Kyle vs. Carl, I love it. I want to see the two best drivers in the series go at it. I want to see what happened at Bristol last week happen every week. Kyle says he owes Carl one and that it’s gonna happen. I didn’t think the bump at Bristol was too bad, Carl was just faster and that’s the type of stuff that happens there.

From a math standpoint and wagering, you don’t even have to read this anymore to get whatever kind of advice I offer. All you have to do is bet Edwards or Kyle every week. If you wagered $100 every week on each of them you’d be in for $4,800 investment. You would cash 14 times with odds varied. Just for simplicity we’ll say Edwards average price is 8/1 and Kyle’s price is 6/1.

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After eight wins, Kyle would have a total take back of $5,600 while Edwards would get you back $5400. Subtract the initial $4800 investment and you have a nice payday. You could actually save $600 more by eliminating the Edwards wagers in road races and plate races.

California is home of NASCAR

Seven drivers call Cali home. Who would have ever thought that a state that far west would lead the league in drivers? AJ Allendinger (Los Gatos), David Gilliland (Riverside), Jeff Gordon (Vallejo), Robby Gordon (Orange), Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield), Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon), and Casey Mears (Bakersfield) all hail from the great state. Currently, there are 3 Californians in the Nationwide Series who could move that number even higher if promoted.

Earnhardt Jr and Johnson can clinch this Week

Two down, 10 to go. Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have already clinched spots in the 2008 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – only 10 spots remain.

Two more will likely be filled this weekend in California, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson both only need finishes of 40th to lock up a spot. Jeff Burton also “controls his own destiny” this weekend.

Here are the clinch scenarios for those three drivers:

Earnhardt can lose 154 points to 13th place and still clinch a spot. But, regardless of any other driver’s finish, Earnhardt can clinch if he finishes:

40th or better
42nd and leads at least one lap
43rd and leads the most laps

Johnson can lose 152 points to 13th place and still clinch a spot. But, regardless of any other driver’s finish, Johnson can clinch if he finishes:

40th or better
41st and leads at least one lap
43rd and leads the most laps

Burton can lose 78 points to 13th place and still clinch a spot. But, regardless of any other driver’s finish, Burton can clinch if he finishes:

15th or better
17th and leads at least one lap led
18th and leads the most laps led

Six other drivers have an opportunity to clinch this weekend, but can’t clinch on their own – they’d need help in the form of a poor finish by those drivers around the 12th place bubble. Here are those scenarios:

Tony Stewart: Needs to gain 26 more points than the 13th-place driver at California.

Greg Biffle: Needs to gain 55 more points than the 13th-place driver at California.

Kevin Harvick: Needs to gain 67 more points than the 13th-place driver at California.

Jeff Gordon: Needs to gain 88 more points than the 13th-place driver at California.

Matt Kenseth: Needs to gain 118 more points than the 13th-place driver at California.

Denny Hamlin: Needs to gain 139 more points than the 13th-place driver at California.

Six Drivers Separated By 107 Points

This week, Clint Bowyer has the 12th and final potential Chase berth, but his position is precarious to say the least, merely 12 points ahead of 13th-place David Ragan and 56 ahead of 14th-place Kasey Kahne. On the “up-side”of the bubble, Denny Hamlin is in 11th, only 45 ahead of Bowyer. There you have it: only 101 points separating positions 11-14, only 56 separating 12th from 14th.

Burton to Run 500th Race This Weekend

Combining 16 years in the sport with an uncountable number of thoughtful quotes, Jeff Burton has become known as the “unofficial spokesman in the NASCAR garage.” This weekend, Burton celebrates 500 races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The first 499 have been impressive. In his career, Burton has 20 wins, 114 top fives, 205 top 10s and has finished in the top 10 in points seven times.

Micah Roberts is a Race and Sports Director for Station Casinos in Las Vegas , Nevada who covers motor sports from both a bettor and bookmaker's perspective.