NASCAR: Surprising change made after Las Vegas race

While the NASCAR Cup Series championship odds have shifted after the round of 8 opener, the big change was somewhat surprising.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano continued his trend of qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 in even years by winning Sunday afternoon’s round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Since the current elimination playoff format was introduced in 2014, Logano has only ever qualified for the winner-take-all final round in the even seasons, but he has done so each time (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and now 2022).

In 2018, 2020, and 2022, Logano locked himself into the Championship 4 by winning the round of 8 opener, in each instance doing so despite having not won a race in at least the last four months at that time.

But surprisingly, Logano is still not listed as the favorite to win the 2022 championship, despite the fact that he is the only driver with a guaranteed spot in the Championship 4.

Logano began the round of 8 in second place in the standings, but his odds to win the title were third shortest at +650 (bet $100 for a $750 payout).

He is now listed at +300 at WynnBET, meaning he is still behind Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott at +200. Elliott had been listed at +190.

Here are the full odds for each of the eight remaining contenders.

• Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports: +200
• Joey Logano, Team Penske: +300
• Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing: +450
• Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Team: +650
• William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports: +1000
• Ryan Blaney, Team Penske: +1200
• Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing: +2500
• Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing: +3000

It makes sense that Elliott is still the favorite, given how long he has been the favorite and the fact that even with a miserable 21st place outing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one in which he ran in the back of the field for much of the afternoon, he is still just one point from being the highest round of 8 driver not yet qualified for the Championship 4.

Here’s a look at the point standings among those seven drivers.

Rank – Driver – Points (Ahead/Behind)
2 – Ross Chastain – 4,063 (+18)
3 – Chase Elliott – 4,062 (+17)
4 – Denny Hamlin – 4,051 (+6)
——–CHAMPIONSHIP 4 CUT LINE——–
5 – William Byron – 4,045 (-6)
6 – Chase Briscoe – 4,042 (-9)
7 – Ryan Blaney – 4,040 (-11)
8 – Christopher Bell – 4,028 (-23)

Considering the fact that Logano was listed third out of the eight round of 8 drivers to start the round, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t be considered one of the favorites when the Championship 4 rolls around. And when it does, his odds will likely be shorter than +300.

Since he is already guaranteed a spot in the Championship 4, you might as well take advantage of these odds while you can rather than waiting to bet on him until the season finale. The fact that his odds are still this long is a bit of a surprise.

The season finale is scheduled to take place at Phoenix Raceway, where Logano is a two-time winner, on Sunday, November 6.

Round of 8 races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway are scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 23 and Sunday, October 30, respectively, to solidify the Championship 4 field.

Odds and availability are always subject to change. Bet now at WynnBET!