Ryan Blaney did it again last week, winning his second race in a row at the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Once again, his win showed some opportunistic driving, as he only led the race for seven of its 165 laps. When he did take over, though, he moved around Chris Buescher for the two overtime laps, giving him three wins in 2021 and seven in his career. Ty Reddick clinched the last position in the playoffs with his fifth-place finish. The playoffs open on Sunday at Darlington Raceway with the Cook Out Southern 500. The action starts at 6:00 pm Eastern time, and the broadcast is on NBC Sports.
We have the full driver NASCAR odds as well as online betting suggestions for your wagering card.
NASCAR News: Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 Preview
Driver Odds
| Kyle Larson | +270 |
| Denny Hamlin | +550 |
| Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch | +600 |
| Chase Elliott | +900 |
| Kevin Harvick, William Byron | +1200 |
| Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski | +1600 |
| Ryan Blaney | +2000 |
| Christopher Bell | +2800 |
| Kurt Busch | +3500 |
| Tyler Reddick | +4000 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | +6600 |
| Austin Dillon | +7500 |
| Aric Almirola, Ross Chastain | +10000 |
| Chris Buescher | +15000 |
| Erik Jones, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Newman, Daniel Suarez | +20000 |
| Bubba Wallace, Cole Custer | +25000 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | +30000 |
| Michael McDowell | +40000 |
| Ryan Preece | +75000 |
| Corey LaJoie | +100000 |
| Justin Haley | +150000 |
| Anthony Alfredo | +200000 |
| Josh Bilicki, James Davison, Joey Gase, Quin Houff, B.J. McLeod, Cody Ware | +030000 |
This is the first event of the 10-race playoff series that will take the 16 drivers eligible for the championship down to a final winner. Every three weeks, the number of eligible drivers will drop by four, leading to the season finale in Phoenix on November 7, where the four drivers who are still alive will race for the title. The best finish among those four drivers will yield the playoff champion, although the last seven champions have won that race outright to leave nothing up to chance.
In 2020, Kevin Harvick won the first race of the postseason, taking the checkered flag at Darlington. The surface of the egg-shaped oval has a lot of wear and tear, although the second turn has the newest pavement. The track performs differently than the surface at a lot of other venues. Harvick actually won two times at Darlington in 2020, and he has 11 top-fives, 16 top-tens and 792 laps led in his career here, spanning 27 races. His three overall wins are tied with Denny Hamlin for the lead among active drivers. He has a ten-race streak of finishing in the top nine. In May, he came in sixth here, leading in 10 of the laps. The fact that he has not won a single race in 2021 is why he is so far down the odds list. He won nine races in 2020 and has a terrific record here, so I would take advantage of that value.
Kyle Larson is the deserving favorite due to his five wins on the season, along with the regular season championship. He also races extremely well with the 750 HP package and has a great history at Darlington. His sixth-place average finish leads all active drivers, and he has seven races under his belt here. He has three wins in the last six races using the 750 HP package, and he has come in second in each of his last two starts at Darlington.
William Byron came in fifth place in the fall at Darlington and finished fourth in May. He offers a good bit of value and is someone who could emerge as a bit of a sleeper this week. Usually, one of the top favorites wins at Darlington, but it was ten years ago when Regan Smith paid on a +50000 moneyline in Vegas with a win here. Denny Hamlin knows how to save his tires, and this is a track where that will pay off. He has won three times in the Cup Series, with ten top-five finishes overall in 18 races, as well as five races in the Xfinity Series.
NASCAR Betting Odds
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