NASCAR playoff contender no longer the championship favorite

As a long-time NASCAR enthusiast with a soft spot for underdog stories, I must admit that the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs have been a rollercoaster ride so far! The trend of Kyle Larson leading the series only to stumble in the opening race and then bounce back with a vengeance has been intriguing. It’s like watching a season of “This is Your Life” unfold on the racetrack!

In the initial two rounds of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, there’s been a recurring pattern. Kyle Larson from Hendrick Motorsports, who sits atop the playoff standings and is the initial favorite to win the championship, often finds himself losing his top spot as the betting favorite, or even sharing it, following a disappointing opening race in each round.

In the elimination rounds 16 and 12, incidents took place at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway respectively. On both occasions, it was Christopher Bell from Joe Gibbs Racing who rose as a strong contender, even being considered the clear favorite on certain instances.

Another trend is emerging: Larson concluded the Round of 16 with an almost flawless control at Bristol Motor Speedway, boosting his status as the clear front-runner and accumulating seven playoff points. He has repeated this performance at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval to wrap up the Round of 12, earning another five points.

Larson back as outright favorite; Bell second

At DraftKings Sportsbook, the potential 2021 series champion currently has odds of +370, meaning a $100 bet would result in a $370 payout. This is more favorable than Bell, who stands at +450, and Tyler Reddick from 23XI Racing, who is listed at +500.

Previously, Larson and Bell were both considered underdogs with odds of approximately 4.5 to 1 (or +450) before Larson’s impressive performance at Charlotte. This was largely due to a controversial rule adjustment that occurred following the Kansas race, which seemed rather illogical after this event.

Larson leads the way into the final eight with a 33-point advantage over the Championship 4 cutoff and a 20-point lead on Bell in second position. This cushion provides him some breathing room as he strives to qualify for the winner-takes-all race at Phoenix Raceway for the third time in four years.

Champion Ryan Blaney of Team Penske, along with Denny Hamlin from Joe Gibbs Racing, are both priced at 6-to-1 odds. William Byron from Hendrick Motorsports and his teammate Chase Elliott have odds of 6-and-a-half to 1 and 10-to-1 respectively. Joey Logano from Team Penske is listed with odds of 12-to-1.

Larson has triumphed in each of the four tracks on the 2024 playoff schedule previously, among them Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This coming Sunday, October 20, Las Vegas will kick off the round of 8 with three races, and NBC is set to broadcast it live from 2:30 p.m. ET. Don’t miss the South Point 400 by signing up for a free trial of FuboTV!

2024-10-16 15:02