Nobody knows what, exactly, the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series playoff format (if there even ends up being one) will look like, and that probably won't change until sometime in January, giving drivers and teams minimal time to prepare for any potential changes ahead of February's season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
However, that has not prevented DraftKings Sportsbook from posting a list of odds to win the 2026 championship, and it's no surprise who the two co-favorites are, given how the 2026 season ended.
Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson and Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin are both listed at +500 to win the 2026 title, just ahead of Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron and Team Penske's Ryan Blaney at +550.
NASCAR favorites revealed, but one question lingers
Larson won the 2025 championship, despite not winning a single race since May, after a late caution at Phoenix Raceway triggered overtime. Hamlin, who had dominated the championship race and appeared to be well on his way to winning his first title, took four tires, while Larson took two. Larson did not lead a single lap but finished ahead of Hamlin, who had led 208, to win the title.
Byron was the driver whose flat tire caused the caution while running second in the championship order, while Blaney actually won the race, despite not being in title contention. So it's no surprise to see those two drivers listed where they are, and it's also no surprise that there is no prohibitive favorite.
Just behind those drivers are Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell (+650) and Chase Briscoe (+850), Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott (+850), and 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick (+1400).
Perhaps most interestingly, Team Penske's Joey Logano, who has won three of the four most recent championships in even-numbered years and has never missed the Championship 4 in an even-numbered year since the modern format was introduced in 2014, is only listed in a 10th place tie with Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain at +2000.
That even puts him behind Trackhouse Racing rookie Connor Zilisch, who is listed ninth at +1600.
All things considered, this year's offseason championship odds listing is the most intriguing in recent memory. It's obvious that certain drivers take to certain formats better than others; look no further than the 2025 point standings without playoffs, the 2025 point standings without stages, or even the 2025 standings using modified (and far less flawed) scoring systems.
You can even look at how vastly different NASCAR history would look if playoffs were never implemented.
And nobody knows what the 2026 format is going to look like. So who actually stands to benefit from whenever (and, perhaps more importantly, if) NASCAR confirms a new format?
It's why there is no clear favorite, and it's also why there could be some significant value on somebody like Logano, who won the 2024 championship despite not even ranking in the top 10 in total points scored simply because he and the No. 22 team played the system the right way.
Full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship odds can be found here and are always subject to change.
The 68th annual Daytona 500 is scheduled to get the 36-race 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season underway on Sunday, February 15, with Fox's live coverage from Daytona International Speedway set to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET.