Jimmie Johnson Favored to Win 2010 Sprint Cup Series

Sports News - February 8th, 2010 - Written By John Ritter

The chase for the 2010 Sprint Cup Series launches with the running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday February 14th. The top names in NASCAR will be competing, including four-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Johnson rewrote history by winning four consecutive season-long championships, capping it off last year. He looks to make it an unprecedented fifth title to begin the new decade.

Following the 26 races that will take place this season, the top-12 will race in the final 10 events to determine the Sprint Cup Series Champion. This will be determined by win totals and top finishes throughout the course of the season. The "chase for the cup" provides fans of NASCAR everywhere the chance to experience the excitement of racing. Online Sportsbook are fielding wagers on the 2010 Sprint Cup Championship, with many familiar names situated atop the list of favorites to succeed.

Jimmie Johnson headlines this group of favorites, as the reigning four-time Champion of the Sprint Cup Series. Johnson won three times during the first 26 races of the season in 2009. He then went on to finish first in three of the final 10 races of the year. His fifth place finish at the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November of last year cemented his fourth Sprint Cup Series Championship. Johnson has been installed as a +250 favorite to claim another title according to BetUs Sportsbook.

Mark Martin finished in second place to Jimmie Johnson in the Sprint Cup Standings last season, and begins 2010 in the same slot. For his career, Martin has accumulated 48 wins and 417 top-10 finishes. Despite his success, Martin has never claimed a season-long championship. He has finished second five times. He has claimed the label as the "best driver never to have won a championship." In 1998, he was voted as one of the 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR. Martin has been established as a +500 favorite to claim his first title in 2010.

Jeff Gordon is a four-time winner of the NASCAR season championship. He has also won the Daytona 500 three times. Since his first appearance on the circuit in 1992, Gordon has tabbed 82 victories and 359 top-ten finishes. Gordon came in third place behind Johnson and Martin and is slated as the third favorite to claim the Sprint Cup Series this year. Currently, Gordon is going off as a +800 favorite to win his fifth NASCAR championship, according to NASCAR Betting Odds.

The last person to win the season-long NASCAR Championship not named Jimmie Johnson was Tony Stewart. Stewart won back in 2005 and once prior in 2002. In 2009, Stewart ended with a sixth place finish in the final standings. He has been set as a top favorite to win his third NASCAR championship. Stewart won four times on the 2009 circuit and finished in the top-five 15 times. Stewart posts odds of +800 to claim the 2010 Sprint Cup Series.

Young star in the making Kyle Busch rounds out the top-five favorites to claim the Sprint Cup for 2010. The 24-year-old won four times in 2009 and looks to add to his victories this year. He had 29 career victories and 104 top-ten finishes. He has been installed as a +800 favorite to claim the NASCAR championship.

The Daytona 500 begins at 1pm Est on Sunday February 14th, and will be broadcast live on FOX.

AJ Allmendinger +8000
Brad Keselowski +8000
Brian Vickers +2500
Carl Edwards +3000
Clint Bowyer +3000
Dale Earnhardt Jr +3000
David Ragan +8000
David Reutimann +8000
Denny Hamlin +1000
Greg Biffle +2000
Jamie McMurray +8000
Jeff Burton +3000
Jeff Gordon +8000
Jimmie Johnson +250
Joey Logano +8000
Juan Pablo Montoya +1000
Kasey Kahne +2500
Kevin Harvick +2500
Kurt Busch +1500
Kyle Busch +800
Marcos Ambrose +8000
Mark Martin +500
Martin Truex Jr +8000
Matt Kenseth +1500
Ryan Newman +3000
Sam Hornish Jr +8000
Tony Stewart +800
Field (Any Other Driver) +3500