NASCAR Kobalt Tools 500 Lines

NASCAR betting revs its engine at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. The Sprint Cup Series continues to roll with the Kobalt Tools 500. The 1.5-mile tri-oval has been dominated by some of racing’s most popular drivers, including the favorite for this Sunday's race.

Jimmie Johnson +400: Is there a safer bet in all of sports than the No. 48 car? The reigning Cup champion goes for his third straight win of the season at Atlanta. And, according to his past history, there's no reason why Johnson can't take checkered flag No. 3. In 17 starts there he has three wins and has finished inside the Top 10 11 times, posting an average finish of 10.7. Last weekend, Johnson started in 20th place and moved up front to lead 18 laps of the Shelby American.

Jeff Gordon +800: Johnson's teammate snapped out of his early-season funk with a third-place showing at Las Vegas last Sunday. Gordon had finished 20th and 26th in the opening two races, but found his form after earning a spot in the front row in qualifying. He also picked up a bunch of Cup points for leading 219 out of 267 laps. At Atlanta, the No. 24 team has run well. They boast an average finish of 12.3 and have five straight Top-10 showings there going back to 2007. In his most recent race in the ATL, Gordon finished eighth and led 30 laps.

Mark Martin +800: Who said old people can't drive? Martin is living proof that, like wine, his driving skills are getting finer with age. The veteran finished fourth for the second straight race last weekend, moving up from eighth in the starting grid. Martin is currently ranked third in the driver standings and heads into the Kobalt Tools 500 with a steady resume at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Last year he grabbed a fifth-place showing, which snapped a string of four straight poor showings. Over his 48 career starts there, Martin has won twice and has an average finish of just under 17th place.

Kyle Busch +1000: Racing's wild child is among the favorites to visit Victory Lane this Sunday. The younger Busch has warmed up to Atlanta Motor Speedway quickly despite running only 11 Sprint Cup races there. He has led 278 laps over those 11 events and has one win at the track, coming at the Kobalt Tools 500 in 2008. Busch has started slow this season, finishing outside the Top 10 in each of his three previous races. Last weekend, he dropped from his starting spot of fifth all the way to 15th but did lead one lap.

Kurt Busch +1200: The older Busch brother is the defending Kobalt Tools 500 winner, taking the checkered flag in 2009 after starting in second and leading 234 of the total 325 laps. That was his second win at Atlanta, the other one coming back in 2002. In 18 career starts in Georgia, Busch has placed inside the Top 10 six times and posts an average finish of 19.7. This season has been a bit trying for the No. 2 car. He's coming off a disappointing run on his home track in Las Vegas, finishing 35th after earning the pole in qualifying. He ran into an accident on lap 94 and dropped behind due to damage.