Coke Zero Betting Preview

Kyle Busch sits at the top of the Sprint Cup standings heading into this weekend's race at Daytona Speedway, but it's Kurt Busch who will be seeking a second straight victory.

Kurt Busch got a weather-assisted win in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire over the weekend, as he was at the front of the pack when the race was called due to rain in lap 284. That marked Kurt Busch's first victory of the 2008 Sprint Cup season, and it was only the third time all year he'd ended up with a Top-10 result.

Michael Waltrip and J.J. Yeley finished second and third on an unusual leaderboard at New Hampshire, while Martin Truex Jr. and Elliott Sadler rounded out the day's Top 5. Reed Sorenson, Casey Mears, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Bobby Labonte made up the rest of the Top 10, and Jeff Gordon finished behind that group in 11^th spot.

Jeff Burton ended up in 12^th place on the weekend, with Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, and Matt Kenseth immediately following him. Greg Biffle was 21^st, Clint Bowyer was 22^nd, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 24^th, and Kasey Kahne finished 30^th. Standings leader Kyle Busch ended up back in 25^th spot.

That means Kyle Busch's lead in the points race is down to 64 on Burton heading into the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona this weekend. Earnhardt Jr., Edwards, Johnson, and Gordon remain unchanged in third through sixth place in the standings this week, while Hamlin moved up one spot into seventh place with his Top-10 showing on the weekend.

Biffle, Stewart, Kahne, Bowyer, and Harvick make up the rest of the current Top 12. Kenseth held down 12^th place last week, but he dropped into 13^th (15 points behind Harvick) with his showing at New Hampshire. Truex Jr. moved up three spots into 14^th.

Kurt Busch turned in a solid performance in the Daytona 500 earlier this season (he finished in second place behind Newman), and he'll be looking for another good run on that track this weekend. Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Sorenson rounded out the Top 5 in the season opener, followed by Sadler, Kahne, Robby Gordon, Earnhardt Jr., and Biffle.

Gordon has had the most success at Daytona in the past - he's won six Cup events there in his career (1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, and 2005). Waltrip has three career wins on that track (2001, 2002, and 2003), while Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart have won there twice each. Newman, Harvick, Johnson, Biffle, and Burton each have a single Daytona win on their resumes, while Jamie McMurray is this week's defending champ.

Kyle Busch is Vegas' choice as the favorite this weekend, as he's pegged at just 9/2 odds to visit victory lane. Stewart is next at 5/1, with Hamlin and Earnhardt Jr. at 7/1, and both Gordon and Johnson at 8/1. Bowyer and Harvick are both sitting at 15/1 odds, while Edwards, Biffle, Newman, Kahne, and Kurt Busch are a bit farther behind at 18/1.

Kenseth begins the next tier of contenders at 20/1, with Burton at 22/1, and Mark Martin at 30/1. McMurray, Truex Jr., Sorenson, Vickers, David Ragan, and Juan Montoya are listed at 35/1, with Casey Mears at 40/1, and Waltrip a longshot at 55/1 to get the victory.

Kyle Busch is still the 5/2 Vegas favorite to win the Sprint Cup this season, with Earnhardt Jr. at 3/1, Edwards at 7/2, and Johnson at 5/1. Hamlin is then at 7/1 odds to take the title, followed by Gordon at 10/1, and each of Stewart, Burton, and Biffle at 12/1. Both Bowyer and Kahne are currently sitting back at 15/1 odds to claim the Cup.

After competing at Daytona the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series will move on to Chicagoland Speedway for the LifeLock.com 400 on July 12. The series will then complete its July schedule on the 27^th with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in Indianapolis.

This preview is brought to you by BetUs Sportsbook