NASCAR Betting: Kobalt Tools 500

After a couple of weeks out west, NASCAR returns to Dixie this weekend for the running of the Kobalt Tools 500 this Sunday on the 1.5-mile oval at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2:15 pm Eastern, FOX).

Kyle Busch, who won 8 races last season – although none of them came in the season-ending 10-event Sprint for the Cup – picked up his first victory of this season last week at the Shelby 427 in Las Vegas.

Busch won the pole for Vegas in Friday qualifying last week, but had to start the race Sunday from the back of the back after an engine change.

Nonetheless, the Las Vegas native patiently worked his way through the field while avoiding the several wrecks, passed leader Clint Bowyer with 16 laps to go and held on from there for his 13th career NSCS victory.

Busch also provided his financial backers with a payout of +500 at Oddsmaker by winning Sunday.

Bowyer, who went off as a +7,500 shot on Oddsmaker's Shelby 427 betting board, finished second Sunday; Jeff Burton, at +6,000, took third; David Reutimann, at +10,000, placed fourth; and Bobby LaBonte, also a +10,000 choice at Oddsmaker, finished fifth.

Jimmie Johnson, the co-green-flag favorite Sunday at Oddsmaker, along with Carl Edwards, at +400, led the most laps at Las Vegas, 92, but crashed with six laps to go and finished 24th. Edwards, who won at Las Vegas last year, finished 17th Sunday after blowing a motor while running fourth with just two laps to go.

Jeff Gordon, like Busch a +500 choice to win Sunday, placed sixth. Greg Biffle, at +800, finished seventh. And in his effort to become the first driver ever to win the first three races of the NASCAR season, Matt Kenseth – also a +800 choice at Oddsmaker – blew an engine and lasted just six laps, finishing dead last.

In Shelby 427 group betting last week at Oddsmaker, Gordon, at +300, beat Biffle, Edwards, Johnson and Kenseth; Kevin Harvick, by finishing 12th, cashed in at +400 in outplacing Denny Hamlin (22nd), Kurt Busch (23rd), Tony Stewart (26th) and Mark Martin (40th); and Bowyer paid +400 by beating Burton, Brian Vickers (8th) and Kasey Kahne (11th) and Martin Truex, Jr. (32nd).

Through the first 3 races of this new Sprint Cup season, Gordon, by taking 13th at Daytona, second at Fontana and sixth at Vegas, tops the points standings at 459. Bowyer sits in second place with 441 points, followed by Kenseth and Biffle at 419, Reutimann at 408 and Kyle Busch at 405.

Kyle Busch won the Kobalt 500 last March in Atlanta, giving Toyota its first-ever Sprint Cup series victory. Stewart took second, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. placed third.

Then, last October, Edwards won the Pep Boys 500 at AMS.

In 2007, Johnson won both Atlanta events. In '06, Kahne and Stewart split the two AMS races. And in 2005, Edwards won both Atlanta races.

Racing handicappers will want to check back at Oddsmaker throughout the day for updated odds on Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500.