NASCAR: Early 2025 championship favorite revealed (two drivers tied)

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season came to an end at Phoenix Raceway two weeks ago, and the start of the 2025 season is nearly three months away. But the way-too-early championship odds have already been published by DraftKings Sportsbook.

And as you might expect for a series that saw 18 winners in 2024 and decides its annual champion by a four-round, 10-race postseason format, there is no clear favorite to win the 2025 title. In fact, there are two drivers listed as co-favorites at this stage in the offseason.

Neither one of the two co-favorites qualified for the 2024 Championship 4, which is unironically quite fitting as the seemingly never-ending playoff debate rages on.

Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson led all drivers with six wins and would have won the regular season championship had he not missed a race, and Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell initially qualified for the Championship 4 before his wall ride on the last lap at Martinsville Speedway was deemed illegal.

Larson and Bell lead the pack at +550.

Behind them are Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron and Team Penske's Ryan Blaney, the only two drivers to make it to the Championship 4 in both 2023 and 2024. Blaney won the 2023 championship and came up just shy in 2024. Byron is listed at +600, ahead of Blaney at +650.

Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin is listed fifth at +750 as he continues to try to shed the title of winningest non-champion in Cup Series history.

Team Penske's Joey Logano, who won the 2024 championship despite recording a season-long point total that ranked outside of the top 10, is listed next at +850. Despite having made it to the Championship 4 in every even-numbered year since the modern playoff format was introduced in 2014, he has never made it in an odd year. He is tied with 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick.

The two Chases round out the top nine, with Hendrick Motorsports' Elliott listed at +1100 and Joe Gibbs Racing newcomer Briscoe listed at +1800. There is a tie for 10th with Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch, who just had his first ever winless season and first playoff-less season since 2012, and Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs at +2200.

Full odds can be found at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to begin on Sunday, February 16 with the 67th annual Daytona 500. Fox is set to provide live coverage from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.