 500. What was it? Their biggest NASCAR star, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 2nd.

Dale Jr., who was going off at +700 in the NASCAR sportsbook, shot from 22nd to 2nd because of two green-white checkered flag overtimes. Why did NASCAR break out with the goofy green-white checkered flags? Because somehow, someway, a pothole developed on the track.

NASCAR needed two red flags in order to fix the hole. The two red flags and the two green-white-checkered overtime flags led to a 6-hour Daytona 500. Because of that, I’m just not sure if it’s fair to say that McMurray’s victory was legitimate. I mean, how often is this going to happen? It took NASCAR race 144 minutes to fix both potholes. It took 1 hr and 40 minutes to fix the first pothole. Two green-white flags and the victory of the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s most important race, was crowned.

Really? Is that the way to start out one of the most important seasons in your sport’s history? NASCAR television ratings took a huge hit in 2009. Running a 6 hour Dayona 500 probably isn’t the way to get those viewers back. I don’t believe that pumping up Dale Jr. is the way to do it either, but at least that’s something positive that NASCAR race van convince they got out of this NASCAR race. It’s actually the only thing.

Jimmie Johnson, the 2009 AP Athlete of the Year, and 4 time Sprint Cup Champion, believes that the hole in the track caused him to split a tire. He ended up 35th after crashing during the NASCAR race.

Juan Pablo Montoya, looking for his first non-road course victory on the Sprint Cup Circuit, was in 2nd place before drivers started up again after NASCAR race officials finished patching up the pothole for the second time. He ended up finishing 10th.

Clint Bowyer, who was leading before the whole pothole debacle, ended up 9th. Greg Biffle looked like a serious contender before the ridiculous Hole Gate began and ended up 3rd. Tony Stewart, the pre-race favorite at +450 in the online sportsbook, was in good position before the pothole mess started. Smoke finished 22nd.

The most alarming thing regarding this whole mess is that most of my fellow NASCAR writers are talking about how the Daytona 500 on Sunday was a success. I just don’t agree. As a sports gambler, I was horrified at what I saw. Good money was lost on a legitimate driver not named Jamie McMurray this past Sunday to win the Daytona 500. Yes, the cliche “them are the breaks” is often times valid when it comes to online gambling on NASCAR, but the pothole mess was just plain stupid and idiotic.

The fact that NASCAR race can’t get the track right in their most important NASCAR race of the year is insane to me. The fact that Jamie McMurray won the Daytona 500 when better drivers and crews were in position to do so is shocking. Does NASCAR care that people are turning away from their sport and starting to watch other sports?

NASCAR Hole Gate is not funny. It is not funny to non-gambling NASCAR fans and it definitely is not funny to us sports gamblers who count on NASCAR race to run fair races.

The good news is that things look to change this week because NASCAR travels to Fontana where the track, no doubt, should be in perfect condition. Oh, I’ll be there again, logging onto the NASCAR race sportsbook and looking for that favorite and long shot that I believe could score me some dollars.

After all, there is one cliche besides “them are the breaks” that is true in regards to NASCAR betting even though it refers to a different sport. What’s the cliche? “When a shooter goes cold, what should he do? Keep shooting!”

Most NASCAR bettor went cold this past Sunday because of Hole Gate. Thank goodness that the NASCAR sportsbook will be offering odds on Fontana this weekend for us to “keep shooting”.

NASCAR Race-day: 11/15/2009

NASCAR Race-time: 2:30 pm EST

With two nascar races to go in The Chase, Jimmie Johnson has a 73 point over fellow Hendrick Motor Sports driver Mark Martin and a 112 point lead over fellow Hendrick driver Jeff Gordon.

The chances of Jimmie losing the Sprint Cup arent very good, but stranger things have happened which is why the Checker O`Reilly Auto Parts 500, this Sunday`s nascar race at Phoenix International Raceway, is such a big deal. JJ finished 38-th last week in Texas and another finish like that, along with let`s say a Mark Martin victory, would make next week`s final nascar race in The Chase very interesting.

Could Johnson possibly blow the Sprint Cup lead he garnered by winning the three of the four Chase nascar races? Sure he could if he keeps finishing close to 40-th place and his teammate, Martin, wins a couple more.

Martin, by the way, returns to Phoenix where he won in April and where he averages a 9-th place finish. The oldman of Hendrick hasn`t been driving like an old timer all season and definitely has enough left in the tank to make a serious run at JJ should Jimmie and his crew blow another nascar race.

The NASCAR odds on Johnson in the nascar race are +400. The odds on Mark Martin in the sportsbook are +500. I`d go with Martin in this situation. He is coming off of a 4-th place finish at Texas and has won at PIR before.

This NASCAR race is Martin`s to lose, not Jimmie`s to win, which means that a seriously interesting matchup next week at Homestead cold be brewing after Sunday. Which Busch will show up in Phoenix? Will Kurt hold off Kyle, like he did last weekend at Texas, or will Kyle finally secure another victory in 2009?

Both Busch`s are going off at decent odds in the sportsbook, +1200 for both and it will be a question of which Busch gamblers prefer more in this spot. Stat wise, neither Busch brother has been impressive in Phoenix. Kurt has one victory. Kyle has one victory. Kurt averages a 13-th place finish. Kyle averages a 15-th place finish.

Betting either one might be silly, but rarely this season have bettors been able to get double digit odds on Kyle Busch. That should not be the only reason that bettors back him, but it does show that there is some wagering value with Kyle.

Where Has Tony Stewart Gone?

That has to be the question with 2 nascar races left in the Sprint Cup Chase. Smoke has been nowhere to be found since winning on October 4-th at Kansas in the 3rd Chase NASCAR race. Tony finished 5-th a week later in the Pepsi 500 and 9-th in the Tums Fast Relief 500 but his 35-th place finish at Talladega killed him even though he bounced back last week with a 6-th place finish.

Stewart led in the Sprint Cup Standings going into The Chase and it looked like the 1st time driver/owner would strike gold. That has not been the case as Tony is now in 5-th place in the standings behind JJ, Martin, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch. Tony is going off at +800 in the sportsbook to win at PIR. He probably won`t have enough to get it done, but don`t worry about Tony.

Next year promises to be another one full of hope for Smoke, however, as there is no doubt that wearing both hats, driver and owner, suits him. There are two NASCAR races left in the 2009 NASCAR Season! Sit back, grab a cold one and enjoy some racing!