Giving NASCAR Some Sunday Love

With the NFL season right around the corner, we are going to do something we don't normally do--hand out a Free NASCAR Pick!

Sure we've had a few in the past, but it isn't exactly a common occurrence around here. So, since NASCAR won't get any love on Sundays starting next weekend, we're going to send it off the right way. Please allow us to showcase racing babe Danica Patrick as our model for this post.

This weekend, the big race is in Atlanta, the Emory Healthcare 500. We've always wanted to go to one of these things, but with football starting up and things finally getting a little busier around here, that just won't be happening. Maybe next summer. Anyway, here's the pick:

Jimmie Johnson - 11/2

Jimmie has a good history at this track, and is poised to continue winning this event every three years (2004, 2007, 2010?). And, let it be known, this pick is more for fun than anything. We are not betting this heavily and we really don't have a NASCAR system. So keep that in mind, it is not like our more accurate Free NCAA Football Picks (which better not make us look silly tomorrow for saying that).

Take this pick as a peace offering, because despite our initial hopes, we will not be adding any plays to our seven-game slot for Saturday (in addition to our three from Thursday). Depending on how the picks against the spread go this week, we may or may not begin to mix in more over/unders. Our over/under system is not as advanced, hence our initial skepticism to do so. Nevertheless, enjoy both the Free NCAA Football Picks as well as the Free NASCAR Pick this weekend.

Bowyer Beats Mears

Clint Bowyer finished 24th in the Daytona 500 today, 13 spots ahead of Casey Mears, who finished at 37th. In our other bet, Tony Stewart was unable to hold his lead once again, as Ryan Newman (Newman!) was the surprise winner of the race, giving us a 1-1 NASCAR day.

Since the odds on Bowyer over Mears were +125, however, we came out with an extra 1/4 of a unit in our pockets.

Free NASCAR Picks for Daytona 500

We had no plays in any sports yesterday, but we're expecting a huge day today. Since we've done so well venturing out with our Free NHL Picks (3-0 so far), we decided to try out another new sport--NASCAR!

Today, of course, is the Daytona 500, and there are four favorites to win the race. Right off the bat, you can pretty much narrow it down to these four:

Dale Earnhardt Jr... 11/5

Tony Stewart... 4/1

Jeff Gordon... 5/1

Jimmie Johnson... 5/1

But who do you select in a group filled with talented drivers like this? You bet on the hungriest one of the four. Earnhardt Jr., Gordon, and Johnson won the race in 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively. Tony Stewart had big leagues near the end of all those races, but could never finish the job. Well folks, this is Tony Stewart's year. At 4/1 odds, we like No. 20 to get it done today at Daytona.

Aside from our winning selection of Stewart, we also like a head-to-head matchup we found on Bodog. Clint Bowyer is underrated in this contest, and we like him straight up at +125 odds to finish ahead of Casey Mears. Good luck and enjoy the race!