Last week's big battle between Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick actually wound up being a pretty good deal - for Harvick that is. And that's because Hamlin cut his tire and wound himself hitting the wall as things were winding down. That took him out of the picture and led to Harvick pulling away in the last couple of laps to win at the Brickyard.

For BetAnySports customers who are keeping track by the number of wins, Harvick and Hamlin are now tied at two victories apiece in the current Cup season. But as Harvick is #1 on the points list, Hamlin is #5. And these two will go to the starting line at the Kentucky Speedway as the pair who have accounted for half the drivers who have crossed the finish line first.

The race - the Quaker State 400 - was originally slated for Saturday night, but it was moved back to Sunday (2:30 PM ET) to accommodate a robust schedule for this week in Sparta. There have been two Xfinity Series races, with an ARCA race and a truck race, in addition to the "main event."

This tri-oval, which is very tricky in the sense that the turns at each end of the track are different, is hosting only its tenth Cup race, so this is a relatively new venue. Of course, some of these drivers, like Kyle Busch, race across the different series, and he in particular has eight wins at the track, including two Cup races.

However, he was turned back last year, and it really hurt, in that it happened at the hands of his own brother, Kurt.

At BetAnySports, they give you odds on each and every driver to win this race. But here are the top ten on the list for the Quaker State 400:

Kevin Harvick +525
Kyle Busch +525
Denny Hamlin +695
Martin Truex Jr +740
Chase Elliott +840
Brad Keselowski +900
Ryan Blaney +1050
Joey Logano +1100
Alex Bowman +1600
Aric Almirola +2000
Kurt Busch +2000

Brad Keselowski is a three-time champion of the Quaker State, and he is certainly not starting in a disadvantageous position, as he is sixth on the grid. He is competing in the midst of rumors regarding his future, as there may be a concerted effort on the part of Hendrick Motorsports to sign him for next year.

There is going to be at least one vacancy there because Jimmie Johnson, who has won the Cup series title seven times, is retiring from full-time racing after this season. What this means, in effect, is that he may be doing some racing, but it is not likely to be in a stock car. Johnson has been scheduled for several months now for a test in an IndyCar, and he will do that pretty soon for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He could not do that this past week because he was required to sit out due to a positive result on a coronavirus test. That caused him to miss the Indy race, but he'll be back this week as he has registered two negatives on tests. He wonders if perhaps his first diagnosis was wrong. But whether he can compete effectively here remains to be seen. He is priced at +3300 at BetAnySports.

Not much was expected out of Martin Truex Jr. last week, and rightfully so, as he very rarely had showings at Indy that were respectable, with an average finish over 21. But Kentucky has been a much different story for him. Truex won this race in 2017 and 2018. So it can be argued that he has as good a chance as anybody, and he is pretty much priced that way.

Kurt Busch is the defending champion in the Quaker State 400, but he is considered a longshot among top-level drivers at +2000. It was pretty heated before and after in the 2019 race, as Kurt was dueling with his little brother. According to Kurt, "It ended up where I was able to make him crack the throttle just a little bit and it was because I just wanted to stay on his outside, to be in that position off turn four coming to the checkered (flag)."

Kyle had to accept the defeat, but he did take it hard. In fact, the two brothers took the short flight from Charlotte to Kentucky on a private plane together. Only Kyle took that flight back, as Kurt got left behind. Was that sour grapes? Kyle has the opportunity for payback, but Kurt is still coming in at a competitive price, and he may be worth a play.

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