Hollywood 400 Picks: Can The Favorite Denny Hamlin Get it Done?

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs proceed this weekend with the Hollywood 400 in Kansas, the second race of the postseason. Kyle Larson came out victorious last week in Darlington and comes in as one of the frontrunners here. Denny Hamlin is the favorite to win with odds as low as +475, but the odds suggest it could be anyone's race for the taking. Larson (+500), Martin Truex Jr (+550), William Byron (+700), Tyler Reddick (+850), and Christopher Bell (+900) round out some of the contenders. Below, we'll lay out the odds and our Hollywood 400 picks.

Before we get into the preview, odds, and predictions for this race, check out our how-to bet on NASCAR page.

Hollywood 400 Odds

Driver
Denny Hamlin	+475	+500	+500
Kyle Larson	+500	+600	+450
Martin Truex Jr	+550	+600	+600
William Byron	+700	+700	+700
Tyler Reddick	+850	+900	+800
Christopher Bell	+900	+1000	+900
Bubba Wallace	+1200	+1200	+1200
Kyle Busch	+1400	+1800	+1400
Ross Chastain	+1400	+1600	+1600
Chris Buescher	+1600	+1600	+1200

As previously mentioned, this is the second of 10 races in the Cup Series playoffs. It's held at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. This is the 22nd edition, having debuted in 2001. Participants will go around the track 267 times for a total of 400.5 miles. Bubba Wallace is the defending champ, but Joey Logano has the most wins of any driver at the Hollywood 400, winning three times.

Race Preview

Denny Hamlin (+475)

It's not really too much of a surprise to see Hamlin as the favorite here. He's thrived at Kansas in recent memory, winning the spring race and also coming out victorious in this event in 2019. Also, Hamlin was top five in both Kansas races in 2022 and has four victories overall in Kansas. As for current form, he had a rough go at Darlington, finishing in 25th and 26th at Daytona. He did lead for over 170 laps last week though before things went astray. Hamlin should be considered a contender Sunday.

Kyle Larson (+500)

Larson won at Darlington and won this race in the 2021 playoffs. He also dominated in the spring Kansas event, finishing as runner-up. There's a track record of success here. In fact, he's barely ever finished outside of the top-10 at Kansas. Larson will have some confidence come Sunday and that should play a factor. While betting on Larson to win might not help you cash in, a specific bet would certainly be worth it. He's racing well.

Martin Truex Jr (+550)

Okay, listen to this statistic. Truex Jr hasn't finished outside of the top-10 at Kansas more than once since 2017. If that doesn't scream success, I don't know what does. He was eighth in the spring. He's also very good on intermediate tracks and Kansas happens to be one. Truex Jr. also has six top-seven finishes in his last eight outings. Truex Jr. is a contender.

William Byron (+700)

William Byron is a beast on intermediate tracks, too. He hasn't finished worse than eighth this year in the six races and tends to also hold his own in Kansas, only finishing outside of the top-10 once in his last eight appearances there. Don't forget, Byron was one of the most consistent drivers in the Cup Series all season long. He's always capable of turning and producing the goods. Keep an eye on Byron in the Hollywood 400 picks.

Tyler Reddick (+850)

Tyler Reddick might not have a ton of success at Kansas, but he comes into this event in good shape. He was ninth here in May and just lost to Larson at Darlington last week. In fact, he's finished top-four in two of the last four races and led for 90 laps at Darlington. In the last five weeks, he's finished top eight on three occasions.

Christopher Bell (+900)

There is reason to take a look at Bell and perhaps look the other way as well. He won here in the Xfinity series a few seasons back and did well at Kansas in the spring. However, his other 2023 results on intermediate tracks aren't exactly great, not finishing any higher than 11th in the five other races. Could be a dicey pick with Bell.

Bubba Wallace (+1200)

The defending champ. How can we not mention him? Bubba Wallace not only won last year's edition, but he was also fourth in May. However, Wallace was just 12th during the regular season and didn't exactly show a lot of consistency throughout the year. Wallace was 7th at Darlington but didn't finish better than 11th in six races prior to that. We'll see if he can turn up.

Hollywood 400 picks

As always, we'll make a few bets that could prove to be valuable. Take Hamlin to stay hot and Byron for a top-10 finish which feels very possible.

Denny Hamlin To win

+475

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William Byron To finish top-10

-240

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