NASCAR: Christopher Bell no longer the championship favorite

Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson entered the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as the betting favorite to win a second championship.

Larson missed out on the regular season championship by one point to 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick, a point he would have earned had he not chosen to prioritize a rain-delayed Indy 500 over the Coca-Cola 600 and thus given up the opportunity to score points at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

But he still entered the postseason atop the standings following the points reset, as he accrued 40 playoff points during the 26-race regular season: 20 for his series-high four wins, 10 for his series-high (tied) 10 stage wins, and 10 for his runner-up points finish.

A rough start to the round of 16, including a crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway and a lackluster performance at Watkins Glen International, dropped him to ninth place in the point standings heading into the first round finale at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell, the new points leader, had become the new betting favorite to win the championship, with FanDuel Sportsbook listing him at +400. Larson was listed at +450.

Kyle Larson back as NASCAR Cup Series favorite

Now Larson is the favorite once again, as he led 462 of Saturday night's 500 laps around the four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) high-banked Bristol Motor Speedway oval en route to the Bass Pro Shops Night Race victory.

DraftKings Sportsbook now lists Larson at +400 and Bell at +450.

The win also netted Larson seven more playoff points, giving him 47 to start the round of 12. That is 15 more than the next highest driver (Bell). Bell's 32 playoff points come from his three race wins, 10 stage wins, and fourth place finish in regular season points.

In fact, thanks to his series-leading fifth win and series-leading 11th and 12th stage wins of the year, Larson passed Reddick in total points scored from all 29 races this year, even though he missed one of those events.

The round of 12 is generally viewed as a "wild card" round, given the fact that it contains a superspeedway (Talladega Superspeedway) and a road course (Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval), so Larson may need all the playoff points he can get ahead of time to minimize the risk of a rough race or two dropping him below the round of 8 cut line.

Full updated championship odds can be found here.

Kansas Speedway is scheduled to get the round of 12 underway with the Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET this Sunday, September 29. Larson won at the track in what was the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history back in May. USA Network is set to provide live coverage starting at 3:00 p.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss it!