Another wild Daytona race ended with plenty of action, and it was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. that would end up with the checkered flag at the end of the Coke Zero 400. Now, the Monster Energy Cup Series is off to Kentucky Speedway for the Quaker State 400, the second straight race under the lights in the Cup series. The Quaker State 400 was first run in 2011, and Brad Keselowski is the king of Kentucky. Keselowski has won three of the six races held here, including last year when he started second and led 75 laps.
Details
Event: Quaker State 400
Category: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Date: Saturday, July 8th, 2017; 7:30 PM ET
Location: Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky
Stenhouse Jr. started sixth at Daytona and led 17 laps en route to his second win of 2017. It was also his second restrictor-plate win as Stenhouse won at Talladega, and he is becoming a force at the big tracks. Clint Bowyer came in second, while Paul Menard, Michael McDowell and Ryan Newman finished in the top five as well. Kyle Larson still leads the points standings with 667, while Martin Truex Jr. is next with 649, then it is Kyle Busch with 559, Kevin Harvick with 557 and Keselowski with 535. However, Busch is still winless.
Past Five Winners At The Quaker State 400
2016: Brad Keselowski
2015: Kyle Busch
2014: Brad Keselowski
2013: Matt Kenseth
2012: Brad Keselowski
The Field
Kyle Larson enters the week as our leader in the Monster Energy Cup standings with 667 but he’s not the favorite to win this week. That goes to Martin Truex Jr., who is second in the standings just 18 points back. Both have two wins on the year. Kyle Busch is in third place in the NASCAR standings as well as the odds this week, so that seems about right. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch round out the Top 5 both in the NASCAR standings and in terms of the odds for this week. Busch has been very strong of late and looks like he might be the best bet. He placed 20th last week but had three straight Top 10’s before that. He now has finished ninth or better in seven of his last nine outings, which is quite strong.
Jimmie Johnson is someone to keep an eye on as he’s been fairly competitive of late. He has placed 13th or better in three straight races, which isn’t perfect, but it does mean you may want to consider him for the Top 10 prop.
What To Know About The Track
Kentucky Speedway opened in 2008 and it is a 1.5-mile track that is banked differently at each end. Turns 1 and 2 are banked at 17 degrees, while Turns 3 and 4 are banked at 14 degrees. It is also banked at 8-10 degrees through the tri-oval and four degrees down the straightaway.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Martin Truex Jr. Over Kyle Larson
The top two in the standings have been struggling over the last two weeks, but bet on Truex Jr. to bounce back. He has an average finish 13.2 in six starts at Kentucky, while Larson has an average of 31.3, which is more amazing when you consider that his starting average of 9.0. He won’t finish in the 30s this week, but Larson is still a young driver that is prone to making some mistakes. Go with the experience of Truex Jr. this weekend at Kentucky.
Top-Five Pick: Kyle Busch
Busch has the best finishing average of any driver here at 5.2, and last year’s race was the only time in which he finished outside of the top 10 at 12th. Busch is usually aggressive, but he is getting antsy for a win and he is going to push to be up front in this race, so a top-five isn’t out of the question. He won the inaugural race from the pole and then started ninth in 2015, and he has a starting average of 6.7 here. If Busch gets a good starting spot, expect him to stay there.
Odds To Win The 2017 Quaker State 400
Martin Truex Jr +500
Kyle Larson +600
Kyle Busch +600
Brad Keselowski +600
Kevin Harvick +800
Jimmie Johnson +800
Chase Elliott +1200
Denny Hamlin +1500
Joey Logano +1500
Matt Kenseth +2000
Ryan Blaney +2500
Clint Bowyer +2500
Jamie McMurray +3000
Kurt Busch +4000
Dale Earnhardt Jr +4000
Erik Jones +5000
Kasey Kahne +7500
Austin Dillon +7500
Ryan Newman +7500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +10000
Field +2000
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