Richmond Raceway is the next stop for the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs, hosting the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. In the latest NASCAR at Richmond odds, Kyle Busch is the favorite at 5-2, followed by Kevin Harvick (4-1) and Martin Truex Jr. (5-1). Brad Keselowski, who won the opening race of the NASCAR Playoffs last week at Las Vegas, is at 7-1, while Denny Hamlin is at 8-1. There are three other drivers at 12-1. With so much on the line and so many legitimate contenders in the field, you'll want to check out what former Vegas bookmaker and NASCAR handicapper Micah Roberts has to say before making your own 2018 NASCAR at Richmond picks.
Roberts has had a solid last 12 months picking NASCAR winners. That includes last week at Las Vegas, when he picked Keselowski to win his third-consecutive race at 12-1 odds. Keselowski did just that, starting the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs with a checkered flag -- and handing Roberts' followers a hefty payout.
A few weeks ago, he said Harvick would dominate at Michigan, and he won with ease. Before that, he was all over Busch at Pocono, pointing to not only his 26 career starts at the track, but also his motivation to win after a late bump from Harvick the week before. The result: Busch rallied from 28th for the checkered flag.
Those are just the latest examples in a string of winners he has picked. Earlier this season, he was all-in on Harvick at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 despite two other drivers having the same field-leading odds. The result: Harvick dominated, leading for 181 of 325 laps and cruising to victory by 2.69 seconds.
At the Food City 500, Roberts said Busch "owned" Bristol and would come away with the win -- he rallied to finish .63 seconds ahead of Larson for the checkered flag.
In the 2017 playoffs, Roberts picked nine of 10 winners. That was no fluke: In 2016, he told readers to back Hamlin at 15-1 in the Daytona 500. The result: Hamlin edged Truex for the checkered flag. Roberts also nailed Hamlin at 40-1 to win at Watkins Glen later that year.
Now, he has analyzed NASCAR at Richmond 2018 from every possible angle and locked in his picks. You can see his entire projected leaderboard at SportsLine.
We can tell you he's not picking Harvick, who currently ranks fourth in the NASCAR Playoffs standings and has success at Richmond in his career, but not since he joined Stewart Haas Racing in 2014.
One 2018 Federated Auto Parts 400 underdog pick he likes to finish close to the front: Kurt Busch, a 30-1 longshot.
"He captured Richmond wins in 2005 and 2015," Roberts told SportsLine, "but the reason for being a good candidate to win Saturday is how good he was at New Hampshire in July where he finished eighth after leading a race-high 94 laps."
But for the win, Roberts is backing another driver in the thick of the playoff race to get back on track by winning the Federated Auto Parts 400. Roberts has another huge underdog finishing in his top three that could pay out huge for anyone who backs him.
So who wins the 2018 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond? And which longshots should you be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see the full projected leaderboard from the nation's premier NASCAR handicapper, and find out.
