NASCAR Odds - Kobalt Tools 500

NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series returns to the East Coast and stops at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday for the Kobalt Tools 500.

If history is any indication, this should be a close race, as there have been 25 since the inaugural event in 1960 that were won by a second or less. And three of the 10 closest finishes since electronic scoring became the norm in 1993 have taken place at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Last year, Jimmie Johnson made an aggressive pass of Tony Stewart three laps from the end and went on to the first of two Atlanta victories last season. Johnson is +550 at WagerWeb.com to threepeat.

Also, for what it's worth, Chevrolet has dominated Atlanta Motor Speedway. Team Chevy drivers have won 34 times in the 97 previous NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at AMS, more than any other manufacturer.

The last time Hendrick Motorsports -- which fields Dale Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears this season -- failed to have at least one driver in the top-10 in an Atlanta race was Nov. 21, 1999. In the 16 Cup races since, the organization has had at least one driver finish in the top 10.

Earnhardt Jr. (+900) has visited victory lane at AMS once in his Sprint Cup career, a feat his father accomplished nine times.

"My Daddy always ran good at Atlanta, so I focused on that fact," Earnhardt Jr. said "He always ran well. You could always count on him running up front at Atlanta. I think I liked the track before I ever raced on it. I assumed I would appreciate it and would like driving on it -- and I do. Plus Tony Eury Jr.'s style of setting up a car fits that track good. It has helped me a lot."Eury Jr. said he expects this weekend to be a race where the teams pit often for tires, especially with the colder weather that is in the forecast.

One driver that must be watched is Carl Edwards, the WagerWeb.com favorite this week at +450. Edwards is working on a two-race winning streak but will be without his crew chief, Bob Osborne, who has been suspended for six weeks for a rules infraction. Edwards runs very strong at Atlanta (one win and six top 10s in seven races) and may have a chip on his shoulder this week after being docked 100 points after his Vegas win.

Jeff Gordon (+600), meanwhile, needs a jump start as he is off to his worst start since 2000, when he was 23rd in points after three races; he is currently 22nd. Gordon has four wins at Atlanta, but only one in his past 17 races at the track (2003).

And then there's Kasey Kahne (+1500), who is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in the first three races. But his record is spotty here: He has five top 10s (including a win and four top fives) in eight races, but his finishes in the other three races are 35, 38 or 39.

AMS is not a good track for points leader Kyle Busch (+725). He has no top 10s in seven races, although he did finish 12th three consecutive races in 2005 and 2006.Atlanta has shown to be a good forecaster of the Chase for the Championship field. Following last year's AMS early race, nine drivers in the top 12 went on to qualify for the NASCAR playoffs (excluding then championship leader Mark Martin, who only ran a partial schedule beginning last season). In 2006, seven drivers in the top 10 after the Atlanta race weekend went on to compete in the Chase. And in 2005, eight drivers in the top 10 post-Atlanta spring race made the Chase that season.

Heading into the race 19 drivers are within 102 points of 12th place Kurt Busch in the standings.