We’re just two weeks away from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, and with us just right around the corner, Kyle Busch sits atop the odds placed at +250 to win the 2019 championship. And luckily for Busch, he also has the lead in the points standings over Joey Logano, by 39 points to be exact — you can get Logano in the odds to repeat at +800 with him in a tie for fourth place.
According to the NASCAR betting sites, Kyle Busch sits as the favorite to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title at +250 odds, followed by Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick at +600 in a tie for second place. For fourth, we have another tie between Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski at +800 to round out the top five for us. Coming in sixth is Chase Elliott at +900, while Denny Hamlin ends the leaders’ list for us with a +1600 mark.
Despite having Kevin Harvick sitting in fifth place in the points standings, you have to stay away from him and his +600 odds with there being a lot of overvalue there. Unlike the past couple of years, Harvick hasn’t been the power driver that we’ve gotten accustomed to. For the season, he only has a stat line of two wins and seven top five finishes, which compared to his other numbers, is just an average season for Harvick. I’m not really seeing a major threat here as far as his chances to win the championship are concerned.
Kevin Harvick will certainly get a playoff spot, there’s no doubt about that, but with how far he’ll go into the playoffs is concerned, that’s up for massive debate. If he’s unable to find his elite form from last year, he may not advance too far into the stage. If he can get his form back, however, within the next month, Harvick may be able to have a legitimate shot to win the championship. At Homestead-Miami Speedway, which is the last race of the season, he’s landed a podium finish in four of the past five races, so if he’s in the right position in the points, he could still take the title. As far as right now though, I’m passing on Kevin Harvick.
Kyle Busch will be in the playoffs and may be going in with the regular season points lead, and massive momentum for the postseason to win the 2019 championship at that. In the campaign, Busch has landed four wins, 12 top fives and 20 top 10’s to this point for a superior season, and it should be mentioned that his win tally ties for the most this season and he has the most top fives and top 10’s. It’s just been a dominant and flashy season for the 34-year-old.
And that’s not all of what makes Kyle Busch such a great bet to make, he also does great at the last race of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the last seven races at the track, he has landed himself in the top five in four of them, and this includes leading laps in the last four and a victory in the 2015 race. I normally don’t like to place a wager on super low odds like a +250, but that’s certainly the best value you’re going to get Busch at. Go ahead, place the bet and take the profit, something will come from it for sure with our options.
Currently, Joey Logano sits in the second position in the points standings (919 points) after a powerful 2019 season. For the year, he’s put up two victories on his resume, while having the most second-highest tally of top-five placements with a total of nine, and he also has 14 top 10 finishes to go along with that. It’s been a magnificent season for the Connecticut native.
At Homestead-Miami Speedway, Logano has put up top six finishes in the last four races, and he would be the victor of the most recent race at the track last year. Also in the past four runnings, he’s also led laps in three of them. Another advantage that Logano has is the fact that he drives a Ford, which has a lot of quickness in the 1.5-mile tracks like Homestead-Miami — they’ve had great showings at Las Vegas and Kansas. All the tools are in place for Joey Logano to be your 2019 champion, which would accomplish the back-to-back feat for him.
Let’s go over the top favorites to win the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup championship, look over their odds, review their performance throughout the campaign and what their latest form has looked like as we get closer to the playoffs.
Kyle Busch has been nothing short of a beast this year, and certainly deserves his status as the betting favorite. For the season, he’s put up a statistical mark of four wins (1,048 laps led), 12 top fives and 20 top 10’s, and this has combined for 932 total points and the first place position in the points standings at this point. With just two races to go, it’s looking like Busch is in a strong position to take home the title. His latest form (last five races) have been crazy inconsistent, but it’s still placed with glory and eliteness. Just look at these numbers: 1st at Phoenix, 1st at Texas, 2nd at California. And now check these out: 29th at Bristol, 31st at Watkins Glen. Though inconsistency strikes, I don’t think there will be much of an issue come playoff time. Kyle Busch seems locked-and-loaded and ready to go for the playoffs.
