Happy Anniversary. Sort of.

This is a week full of anniversaries. Four years of marriage, two years of writing on this fine website and I can’t remember how many years of the Brickyard 400.

As much as people want to bash this race, there is one massive fact that makes you have to watch Sunday.

Eight times the Brickyard 400 winner has gone on to win the Sprint Cup. That’s nearly a fifty percent clip. Say what you want about what has happened to the prestige of this race. But winning here matters. A lot.

Even Jamie McMurray’s last year mattered. It helped spark the rule that has sparked this year’s Chase.  It doesn’t matter what happens good or bad, Sunday’s race will have people talking.

Let’s talk picks, with me down a fake 60 dollars going into the week:

15 fake dollars on Jimmie Johnson at 6/1:
Great pedigree at the track? Check. Championships? Check five times over.  Fake money out the window? Check.

15 fake dollars on Carl Edwards at 6/1:
Title condender? Check. Better than Matt Kenseth? I don’t know. Better track record at Indi? I do know.

10 fake dollars on Kevin Harvick at 10/1:
Selling out my principles for the sake of winning? Check. Good engine on big tracks with long straightaways? I hate saying this, but check. Title contender? Sorry to the Logano family, but check.  

10 fake dollars on Kurt Busch at 10/1:
Title contender? I never thought I would type this, but check. Great car at similar tracks? Check.  

I’m out of money, so my regrets to Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth, both of whom I think are title contenders. I also can’t believe the defending race champion is 60/1 and Kyle Busch is 8/1 in spite of his record here. But I don’t make the odds. They play me. Like clockwork and anniversaries. Here's what The Spread thinks. Enjoy the race this weekend, and insert random catchphrase here.

Jimmie Johnson 6/1
Carl Edwards 6/1
Kyle Busch 8/1
Kevin Harvick 10/1
Matt Kenseth 10/1
Jeff Gordon 10/1
Juan Pablo Montoya 10/1
Kurt Busch 10/1
Tony Stewart 10/1
Denny Hamlin 12/1
Greg Biffle 15/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 25/1
Kasey Kahne 30/1
Clint Bowyer 30/1
Brad Keselowski 35/1
Joey Logano 35/1
Ryan Newman 35/1
Mark Martin 40/1
Martin Truex Jr 50/1
David Ragan 50/1
Jeff Burton 60/1
Brian Vickers 60/1
David Reutimann 60/1
Jamie McMurray 60/1
AJ Allmendinger 75/1
Paul Menard 75/1
Marcos Ambrose 100/1
Regan Smith 100/1
Trevor Bayne 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1