The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship was won by Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney in a somewhat dramatic fashion. While William Byron did have the edge for the first half of the race he was quickly overrun by a rapidly approaching Blaney in the later stages.
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Surprisingly, just days after the championship win, Blaney isn’t even in the top four to win the title in the 2024 Cup Series championship. Instead, drivers like Kyle Larson (Odds to win 5-1), William Byron (Odds to win 6-1), Martin Truex Jr. (Odds to win 8-1) and Denny Hamlin (Odds to win 8-1) take the top spots. Meanwhile, Blaney and Christopher Bell share the same odds at 10-1.
Of course, these are all early predictions and things will change as the season begins next year with the Daytona 500 and beyond. But considering that the reigning champion does not even make the top cut is an interesting development.
Why would Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and the others rank ahead of Blaney for next year?
Throughout the season it was Byron who was dominating the field with six wins to his name. He clearly had a better overall package but it just did not click at Phoenix. Something similar could be said about Larson as well. Hence, heading into the next season all they would need is a slight advantage in speed and other small things to possibly give them the edge that they require.
Additionally, the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Hamlin and Truex Jr. had the pace throughout the regular season, with the latter even winning the regular season championship. It was the postseason where bad luck and overall performance losses marred both of them, eventually ejecting taking them out of the championship four race at Phoenix.
Meanwhile, the other drivers who sit within the top 10 are Tyler Reddick tied with Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, and Chase Elliott at odds to win 14-1. Now drivers like Busch and Elliott had high hopes heading into the 2023 season. While the RCR driver did perform, this was just not the year for Elliott.
