Heading into this weekend’s race everyone in the round of eight is going to attempt to run their best race, with the winner automatically progressing to the championship four race at Phoenix next month. But with eight drivers all vying for a shot at winning in the next three races, the competition will likely get intense.
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In the heat of this ever-growing competition, NBC shared the odds indicating the most favored drivers for the win this Sunday. There are plenty of big names at the top, but Hendrick Motorsport’s Kyle Larson seems to be the most favorable driver among the rest.
Odds reflect Kyle Larson and possible winners for Sunday’s Vegas race
As per the odds released by NBC Sports Bet, Hendrick Motorsports’ Larson (+400) sits atop everyone. Thereafter, it is his teammate William Byron (+550), and Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin (+600).
Meanwhile, the regular season champion comes in as the 5th favorite to win after Tyler Reddick. Then comes Christopher Bell and finally the two Ford drivers Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher as the least favorites.
As per the odds, it seems that a lot of people are favoring Larson to take the win. After Larson’s near exit from the previous round of the playoffs, would he be able to push forward to win at this stage?
Which #NASCAR playoff driver are you betting on to win in Vegas? 🎰 pic.twitter.com/oRhSDZBDKf
— NBC Sports Bet (@NBCSportsBet) October 13, 2023
Can Larson make it to the Championship four?
A few days ago NASCAR shared an interesting statistic suggesting that drivers who ended up winning the first race in the round of eight have been observed to go on to win the championship later on. This happened with Joey Logano across both of his championships in 2018 and last year. Similarly, Jimmie Johnson as well as Larson have also had this happen to them.
Based on this and the fact that Larson is the current favorite to possibly grasp a win at Vegas this weekend, could he possibly make it happen? Speculations at this stage without conclusive results can be hard, but knowing Larson it could perhaps become a reality. If not the championship, a win at Vegas could solidify his chances and give him more time to prepare for the final race.
Larson will surely have stiff competition from the likes of Byron, Hamlin, Reddick, and possibly Truex Jr., although, for the regular season champion, the playoffs have been nothing but a downhill roller coaster ride so far.
