One percent of the population of children in the U.S. ages 3-17 has an autism spectrum disorder, which is why NASCAR hopes to raise the nation's awareness during the Autism Speaks 400 at the "Monster Mile" in Dover, Delaware this Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.

Gamblers should note that Red Bull Racing's Brian Vickers is set at +750 to win at Dover but will be out due to an undisclosed medical condition. Casey Mears will drive the No. 83 car in his place and is considered part of the ‘field,’ which is set at +10000.

Who will win the Autism Speaks 400?

The sound you heard after the race (other than Darryl Waltrip repeating that he picked Hamlin to win the Southern Showtime 500) was Jimmie Johnson thudding 110-points in the standings to.....wait for it....second place. If you are keeping score at home Johnson didn't actually lose any ground but his three DNFs this year do raise an eyebrow when you consider that is equal to all the DNFs he had in as many years previously. The bad news: Johnson's 36th-place finish last week after wrecking with Greg Biffle and Martin Truex, Jr. on the 55th lap. The good news: Jimmie Johnson swept both races at Dover last year and won the fall 2009 race from the pole. Johnson leads all active drivers with five wins at Dover and is riding a streak of three straight top-five finishes in Delaware.

This Sunday I recommend staying away from the current NSCS points leader Kevin Harvick (+1500) as Dover is not his best track. His driver rating is low and he had poor finishes in the past couple of years. Despite finishing in the top 10 in four consecutive races Harvick could lose a chunk of his 110-point lead as his streak comes to an end. Another driver I wouldn't bet with Grandmother's savings bonds is Denny Hamlin at +800. Certainly Hamlin has the hot hand right now after sweeping both races at Darlington last weekend. However, Hamlin has been awful at Dover where he has finished 22nd or worse in his last five races here. Two of those were DNFs so don't say you weren't warned.

Ultimately I am going with Johnson because of what happened in Bristol earlier this season rather than Johnson's past performances at Dover. I don't think it’s a coincidence that the last time Johnson won a Sprint Cup race was at Bristol. Dover is compared to Bristol only a bit larger, but teams that were successful earlier in the season at Bristol are likely to do well at Dover. I see Crew Chief Chad Knaus bringing the same wining setup he brought to Bristol and you will recall that before this year Johnson had never won at Bristol. The difference is that at Dover Johnson is a five-time winner and defending race champion.

Pick! Jimmie Johnson, No.48, +500

Autism Speaks 400 - Lucky Dog Long Odds Special

There was a time not that long when they called the man "Concrete" Carl. But it has been a long time since we've seen the back flip off of the door of the No. 99 Ford. And speaking of Ford it seems like the woes of the car industry have adversely affected their engines as well. Edwards had not cracked the top five this season until the Crown Royal 500 two weeks ago. Last week's effort was inspired as Edwards battled up the grid from an awful 41st starting position to finish 15th. I couldn't decide to put Edwards as my Top Three pick or Lucky Dog and will probably end up betting him both ways since this week I expect great things from him. In his last seven races at Dover Edwards has notched five top-five finishes including a win, two seconds and two thirds. For Edwards to remain in the top 12 he'll need to do well this week and perhaps push the envelope more than he has (a new baby will do that to you). Edwards also has an average finish of 7.9 at Dover, the best of all active drivers. Edwards is a scant 43 points from falling out of the Chase which I think will provide "Concrete" Carl all the motivation he needs.

Pick! Carl Edwards, No.99, +1800

Autism Speaks 400 - Odds to Finish in the Top 3

Last week I invested in the fact that Jeff Gordon has had a penchant for almost winning races and Darlington proved no exception. Although the 24-car ran predominantly in the lead pack for most of the race, he fell off at the end. After leading 110 laps of the race not only did Gordon not win the race but he also almost finished in the top three. A fourth-place finish was just a fraction of a second too slow to cash my ticket. This week at the Monster Mile I am tearing myself away from all things Hendrick Motorsports and focusing on former Dover winner (2006) Matt Kenseth, who dropped one point to fifth in the Sprint Cup standings after last week's 13th-place finish. In 18 races at Dover Kenseth has won the pole twice and the race once while recording seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. Kenseth has four straight top-five finishes and six top-five finishes in his last eight races at the Monster Mile. I'm investing in Kenseth keeping that streak going to five.

Pick! Matt Kenseth, No. 17, +500

Autism Speaks 400 - Odds to Finish in the Top 3

Jimmie Johnson +180
Jeff Gordon +180
Kyle Busch +180
Denny Hamlin +240
Jeff Burton +350
Kurt Busch +350
Mark Martin +450
Kevin Harvick +450
Greg Biffle +500
Clint Bowyer +500
Matt Kenseth +500
Carl Edwards +500
Juan Pablo Montoya +600
Joey Logano +600
Kasey Kahne +750
Tony Stewart +750
Brian Vickers +900
Dale Earnhardt Jr +900
Jamie McMurray +900
Martin Truex Jr +900
Ryan Newman +900
David Reutimann +1500
Brad Keselowski +1800
Marcos Ambrose +3000
Sam Hornish Jr +3000
AJ Allmendinger +3000
zx Field (Any Other Driver) +3000
Paul Menard +3000
Bobby Labonte +3000
Scott Speed +3000
Regan Smith +3000
David Ragan +3000
Travis Kvapil +3000
Elliott Sadler +3000

Odds to Win Autism Speaks 400*

Jimmie Johnson +500
Jeff Gordon +600
Kyle Busch +600
Denny Hamlin +800
Jeff Burton +1200
Kurt Busch +1200
Mark Martin +1500
Kevin Harvick +1500
Carl Edwards +1800
Greg Biffle +1800
Matt Kenseth +1800
Clint Bowyer +1800
Juan Pablo Montoya +2000
Tony Stewart +2500
Joey Logano +2500
Kasey Kahne +2500
Dale Earnhardt Jr +3000
Jamie McMurray +3000
Martin Truex Jr +3000
Ryan Newman +3000
David Reutimann +5000
Brad Keselowski +6000
Marcos Ambrose +10000
Sam Hornish Jr +10000
AJ Allmendinger +10000
zx Field (Any Other Driver) +10000
Paul Menard +10000
Bobby Labonte +10000
Scott Speed +10000
Regan Smith +10000
David Ragan +10000
Travis Kvapil +10000
Elliott Sadler +10000

*Odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com