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NASCAR Championship Odds: Betting favorites see shakeup following Darlington

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones03/24/26brianjones_93

The NASCAR Cup Series championship odds for the 2026 season have changed after Tyler Reddick won the Darlington race on Sunday. Reddick is on a roll, winning four of the first six races of the season.

Reddick is making his case to win the title. And it would be a great story for the 23XI Racing driver, as he didn’t win a single race in 2025.

But despite Reddick’s dominance, there are a few drivers who have a good shot of winning it all if they continue to race well throughout the season. Here’s a look at the betting favorites for the NASCAR Cup Series championship after the Darlington race, via BETMGM.

1. Tyler Reddick (+350)

Reddick is back on top after being ranked seventh last week. It’s hard to be against him since he has won four races this season.

But can he keep it up? The regular season is long, and the biggest thing for him is to be consistent and not have too many bad days.

2. Denny Hamlin (+400)

Denny Hamlin
Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Hamlin dropped to No. 2 after being No. 1 last week. At Darlington, Hamlin earned a P11 finish and is currently fourth in the Chase standings.

Last year, Hamlin just missed winning his first NASCAR Championship, finishing second in the standings. Since he’s on the back nine of his career, this might be Hamlin’s best chance to win the championship before he retires.

3. Kyle Larson(+500)

Larson was running 11th with 10 laps remaining at Darlington. However, he suffered an issue with his No. 5 Chevrolet and finished 32nd.

In six races this season, Larson has finished in the top 10 three times. It’s been nearly a year since he won a Cup race, but he is in contention to defend his title, as he currently sits in 10th place in the standings.

4. Ryan Blaney (+550)

Blaney might have issues with his pit crew, but he’s currently the best Ford driver in the Cup series. At Darlington, Blaney earned a P3 finish despite having two separate issues on pit road.

Blaney is one of three drivers who have won a Cup race this year. His consistency has led him to second place in the standings.

T5. Christopher Bell (+600)

Christopher Bell Martinsville
Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

Bell did not have a strong showing at Darlington on Sunday, finishing 19th. It was the third time that Bell did not finish in the top five this year.

Before Darlington, Bell finished third at COTA, second at Phoenix, and fourth at Las Vegas. That run has resulted in him sitting in eighth in the standings.

T5. William Byron (+600)

Byron has shown consistency over the last three races. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has finished seventh at Phoenix, third at Las Vegas, and eighth at Darlington.

When it comes to the standings, Byron is in sixth place and 52 points above the cut line. In 2025, Byron won the regular-season title and finished fourth in the final standings.

7. Chase Elliott (+1200)

Elliott had an okay showing at Darlington with a P15 finish. So far this year, the 30-year-old has earned three top-10 and two top-five finishes, including a P4 finish at the Daytona 500.

In the standings, Elliott sits in fifth place and 55 points above the cut line. He’s hungry for another title after winning it all in 2020.

8. Chase Briscoe (+1600)

Darlington
Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Briscoe earned a P12 finish at Darlington. It’s been an interesting season for the JGR driver, as three of his six finishes were outside the top 30.

However, Briscoe collected a P2 finish at Atlanta and a P8 finish at Las Vegas. He still has a lot of work to do, as he’s currently 22nd in the standings and would not make the 10-race Chase if it began today.

T9. Joey Logano (+3000)

Logano had his worst performance of the season at Darlington, as he finished 33rd. In six races this year, the three-time champion has finished in the top 10 once, and that was at Daytona (P3).

Logano will need to find more consistency to secure a spot in the Chase. He currently sits in 16th place in the standings and is tied with Michael McDowell in points.

T9. Bubba Wallace (+3000)

Wallace was running well at Darlington, but an incident with Hamlin and Erik Jones led to him finishing outside the top 30 on Sunday. It’s a tough break for one of the more consistent drivers this season.

Wallace has finished in the top 10 in four of the first six races. He currently sits in third place in the standings behind Blaney and Reddick.

Full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Odds:

  • Ty Gibbs (+3000)
  • Carson Hocevar (+4000)
  • Chris Buescher (+4000)
  • Ross Chastain (+5000)
  • Brad Keselowski (+6000)
  • Austin Cindric (+10000)
  • Kyle Busch (+12500)
  • Ryan Preece (+15000)
  • Erik Jones (+15000)
  • Connor Zilisch (+25000)
  • Josh Berry (+25000)
  • Shane van Gisbergen (+25000)
  • Daniel Suárez (+25000)
  • Austin Dillon (+50000)
  • Noah Gragson (+50000)
  • Michael McDowell (+50000)
  • John Hunter Nemechek (+50000)
  • Zane Smith (+50000)
  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+100000)
  • AJ Allmendinger (+100000)
  • Todd Gilliland (+100000)
  • Cole Custer (+200000)
  • Ty Dillon (+200000)
  • Riley Herbst (+200000)
  • Cody Ware (+200000)

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