NASCAR: Top 5 championship contenders at the break

The one and only off weekend on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule has come and gone. Here are the top championship contenders heading into 20 straight weeks of action.

While the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season hasn’t officially reached its halfway point yet, many view this past off weekend as the transition to the second half of the year.

There are no more off weekends on the schedule, with 20 straight weeks of action, including 10 to conclude the regular season and 10 in the playoffs, set to begin this weekend.

Sunday’s race is the Ally 400, a 300-lap race around the four-turn, 1.333-mile (2.145-kilometer) Nashville Superspeedway oval.

Who are the top championship contenders as NASCAR Cup Series action returns?

DraftKings Sportsbook, which is currently offering fans $150 just for signing up and placing a $5 bet, currently has four drivers listed at the top, with two others tied for the fifth spot — creating more of a top six than a true top five.

Larson only sits in 10th place in the point standings, but he has arguably been the strongest driver this year. He is one of four drivers who have won multiple races, and he easily could have won three or four more if not for unfortunate circumstances. Busch and Byron officially lead the series with three wins each, and Truex, the points leader, has two.

Bell’s odds to put him tied for fifth behind the four multi-race winners are fair, but Elliott’s come across as a bit interesting. There could be great value at +900, but only if he ends up qualifying for the playoffs.

He is 84 points below the cut line in 27th place in the point standings, having missed seven races earlier this year, and even with his current points per race average, he would only be 12th with 16 starts. It’s a stark contrast to year number one of the Next Gen car last season, when he led the series in wins, total points, laps led, and average finish.

Elliott, the only driver to be in each of the last three Championship 4s and each of the last six rounds of 8, can still qualify for the playoffs, in which his odds would shorten, but he needs a lot to go his way if he doesn’t manage to win a regular season race.

Notably absent from this list is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who is listed seventh at +1000, just ahead of Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, the reigning champion, at +1100.

Full odds can be found at DraftKings Sportsbook. Odds and availability subject to change.

The Ally 400 is scheduled to get NBC’s portion of this year’s broadcast schedule underway this weekend. It is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Nashville Superspeedway beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 25. Take advantage of FuboTV’s free trial offer today and don’t miss it!