Cup Series Futures: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin Among Favorites

18 races remain in the NASCAR Cup Series season, capped off by the finale at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 10th where the new championship winner will be crowned. At this point, it's a toss-up as to who that could be, but there is a plethora of contenders who could be in the mix. Christopher Bell is coming off a victory in New Hampshire and he happens to be one of the favorites at +450. But, above him are Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, who are both at +400 odds. William Byron (+550), Ryan Blaney (+1000), and Chase Elliott (+1000) are others to watch, too. Continue reading for the Cup Series futures.

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

Cup Series Championship Odds

Driver
Kyle Larson	+400	+400	+400
Denny Hamlin	+400	+400	+400
Christopher Bell	+450	+450	+450
William Byron	+550	+550	+550
Ryan Blaney	+1000	+1000	+1000
Chase Elliott	+1000	+1000	+1000
Martin Truex Jr	+1400	+1400	+1400
Tyler Reddick	+1400	+1400	+1400
Brad Keselowski	+1800	+1800	+1800

Ryan Blaney is the defending champion and as you can see, he has a chance to repeat, depending on how things go for the rest of the season. Kyle Larson, the current favorite, was the 2021 champion.

Kyle Larson (+400)

Larson is currently in first place in the Cup Series standings but only due to laps led. Elliott also has 620 points on the season. In 17 starts, the veteran has three wins, eight top fives, and nine top 10s. He's definitely the most consistent driver right now and it shows by his numbers. Larson is typically one of the favorites in essentially every race. After finishing 34th at Iowa, Larson just came in fourth at New Hampshire. He also won in his home state of California at Sonoma earlier this month. Larson's ability to show up every week will surely carry into the playoffs where he'll likely be a championship contender at the very end.

Denny Hamlin (+400)

Hamlin has enjoyed the utmost success in the Cup Series, winning a total of 54 races. In fact, he has the most victories in NASCAR without a championship. That being said, Hamlin is always contending for the title despite continuously coming up short. This season, he's in third spot and just 40 points out of first place. Hamlin has three wins, seven top fives, and eight top 10s. He had a wild run this year of six consecutive top-five finishes, including a pair of runner-ups and a first place finish at Dover. Since then, however, Hamlin is struggling, finishing 38th, 24th, and 24th in his last three races. But, there's lots of time for him to turn things around.

Christopher Bell (+450)

Bell is relatively new to the Cup Series, but he's making his presence felt. The 29-year-old was fourth in 2023 and third in 2022. In 2024, he's down in sixth at the moment, tallying three wins, six top fives, and 11 top 10s. He has the second-most stage wins (7) behind only Larson, which is definitely impressive. As previously mentioned, Bell just won at New Hampshire, his third victory of the season. He also has wins at Phoenix and Charlotte. It remains to be seen if Bell can go all the way, but it does appear he'll be one to watch.

William Byron (+550)

Byron is definitely another top dog on the Cup Series. While his results have been up and down this season at times, he's in seventh place and not that far out of first. The Hendrick Motorsports star has wins at Martinsville, COTA, and the iconic Daytona 500. He also has six top-fives and 10 top-10s. Byron was second at Iowa before finishing 26th in New Hampshire. His third-place finish a year ago was a career-best. When it's all said and done, we'll see if he can beat his teammates Larson and Elliott.

Ryan Blaney (+1000)

We have to discuss the defending champ. Blaney is not having the best season though after winning it all. He's down in eighth place and didn't win his first race of the year until Iowa two weeks ago. He also has five top fives, seven top 10s, and unfortunately, three DNFs. Blaney has struggled to find consistency, finishing in 25th last weekend after the Iowa victory. He's also notched just two stage victories. It doesn't sound like this is Blaney's year, but we'll see if he can turn things around in the coming months here.

Chase Elliott (+1000)

Elliott's 2023 season was a bit of a nightmare due to injuries and some other complications. But, he's now back in the mix and thriving. Although he has just one victory, his results overall are pretty consistent. Elliott also has seven top fives and nine top 10s. He has back-to-back top-five finishes before coming in 18th at New Hampshire. In 2022, Elliott was the favorite to win the Cup Series but Joey Logano ended up doing so. Nevertheless, Elliott has what it takes and he cannot be underestimated.

Cup Series Futures Picks

It's hard to know what will happen months down the road, but for now, I'm liking Larson and Elliott as my picks to win the 2024 Cup Series Championship.

Kyle Larson To win Cup Series

+400

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Chase Elliott To win Cup Series

+1000

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