Gamblers start your engines because the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship begins this Sunday at New Hampshire National Speedway as the Sylvania 300 at Loudon kicks off NASCAR's first of 10 weekend playoffs.

Nothing makes 317 miles of left turns more exciting than laying a few jellybeans on your favorite driver to win, finish the race in the top three places, or win in their Speed Row category. Luckily for us we have Sportsbook.com providing gamblers with an online betting experience where they can find action on all three "futures."

The field was finalized last weekend at Richmond for the 12-driver Chase and white-hot Jimmie Johnson will try to win consecutive titles for the first time since Jeff Gordon did it in 1997-1998. Johnson comes to New Hampshire on the heels of two consecutive wins at California and Richmond last weekend for his sixth series win this season.

Who will win the Sylvania 300?

Bad turns and all, whether you love it or hate it, Loudon is a great place to kick of the Chase and, with the amazing weather in New England, there is no better place on earth to be this Sunday.

Johnson in the Lowes 48 car is likely to face his toughest competition from his own Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon. Gordon has had an amazing season winning four races and finishing in the Top 10 in all but five races this year.

The two drivers I am vesting my v-chips in are Denny Hamlin (9/5) and Kurt Busch (7/2). These guys love Loudon. Both drivers do some of their best driving at Loudon and Busch has really owned NASCAR recently with five Top 10 finishes and two wins in the last seven races while Hamlin won here in July and is racing on one of his favorite tracks, which bodes well for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Speed Row Wagers

Another alternative to picking the winner of the race is to check into Speed Row betting. It's probably the easiest to follow since you'll end up following five racers rather than the entire field. In this future bet you are picking the driver that will finish highest in the race over the other four drivers in the Speed Row grouping.

Speed Row 1

Speed Row 1 features Dale Earnhardt Jr (11/2), who suffered from three blown motors in his last seven starts this year but can race easy now that he has been eliminated from the Chase. Two-time series champion Tony Stewart (13/4), returns to the Chase after missing last year and is favored to win. The last time Denny Hamlin (3/1) won a race was July 1 in New Hampshire while last year Jimmie Johnson (11/4) finished 39th at Loudon. Teammate Jeff Gordon (5/2) needs a good showing after blowing the lead with two laps to go on Aug. 12.

Pick! FedEX Freight Car and Denny Hamlin (3/1)

Speed Row 2

Carl Edwards is set at 3/1. Last year's champion, Kevin Harvick, is 7/2 while Kurt Busch is 7/2 and Kyle Busch is set at 11/4. Speed demon Martin Treux Jr. and heir apparent to DEI is set at 7/2. While there is no clear-cut way to gauge which driver will best the other, my initial lean is to the drivers in the Chase over the other guys. Get the joke? They're all in the chase. With a gun to my head I'd bet on the resurgent Kurt Busch who has the uncanny ability to win almost any race in which he starts. Especially at Loudon where he runs extremely well.

Pick! Lite Beer from Miller Car and Kurt Busch (7/2)

NASCAR - SYLVANIA 300 - Odds to Finish in the Top 3

Another offering from Sportsbook.com for the inaugural Chase race is the driver who will finish in the top three. Much like a horse race you don't have to be right about the winner you just have to predict if he will finish in the top three places.

There are your obvious choices of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, but those three are hardly worth the effort it takes to bet since the payoff is paltry at best. I like Kurt Busch at 7/2 since he has historically run well at Loudon and offers the most value on this "future" play.

Pick! Lite Beer from Miller Car and Kurt Busch

Jeff Gordon (13/10)
Jimmie Johnson (3/2)
Tony Stewart (2/1)
Denny Hamlin (9/5)
Matt Kenseth (5/1)
Kyle Busch (12/5)
Kurt Busch (7/2)
Carl Edwards (3/1)
Martin Truex Jr (7/2)
Kevin Harvick (7/2)
Jeff Burton (15/2)
Dale Earnhardt Jr (7/2)
Regan Smith (30/1)
Ryan Newman (9/1)
Clint Bowyer (9/1)
Casey Mears (15/1)
Greg Biffle (15/1)
Jamie McMurray (22/1)
Juan Pablo Montoya (30/1)
Kasey Kahne (9/1)
Reed Sorenson (30/1)
Paul Menard (30/1)
Bobby Labonte (30/1)
David Stremme (30/1)
Elliott Sadler (30/1)
Robby Gordon (30/1)
Dave Blaney (30/1)
JJ Yeley (30/1)
Jeff Green (30/1)
Kenny Wallace (30/1)
Bill Elliott (30/1)
David Gilliland (30/1)
David Ragan (30/1)
zx Field (Any Other Driver) (15/1)

NASCAR - SYLVANIA 300 - Odds to Win

David Gilliland (100/1)
David Ragan (100/1)
Bill Elliott (100/1)
Kenny Wallace (100/1)
Jeff Green (100/1)
JJ Yeley (100/1)
Dave Blaney (100/1)
Robby Gordon (100/1)
Elliott Sadler (100/1)
David Stremme (100/1)
Bobby Labonte (100/1)
Paul Menard (100/1)
Regan Smith (100/1)
Reed Sorenson (100/1)
Juan Pablo Montoya (100/1)
Jamie McMurray (75/1)
zx Field (Any Other Driver) (50/1)
Casey Mears (50/1)
Greg Biffle (50/1)
Clint Bowyer (30/1)
Kasey Kahne (30/1)
Ryan Newman (30/1)
Jeff Burton (25/1)
Matt Kenseth (18/1)
Martin Truex Jr (12/1)
Kevin Harvick (12/1)
Dale Earnhardt Jr (12/1)
Kurt Busch (12/1)
Carl Edwards (10/1)
Kyle Busch (8/1)
Tony Stewart (7/1)
Denny Hamlin (6/1)
Jimmie Johnson (5/1)
Jeff Gordon (9/2)

*Odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com