It didn't take long for 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick to unseat reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson as the favorite to win this year's championship, after becoming the first driver in the history of the series to open up a season with three consecutive victories.
But in the months that followed, it was Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin who started to look like the class of the field, and even though he had only won one race, he emerged as the new favorite, before promptly going on his own three-race win streak to solidify himself as the man to beat.
Hamlin, who finally unseated Reddick atop the point standings after 18 races a few weekends ago, is still the points leader, but the battle no longer appears to be between just the two Toyota drivers.
New favorite to beat Toyota to the 2026 NASCAR Cup crown
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney, who hadn't won since March at Phoenix Raceway, is now quietly within striking distance after sweeping both stages and winning the race at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway) this past weekend. After having spent the past few months more than 100 points behind, he's just 65 back of Hamlin and 41 behind Reddick.
And now he's the favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook among those not named Hamlin or Reddick.
Hamlin is still the clear favorite at +175, odds that could very well change depending on the outcome of the regular season championship, since P1 is worth a 50-point swing over P2 in the standings when it comes to the points reset before the 10-race postseason. Reddick is second at +340.
Blaney has quietly crept up and now sits at +650, placing him ahead of Larson at +850. Larson, who hasn't won a race in more than a year, is only sixth in the standings, with Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs (+1500) and Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott (+900) sitting fourth and fifth, respectively.
Blaney, the 2023 champ, has the shortest odds of any former champion to win this year's title, followed by Larson and Elliott. Behind those three, Team Penske's Joey Logano is next at +3000, and he isn't even currently in the provisional playoff picture.
Those four drivers have combined to win each of the six most recent and seven of the eight most recent championships.
Full odds are available at FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds and availability are always subject to change.
Note that if you do happen to bet on a driver who does not end up winning the championship, do not expect to receive a FanDuel-branded personalized video from them wishing you a happy Thanksgiving. That simply doesn't happen in NASCAR, even if it does elsewhere in the sports world.
The 21st race on the 26-race regular season schedule is the Window World 450, which is set to be shown live on TNT from North Wilkesboro Speedway beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, July 19. North Wilkesboro hasn't hosted a points race since 1996, so tune in and don't miss it!
