NASCAR: 2021 Phoenix championship race – Full title odds

After a real qualifying session set the starting lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway, who is the title favorite?

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to come to a conclusion and a champion is set to be crowned in Sunday afternoon’s Championship 4 season finale, officially called the “Season Finale 500”.

Four drivers are set to battle for this title, and the highest finisher of this group of four is set to be crowned this year’s champion. All seven season finales that have been contested since this format was introduced in 2014 have seen one of the four contenders win the race to secure the title.

Where is the Season Finale 500?

The Season Finale 500 is a 312-lap race around the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) Phoenix Raceway oval in Avondale, Arizona. This track hosted the Championship 4 event for the first time last year, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott winning the race to secure his first championship.

The track also hosted a race back in mid-March. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. won this event. Both Elliott and Truex are among the Championship 4 drivers this year. The other two are Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin.

Phoenix broadcast information

Tune in to NBC at 3:00 p.m. ET tomorrow afternoon for the live broadcast of the Season Finale 500 from Phoenix Raceway, and be sure to start your free trial of FuboTV today!

Who is on pole at Phoenix Raceway?

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson took the pole position for Sunday’s race by recording a speed of 137.847 miles per hour (26.116 seconds) behind the wheel of his #5 Chevrolet during the quicker of his two qualifying laps.

Set to start alongside Larson on the front row is teammate Chase Elliott in second place behind the wheel of his #9 Chevrolet. Hamlin qualified in sixth place behind the wheel of his #11 Toyota while Truex qualified in 12th behind the wheel of his #19 Toyota.

A full starting lineup can be found here.

Phoenix betting odds

Take a look at the championship betting odds for the four remaining contenders, courtesy of WynnBET.

• Kyle Larson: +145
• Chase Elliott: +250
• Denny Hamlin: +350
• Martin Truex Jr.: +400

Phoenix betting prediction

Larson has been the favorite to win the championship for the last five months, and there is little reason for that to change now. He has never won at Phoenix Raceway before and is the only contender who hasn’t done so, but Elliott won last year’s title by winning at the track despite having never won there before as well.

It’s a bit surprising to see Truex listed so low, given the fact that he just won here in March. Sure, this was only his first win at the track in 31 starts, but he is also on a recent trend of winning back-to-back races at tracks where he had never previously won.

He won two in a row at Richmond Raceway after starting 0 for 26, and he won two in a row at Martinsville Speedway after starting 0 for 27. He won at both tracks for a third time this year as well, and both tracks, like Phoenix Raceway, utilize the 750-horsepower, low downforce package. So Truex at +400 is tough to pass up.

Make your pick now on WynnBET.

It’s hard to see one of these four drivers not winning, especially considering the seven previous Championship 4s have all seen the champion win the race and two of the last three have seen top four sweeps by the Championship 4 drivers.

But considering the fact that two of the last five playoff races have seen non-championship eligible drivers win, including last Sunday’s round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway, don’t ignore the odds for some of the other contenders.

Prior to last November’s race at the track, four of five races there had been won by Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick or Joey Logano. None of them can win the championship, but all have had past success at Phoenix Raceway.

Harvick (+2000) has had a disappointing 2021 season, so it’s hard to see him suddenly showing up and winning, but Busch (+1500) and Logano (+2000) were only just eliminated this past Sunday in the round of 8 finale. Busch has two wins there since November 2018, and Logano’s most recent three results there are a win, a third place finish, and a runner-up result.

WynnBET Promo: Bet $1, Win $100 if any NFL or college football team scores. Claim offer now.