NASCAR: Kyle Larson no longer the championship favorite

Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson, who missed out on winning the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship by just one point despite missing the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway back in May, entered the four-round, 10-race postseason as the betting favorite to win a second championship.

Larson entered the playoffs with 40 playoff points, most among all drivers. He earned 20 thanks to his series-high four regular season victories, 10 thanks to his 10 stage wins, a total tied for the most in the series, and 10 thanks to his runner-up finish in regular season points.

Following a crash in the opening playoff race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he was listed in a tie with Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell. Bell entered the playoffs with 32 playoff points, second most among all drivers, and finished the race in fourth place. The drivers were both listed by FanDuel Sportsbook at +450 (bet $100 to win $450).

Now after the race at Watkins Glen International, Larson finds himself in ninth place in the point standings, while Bell has taken the points lead for the first time in 54 races.

Larson no longer NASCAR championship favorite

At FanDuel Sportsbook, Bell is now the outright favorite to win the championship at +400. Larson, who has just a single top 10 finish in the five most recent races, is still listed at +450.

Bell is 46 points above the round of 12 cut line and practically locked in with only this coming Saturday night's race at Bristol Motor Speedway remaining in the round of 16.

Larson is still a relatively comfortable 26 points ahead of the cutoff and still leads all drivers in playoff points. In fact, if he does advance to the quarterfinal round, his 40 playoff points mean that he is guaranteed to retake the points lead following the points reset. Bell can score no more than seven playoff points at Bristol, which would bring his total to 39.

Larson won the 2021 championship and took part in last year's Championship 4. Bell is still seeking his first title but is the only driver who qualified for the winner-take-all round at Phoenix Raceway in both 2022 and 2023.

23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick (+500), Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin (+550), and Team Penske's Ryan Blaney (+650) round out the top five betting favorites. Reddick won the regular season title, and while Hamlin currently finds himself below the cut line, he has won the two most recent races at Bristol. Blaney is the reigning series champion.

Full odds can be found at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Hamlin is the +500 favorite to win Saturday night's 500-lap race around the four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) high-banked Bristol, Tennesse oval, followed by Larson at +700 and Bell at +750.

Tune in to USA Network at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, September 21 for the live broadcast of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway. If you have not yet started a free trial of FuboTV, do so now and don't miss it!