Jeff Gordon’s exciting win last week ended a 66-race winless streak as well as a string of runner-up finishes and powered Gordon 20 spots up the ladder to fifth place in the standings as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 400 on Sunday, March 6 at 3:16 p.m. EST with all the ‘Gopher Cam’ action brought to you by FOX. 

Gamblers should note that in the past six years only three drivers have won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Jimmie Johnson (4), Kyle Busch (1), and Carl Edwards, (1). Before investing your V-chips on Sunday keep in mind that it’s all-or-nothing for Sprint Cup defending Champion Johnson, who in nine starts in Sin City has four wins, good for his only top-five finishes in the desert. Johnson is also the race’s defending champion.

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NASCAR Picks: Who will win the Kobalt Tools 400?

There has not been a more exciting start to the Sprint Cup season in recent memory. We’ve already had a 20-year-old break-through at Daytona on his birthday; Gordon is back in victory lane, and there have already been two good sized wrecks in the last two races. And now there is a family-feud brewing for first place among the Las Vegas hometown favorites, the Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt.

This year’s early season black-cloud award goes to Jeff Burton, who finds himself in 33rd place after two races and he has blown an engine and been involved with a big wreck as well. While the new points system rewards, it also punishes, and Burton has been on the receiving end so far.

Carl Edwards is currently in 13th place, but only four points out of the Top 10. This year racking up points is a matter of consistency, and Edwards has been a model in 2011. At Daytona he started 22nd and roared through the pack to finish a strong second. Then last week at Phoenix Edwards had the fastest car, started the race from the pole, but fell all the way back to 12th place after Kyle Busch whacked him into the wall early in the race. Edwards had his only win at LVMS three years ago. He has notched one win and two Top-10 finishes in his last six starts at Las Vegas, and he might have another back-flip dismount in his future. However, as much as I would like this to happen, I am not going to bite.

In all the excitement of last week’s race, and the focus on the Busch-Gordon battle in the front of the pack, it’s easy to forget about lil’ ole’ No. 48, who managed a respectable third place. This catapulted Johnson 13 points up the standings to 12th place with 59 total points. See, the thing is, Johnson really knows how to win at Vegas. Johnson has won four out of the last five Sprint Cup races in Nevada. I think getting +450 is a steal.

Pick! Jimmie Johnson, +450

Kobalt Tools 400 - Lucky Dog Long Odds Special

This spot was lucrative for backers last year as I cashed a few long odds tickets. There is a potential for a long-odds cash this week; backing team Red Bull. Kasey Kahne is back with a new team and a new number (No. 4) in his first year with Red Bull Racing. This is too tempting for me to pass up. In fact, I absolutely love Kahne as a big dog in this situation. Last week Kahne finished in sixth place; he moved up eight spots in the standings to 15th with 57 points. The new points structure makes it eminently possible for Kahne to move into the Top 10 if he does well this weekend. In fact, at Las Vegas Kahne has notched four Top 10 finishes in his last seven starts and he finished ninth last March. Since its inception, Red Bull Racing has had a strong intermediate package that Kahne, listed at +3000 to win, should be able to take advantage of on Sunday. Indeed, perhaps the new sponsor (with a bit of help from crew chief Kenny Francis) will give Kahne the wings he needs to win at Las Vegas.

Pick! Kasey Kahne +3000

Kobalt Tools 400 – Odds for Top 3 Finish

I’m thinking that Gordon passing Kyle Busch on the final lap at Phoenix didn’t sit too well with “Rowdy” this week. It’s a good thing Kyle can console himself with the fact he is in first place in the Spring Cup standings with a two race average finish of fifth place! Kyle had his best finish of the year as runner-up to Gordon last week, but even at Daytona, which has never been his strongest track, the younger Busch finished seventh. Kyle currently three-points in front of his brother Kurt, who has 77 points and is no longer driving the Blue Deuce (he’s now in the Double-Deuce). Both brothers share two Top-10 finishes and two Top-5 finishes. Now the Busch Brothers come into their home track ready to duel it out for home-track supremacy. I won’t be surprised to see B-Squared at the top of the pack, I am just not sure which brother to back so I am covering both.

Pick! Kyle Busch, +180
Pick! Kurt Busch +350

Kobalt Tools 400 – Odds for Top 3 Finish
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 6, 2011

Jimmie Johnson  +130     
Kyle Busch  +180    
Jeff Gordon  +200    
Carl Edwards  +240    
Denny Hamlin  +300    
Tony Stewart  +300    
Kevin Harvick  +350    
Kurt Busch  +350    
Greg Biffle  +600    
Matt Kenseth  +750    
Clint Bowyer  +750    
Joey Logano  +750    
Mark Martin  +750    
Jeff Burton  +750    
Juan Montoya  +900    
Kasey Kahne  +900    
Brian Vickers  +900    
Ryan Newman  +900    
Jamie McMurray  +900    
Dale Earnhardt Jr  +1200    
David Reutimann  +1200    
zx Field (Any Other Driver)  +1500    
Martin Truex Jr  +1800    
AJ Allmendinger  +1800    
Bobby Labonte  +3000    
Trevor Bayne  +3000    
David Gilliland  +3000    
Regan Smith  +3000    
Marcos Ambrose  +3000    
David Ragan  +3000    
Paul Menard  +3000    
Brad Keselowski  +3000   

Kobalt Tools 400 – Odds to Win
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 6, 2011

Jimmie Johnson  +450            
Kyle Busch  +600             
Jeff Gordon  +700             
Carl Edwards  +800            
Denny Hamlin  +1000             
Tony Stewart  +1000             
Kevin Harvick  +1200             
Kurt Busch  +1200             
Greg Biffle  +2000             
Matt Kenseth  +2500             
Clint Bowyer  +2500             
Joey Logano  +2500             
Mark Martin  +2500              
Jeff Burton  +2500             
Juan Montoya  +3000             
Kasey Kahne  +3000             
Brian Vickers  +3000             
Ryan Newman  +3000             
Jamie McMurray  +3000             
Dale Earnhardt Jr  +4000             
David Reutimann  +4000             
zx Field (Any Other Driver)  +5000             
Martin Truex Jr  +6000             
AJ Allmendinger  +6000             
Bobby Labonte  +10000             
Trevor Bayne  +10000             
David Gilliland  +10000              
Regan Smith  +10000             
Marcos Ambrose  +10000             
David Ragan  +10000             
Paul Menard  +10000             
Brad Keselowski  +10000