You can make a lot of money betting on Jimmie Johnson to win this week’s NASCAR Cup Series race, something that wouldn’t have been possible even a year or two ago.
When you win the NASCAR Cup Series championship seven times, it’s hard to imagine you’d ever be an underdog. Yet that’s exactly what Jimmie Johnson is in the eyes of Las Vegas bookmakers, and how big a dark horse he is for the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a good indication of how much his 48 team is struggling.
Prior to the weekend, Johnson was listed at 66/1 odds to win at New Hampshire by VegasInsider.com, tied with Daniel Suarez, who has never won a Cup Series race. During a pre-race segment on NBCSN, though, Dale Jarrett revealed that Johnson’s odds at the Westgate Superbook were at an eye-popping 80/1.
For the uninitiated, that means that a $10 bet on Johnson would bring pack $800 if he takes the checkered flag at New Hampshire. It’s crazy to think about him ever paying out that much, yet here we are.
The Vegas odds are set by what the casinos believe will bring in roughly equal amounts of money overall so that one driver doesn’t wipe out their profit if they win. That means the numbers don’t necessarily match up exactly with what the sportsbooks think are the true odds that any particular driver will win.
Still, the important takeaway here is that fans obviously aren’t placing any money down on Johnson, so the casinos need to convince people to do so by tempting them with higher payouts. Even with Johnson and the 48 team winless in more than a calendar year, it’s stunning to think that they would ever be in that situation.
Next: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 starting grid for New Hampshire
On the other hand, if you’ve got a spare $10 to place on JJ any time in the next few weeks, it really could be a nice mini-windfall for you if he, Chad Knaus and company get it figured out. Just saying …