NASCAR Cup Series Championship odds, picks and predictions for finale at Phoenix
The NASCAR Cup Series Championship race is finally here.
Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Christopher Bell will all be racing for the checkered flag Sunday at Phoenix Raceway for the chance to be crowned series champion.
The odds are tight heading into the main event, with Larson the favorite to win (+175 at BetMGM). But the other three in the final four spots can all win the title with a victory Sunday or with the best points finish, as each has at least one playoff win already this season. Larson is the only driver of the quartet to win a Cup championship, pulling off the feat in 2021.
Even though those are the only four drivers who can win the Cup championship, anyone in the full field can take the checkered flag at the one-mile track.
Kevin Harvick, who is racing for the final time Sunday, has nine career Cup wins at Phoenix Raceway, sweeping both races in 2007 and in 2014. His last win there was in 2018. Joey Logano and Kyle Busch have three career wins there.
Consider, however, that in the last nine seasons the winner of the Cup Championship also won the championship race. And Larson is the only one in the Championship 4 to have won a playoff race at Phoenix.
William Byron also has a win at the Arizona track, coming during the regular season this year.
FrontPageBets takes a look at drivers to watch in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m.; NBC).
Pick to win: William Byron (+325)
It’s hard to imagine the best driver of the 2023 season not finishing with a win.
Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy, has six victories this season, including one in the playoffs at Texas Motor Speedway.
In 35 races, Byron has 20 top-10 finishes, including 14 in the top five. He won at Phoenix back in March.
In 11 career starts at the one-mile track, Byron’s average finish is 11.9. He has six top-10s as well.
Top-3 pick: Kyle Larson
Larson has four wins this season, including two in the playoffs – Darlington and Las Vegas.
And he has the experience of winning championship races, clinching the 2021 Cup title at Phoenix in 2021 with a victory in the finale.
He was on the pole in the March regular-season race there and finished fourth.
In 18 career Phoenix starts, the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy has an average finish of 11.7, racking up 11 top-10s, including seven top-5 finishes.
Larson has finished in the top 10 in eight out of his last nine starts at the one-mile track.
Top-10 pick: Kevin Harvick
Not only does Harvick have nine Phoenix wins, he also has 20 top-5 and 30 top-10s in his 41 career starts.
Retiring after Sunday’s race, Harvick would like nothing better to go out with a win at his best track.
And don’t count him out, even though he hasn’t won this season. Harvick hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 in his last 20 Cup starts at the one-mile track. He’s average finish is 8.6, having led 1,699 total laps in his distinguished career.
Odds to win the NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Odds-on favorites to win the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway
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