Nascar 2006 Preview

With 9 races to go the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship is heating up. While a few drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are in cruise control, others are in danger of missing the chase, the most notable being Jeff Gordon. Gordon, the pre season favorite last year and one of the favorites heading into this year currently sits in 12th place in the standings, 2 positions from the coveted 10th position. BetWWTS , an Antiguan bookmaker still has faith in Gordon and has him listed at 10/1 to win the championship.Of the drivers in contention the fan favorite and sentimental choice has to be Mark Martin. Martin was supposed to retire last year but decided to stay on one more year in hopes of getting his first Nascar championship. Martin has been in Nascar for 24 years and has 4 second place finishes but no championships. A victory for Martin (currently listed at 10/1 by BetWWTS ) would be a fairy tale story.Another driver of note is Denny Hamlin. The nascar rookie has been nothing short of sensational and has been in or near the top 10 all year long. Hamlin currently sits in 10th place, 453 points behind points leader Jimmie Johnson, and is listed at 15/1 by BetWWTS to win the championship.The four drivers that have been favored all year, include Jimmie Johnson, 2003 championship winner Matt Kenseth, last year's champion Tony Stewart and perennial fan and betting favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. The question for Earnhardt is whether he can be consistent enough in the last 10 races to be a serious contender. Earnhardt has had tendency to run hot and cold and consistency is the key to winning the championship as Kurt Busch did in 2004 and Tony Stewart did last year.The full list of odds to win the championship at BetWWTS are:Jimmie Johnson 9/2 Matt Kenseth 5/1Dale Earnhardt Jr 6/1Tony Stewart 6/1Greg Biffle 8/1Kasey Kahne 8/1Mark Martin 10/1Jeff Gordon 10/1Jeff Burton 10/1Kyle Busch 15/1Denny Hamlin 15/1Carl Edwards 18/1Kurt Busch 20/1Ryan Newman 40/1Jamie McMurray 40/1Casey Mears 40/1Elliot Sadler 50/1Field (All Others) 50/1