If you were planning on betting on Kyle Larson to become the first back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series champion since Jimmie Johnson won five in a row from 2006 to 2010, we sure hope you got in when the odds were +3500 just a handful of weeks ago.
Because they're sure not +3500 anymore.
Larson had a relatively quiet regular season, finishing seventh in points as his win drought, which was already at 24 to start the season despite winning the 2025 title, extended all the way to 50, the all-time record for a reigning champion. He finished 303 points behind regular season champion Denny Hamlin.
Given Hendrick Motorsports' struggles to fully adapt to the new Chevrolet body, Larson wasn't even considered one of Hamlin's top five challengers to begin the playoffs.
Denny Hamlin has a new top challenger, and of course it's Kyle Larson
The driver of Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 11 Toyota, who is by far NASCAR's winningest non-champion of all-time, has been the favorite to win the championship for much of the season, even though it took him until late June to take the points lead from 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick after Reddick's red-hot start to the season.
Hamlin solidified himself as the man to beat even before taking the lead away from Reddick, thanks to his three-race win streak from late May to mid-June. Even though he hasn't won since, his "bad days" have still produced solid finishes that allowed him to clinch the regular season title even before the regular season finale.
But now all eyes are on Larson, who ended his 51-race win drought on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Not only did he move up to second in the standings, just nine points behind Hamlin, but he has shot up to second behind Hamlin in the championship odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Hamlin is still the favorite, but his +220 odds are as long as they've been since he became the points leader. Larson is listed second at +350, which are the second-shortest odds anybody not named Hamlin has had at any point over the past three months.
After the way in which Larson denied Hamlin what looked like a certain 2025 championship, the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet is probably the last person Hamlin wants to see sitting just nine points behind him after finally picking up some much-needed momentum with a statement victory.
Full NASCAR Cup Series championship odds can be found at DraftKings Sportsbook and are always subject to change.
Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled to host the Bass Pro Shops Night Race this Saturday, September 19, with live coverage set to be provided by USA Network starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Larson is a three-time winner at Bristol and a two-time winner of this particular race, while Hamlin is a four-time Bristol winner with three night race victories.
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