The 2018 NASCAR season rolls on Saturday under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the All-Star Race at 8 p.m. ET. Kyle Busch is the Vegas favorite at 5-1, followed by Kevin Harvick at 6-1 and Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. at 8-1. This event, which will include the winner of every 2017 and 2018 NASCAR race plus wild-card entrants, features unique rules including restrictor plates, front aero ducts and four stages that will play out over 80 total laps at this 1.5-mile track.
Before you make any kind of bet on this event, you need to see what Micah Roberts has to say.
As a Vegas bookmaker, Roberts was the first to offer expanded NASCAR betting. Now he hands out winners to his followers.
In the 2017 playoffs, Roberts picked nine of the 10 winners. That wasn't a fluke, either. In 2016, he told readers to back Denny Hamlin at 15-1 in the Daytona 500. The result: Hamlin edged Truex Jr. for the checkered flag. Roberts also nailed Hamlin at 40-1 to win at Watkins Glen later that year.
Earlier this season, Roberts was all-in on Harvick at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 despite two other drivers having the same field-leading odds. The result: Harvick dominated, leading for 181 of 325 laps and cruising to victory by 2.69 seconds.
Also this season, Roberts was very high on Clint Bowyer, who snapped his 190-race winless streak in the STP 500. And at the Food City 500, he said Kyle Busch "owned" Bristol and would come away with the checkered flag. The result: Busch came from behind and crossed the finish line .63 seconds ahead of runner-up Kyle Larson.
Now, he has analyzed NASCAR's All-Star Race from every possible angle and locked in his picks. You can see his entire projected leaderboard at SportsLine.
We can tell you he's not high on Kyle Busch, the 5-1 favorite and last year's All-Star race winner.
That's because Busch has struggled mightily at Charlotte, failing to win an event in 28 starts at this track. In a field that is as competitive as any event all year, Roberts doesn't even have Busch in his top five and says there are far better values to be found.
One shocker: Roberts says Denny Hamlin, listed as a 15-1 long shot, makes a strong run at the checkered flag. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.
"He's the driver I think will pick up the best angle to approach in this new aero/plate venture because of his ability to masterfully read the air helping him in the draft," Roberts told SportsLine. He was third in the Daytona 500 this season, leading 22 laps.
Roberts also loves a double-digit sleeper who is well-suited to make a serious run at the checkered flag and $1 million payday. Anyone who backs this underdog could hit it big.
So who wins the 2018 NASCAR All-Star Race? And which long shots stun the racing world? Visit SportsLine now see the full projected leaderboard from the nation's premier NASCAR handicapper, and find out.
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