I personally don’t have much faith in Kevin Harvick to win the championship this season, but he’s still had a solid year to position himself No. 4 in the points standings with a total of 830 points. In 2019, Harvick has laid down two wins (595 laps led), seven top fives and 15 top 10’s. It’s been a solid season for the aging veteran, and his latest form hasn’t been bad either. Other than a 39th place finish at Bristol, Harvick has put up nothing but quality performances, and it includes a victory: 1st at Michigan, 6th at Pocono, 7th at Watkins Glen and 11th at Darlington. Kevin Harvick certainly makes a case for the postseason as we get near, I just personally don’t see any progression through the playoff stage. I have my trust issues with this bet.
Tied for the most wins at four (614 laps led), Martin Truex Jr. has had a strong season with double-digits in top five and top 10 finishes. In total, he has 10 top fives and 15 top 10’s to go along with those four victories. The success has tallied him a total of 838 points and has put him in fifth in the points standings, a pretty spot for leverage as we enter the postseason. His latest form has been on absolute point as well with zero bad finishes: 2nd at Watkins Glen, 3rd at Pocono, 4th at Michigan, 7th at Darlington and 13th at Bristol. I think Joey Logano is your best bet, but Martin Truex Jr. doesn’t fall far behind. Great season.
Finally getting outside of the top five as far as the points standings are concerned, we have Brad Keselowski in sixth with a total of 794 points, and that’s courtesy of a nice statistical line of three wins (947 laps led), eight top fives and 13 top 10’s. Not only has it been a delightful season for Keselowski either, he’ll be entering the playoffs with nothing but solid results: 3rd at Bristol, 8th at Pocono, 9th at Watkins Glen, 9th at Darlington and 19th at Michigan. Brad Keselowski isn’t the most flashiest of bets to make, but you can certainly work some value out with his +800 odds. He’s someone to consider, put him in that category.
Joey Logano has had a solid year, ranking in the top two in the points standings ranked second with a total of 919 points. For the season, he’s pulled in two wins (661 laps led), nine top fives and 14 top 10’s. But take note, the results were a lot better for Logano earlier in the campaign, and the reason for his decline has been a stretch of bad performances: 13th at Pocono, 14th at Darlington, 16th at Bristol, 17th at Michigan and 23rd at Watkins Glen. Even though it comes along with some risk, however, I still think Joey Logano would be your best bet to make with profitable +800 odds, especially considering we’re coming up to some tracks on the schedule that are friendly to Logano. Oh, and he’s the defending champion as well.
Riding with a cool sponsor (Hooters) and an elite team (Hendrick Motorsports), Chase Elliott has had a very productive year placing in the top 10 in the points standings — he currently sits seventh with a total of 780 points. On the season, Elliott has collected two wins (531 laps led), eight top fives and a double-digit ten top 10 placements. He’s also coming into playoff zone in some solid form. Except for a dismal 38th place finish at Pocono and a 19th tally at Darlington, it’s been nothing but elite performances for Elliott: 1st at Watkins Glen, 5th at Bristol and 9th at Michigan. Marking himself with +900 odds, Chase Elliott comes in with some value, and certainly has a legitimate shot to win the 2019 championship.
Denny Hamlin has had a magnificent season to shoot himself up to third in the points standings with a total of 877 points, and his numbers have been very flashy: Four wins (373 laps led), 13 top fives and 16 top 10’s. And as far as his form is concerned, it’s been absolutely superb. With the exception of a lousy 29th place finish at Darlington, he’s secured two victories at Pocono and Bristol, finished second at Michigan and took a third place tally at Watkins Glen. Even though the numbers have been great from Hamlin, however, he scares me a bit in a points battle at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Even though he isn’t bad in South Florida, he’s put up performances that wouldn’t be good enough to clinch the title, and that right there explains your +1600 odds.
He might have not had the most elite 2019 campaign, but he’s in a position to lock up a playoff spot and has some momentum to make a run for the championship. For the year, he sits No. 9 in the rankings with a total of 714 points to put him in the top 10, and even though he has no wins, he does bring along six top fives and 12 top 10’s. But here’s why you may want to take advantage of his +2000 odds: He’s coming into excellent form just in time for playoff mode — 2nd at Darlington, 3rd at Michigan, 5th at Pocono, 6th at Bristol and 8th at Watkins Glen. Larson is in a perfect position to make some noise in the postseason.
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