NASCAR betting fans: We’re back with another fantastic race this weekend at infamous Poconos Raceway, as 43 of the best drivers in the world look to make for great 5-Hour Energy 500 picks!

2011 5-Hour Energy 500 Odds, Picks & Info
2011 5-Hour Energy 500 Date: Sunday, June 12th, 2011
2011 5-Hour Energy 500 Green Flag Time: 1:18 ET
2011 5-Hour Energy 500 Location: Poconos Speedway, Long Pond, PA
2011 5-Hour Energy 500 Favorite: Denny Hamlin (+450)
Defending 5-Hour Energy 500 Champion: Denny Hamlin
2011 5-Hour Energy 500 TV Coverage – Network: TNT

Normally, when it looks like a fish and it smells like a fish, it’s probably pretty darn fishy. On one glance, it doesn’t seem like there is any way in which Denny Hamlin (Current 5-Hour Energy 500 Odds: 4.50 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) should be the favorite of this race. After all, he ranks just No. 11 in the Sprint Cup standings coming into this week, and he only has two Top 5 finishes all season long. However, we need to dig a little bit deeper. The “Tricky Triangle” always provides us with some great moments in NASCAR betting action, as there are generally very few cautions and the racing is wide open. For whatever reason, Hamlin has really excelled in this type of race. He won this race last year, and he has four wins in his 10 races here in the Poconos… not to mention seven Top 5s and nine Top 10s. Needless to say, it would be quite shocking if Hamlin didn’t end up at least competing for the duration of this race.

Many expert NASCAR handicappers are forecasting a good day for Tony Stewart (5-Hour Energy 500 Lines: 9.50 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) as well. Stewart only has one Top 5 finish this year as well (not including the Sprint Cup All Star Race), but he too, has a great history here on the “Tricky Triangle.” Stewart has a win here in 2009, and it was his first as a driver/owner. Dating back to his days in the No. 20 Home Depot Pontiac, Stewart has finished in the Top 10 nine times in his last 10 races. Needless to say, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in this one.

Carl Edwards (Odds to Win the 5-Hour Energy 500: 6.50 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) is always a threat to win these types of races, as the fewer cautions and fewer accidents there are in the race, the more dangerous that the No. 99 Ford is. Of course we know that the man that is just behind him in the points race, Jimmie Johnson (Current 5-Hour Energy 500 Odds: 7.50 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) will be a threat as well, and both of these drivers are, as always, ones that you are going to want to keep an eye on.

5-Hour Energy 500 Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 6/9/11):
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Denny Hamlin 4.50 to 1
Jimmie Johnson 6.50 to 1
Carl Edwards 7.50 to 1
Kyle Busch 9.50 to 1
Tony Stewart 9.50 to 1
Kevin Harvick 11.50 to 1
Matt Kenseth 12.50 to 1
Jeff Gordon 13.50 to 1
Greg Biffle 14.75 to 1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 14.75 to 1
Kurt Busch 25 to 1
Clint Bowyer 28 to 1
Jeff Burton 33 to 1
Kasey Kahne 33 to 1
Juan Pablo Montoya 40 to 1
Joey Logano 42 to 1
Mark Martin 42 to 1
Ryan Newman 42 to 1
Brian Vickers 42 to 1
Martin Truex Jr. 42 to 1
Jamie McMurray 42 to 1
David Reutimann 55 to 1

2011 5-Hour Energy 500 Odds @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook (as of 6/9/11):
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Denny Hamlin 4 to 1
Jimmie Johnson 5 to 1
Carl Edwards 7 to 1
Kyle Busch 10 to 1
Tony Stewart 10 to 1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12 to 1
Jeff Gordon 12 to 1
Kevin Harvick 12 to 1
Matt Kenseth 15 to 1
Greg Biffle 15 to 1
Clint Bowyer 25 to 1
Kurt Busch 25 to 1
Kasey Kahne 30 to 1
Brian Vickers 40 to 1
Ryan Newman 40 to 1
Jamie McMurray 40 to 1
Jeff Burton 40 to 1
Joey Logano 40 to 1
Mark Martin 40 to 1
Juan Pablo Montoya 40 to 1
David Ragan 40 to 1
Martin Truex Jr. 40 to 1
Brad Keselowski 50 to 1
Marcus Ambrose 50 to 1
David Reutimann 50 to 1
AJ Allmendinger 60 to 1
Paul Menard 75 to 1
Regan Smith 100 to 1
Bobby Labonte 500 to 1
Field (Any Other Driver) 200 to 1