Kyle Busch Sits Atop Favorites To Win Gatorade Duels Race One

Sports News - February 11th, 2010 - Written By Bryan

One of the premiere racing events in the world takes place on Sunday, February 14th, with the 52nd running of the Daytona 500. But first, drivers must compete for starting positions. The Gatorade Duels Races take place on Thursday, February 11th, to determine to starting order of the race. Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. sit atop the pole on the basis of earlier timed qualifying, but the rest of the fields' positions are yet to be decided.

This preliminary event is a 150 miles, in which every driver entered in the Daytona 500 competes. The top two drivers (the pole position, and outside pole) are the only two positions that are done on the basis of timed laps. The following order is orchestrated by the running of the duel races.

The first race will determine the odd number positions of the order. Online sportsbooks, such as Bodog, are fielding lines on the events, with household names situated atop in the first qualifying race.

Kyle Busch headlines the betting favorites in the first Gatorade Duel qualifying race. In 2009, Busch started in fourth position at the Daytona 500. He finished in a disappointing 41st place however, following a wreck. He has been established as a 9/2 favorite to win the Gatorade Duels Race one. He won four times in 2009 and looks to claim his first Daytona 500 victory in 2010.

Following Busch is three-time Daytona 500 Champion Jeff Gordon. His last trip to victory lane came in 2005. Gordon has also been the recipient of the season-long Sprint Cup championship four times. He began in the third position in the 2009 Daytona 500, and finished in 13th place. Gordon has been installed as a 5/1 favorite to claim the victory in the qualifying race, according to NASCAR Betting Lines.

Mark Martin came up just shy of winning the Sprint Cup Series last season, losing out to Jimmie Johnson. He became just the fourth driver in NASCAR history to win a Cup race after the age of 50. Throughout his hall-of-fame career, it is surprising to find that he has never won the Daytona 500 in his 25 career starts. However, he won the pole for the first time in 2010, and becomes the oldest driver ever to start in the top position. Martin sports odds of 8/1 at the Gatorade Duels.

Denny Hamlin finished fifth in the Sprint Cup Series last year, ending his season with a victory in the Series finale at the Ford 400. He won four times on the 2009 circuit and will try to get his 2010 campaign off to a positive start. It begins with a good performance in the preliminary race at Daytona International Speedway. Hamlin has been set as an 8/1 favorite to claim the victory in the Gatorade Duels Race one.

Rounding out the top-five favorites to win the first preliminary race is Kevin Harvick. Harvick captured the 2007 Daytona 500 victory, which makes him a leading favorite heading into 2010. He finished in 19th place in the season-long championship standings in 2009 and looks to improve on that performance. Oddmakers have made Harvick an 8/1 favorite entering the qualifying race.

The first Gatorade Duels Race takes place on Thursday, February 11th at 2pm Est, and will be broadcast on the Speed network.

Full Field Odds For Gatorade Duels Race One-

A.J Allmendinger 35/1
Carl Edwards 8/1
Clint Bowyer 15/1
David Ragan 20/1
Denny Hamlin 8/1
Greg Biffle 20/1
Jamie McMurray 14/1
Jeff Burton 12/1
Jeff Gordon 5/1
Jimmie Johnson 10/1
Kevin Harvick 8/1
Kyle Busch 9/2
Mark Martin 8/1
Michael Waltrip 50/1
Ryan Newman 15/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 25/1