The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field is set. Sixteen drivers will slowly be whittled down over the next two months until the final four drivers compete for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship in Phoenix on November 10. The first round of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begins on Sunday, with the Quaker State 400 available at Walmart race in Atlanta.
The following drivers have qualified for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Harrison Burton, Ty Gibbs, and Martin Truex Jr.
Last year, the final four drivers were Blaney, Larson, Byron, and Bell. Blaney won his first NASCAR Championship in 2023.
Before we lay out the odds, preview, and prediction for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, check out our NASCAR betting odds.
To Win 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Christopher Bell | +450 | +450 | +450 | +400 |
Denny Hamlin | +450 | +450 | +430 | +400 |
Kyle Larson | +350 | +350 | +370 | +400 |
Tyler Reddick | +500 | +550 | +560 | +650 |
Ryan Blaney | +800 | +800 | +790 | +700 |
William Byron | +700 | +700 | +700 | +700 |
Chase Elliott | +1200 | +1200 | +1175 | +1200 |
Joey Logano | +1600 | +1600 | +1675 | +1600 |
Martin Truex Jr. | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
Brad Keselowski | +2200 | +2200 | +2100 | +2200 |
Alex Bowman | +4000 | +4000 | +3900 | +3300 |
Ty Gibbs | +3300 | +3300 | +3400 | +3300 |
Austin Cindric | +15000 | +15000 | +14000 | +10000 |
Chase Briscoe | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 |
Daniel Suarez | +15000 | +20000 | +17000 | +12500 |
Harrison Burton | +20000 | +25000 | +24000 | +30000 |
Defending NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney enters the 2024 playoffs as the No. 5 ranked driver. The 30-year-old driver of the No. 12 Ford for Team Penske won two races this year. Both of those victories, Iowa and Pocono, came in the second half of the season.
Since his win at Pocono, Blaney has not performed all that great. Yes, he placed third in Indianapolis, but he then finished 11th in Richmond and 18th in Michigan, but wrecks knocked him out of Daytona and Darlington.
If Blaney wins the 2024 NASCAR championship, he’ll be the first repeat champion since Jimmie Johnson won five in a row between 2006 and 2010. The deck is stacked against him because of history and the fact that he and his team have struggled with consistency in 2024.
Christopher Bell joined the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He’s made the playoffs in the past three years. He came close to winning in 2022, placing third. Last year, he took a step back and finished the season in fourth. This year, the driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota is among the betting favorites to win it all.
Bell had three wins in 2024, getting the checkered flag in Phoenix, Charlotte, and New Hampshire. He heads into the playoffs with some momentum, finishing third in Daytona and Darlington.
Bell has made it to the final four the last two years, but he struggled in Phoenix, placing 10th in 2022 and then crashing out in 2023. However, he did win in Phoenix earlier this year, so the 29-year-old is someone to seriously consider when betting on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
No NASCAR driver has as many wins or led as many laps as Kyle Larson has in 2024. The driver of the No. 5 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports has four victories (Las Vegas, Kansas, Sonoma, Indianapolis) and has led 1,089 laps, which is 172 in front of the second-best driver in that category, Denny Hamlin. The 32-year-old was the NASCAR Cup Series champ in 2021. He finished seventh in 2022 and was the runner-up in 2023.
Larson fell one point short of winning the 2024 regular-season championship, which makes one wonder if he regrets skipping the Coca-Cola 600 so he could compete in the Indy 500, where he finished 17th.
Larson enters the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with more points than any other driver. However, he has wrecked in six races and had trouble converting leads into victories over the course of the season.
Larson did not perform well at Phoenix early this year, placing 14th, However, in the two races before that on the track he finished third and fourth. Larson has been excellent this year and there’s no reason to believe he will stumble in the 2024 NASCAR playoffs.
Kyle Larson is the betting pick to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Before the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin, don’t forget to check out the best betting site bonuses and prime Vegas online betting sites.
Summary
Trent is a professional sports journalist specializing in UFC, MMA, and esports coverage. His work has been featured in prestigious publications such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent's connection to MMA dates back to the early days when he and his friends pooled their resources to purchase the pay-per-view broadcast of UFC 1. He also has extensive experience in esports, particularly League of Legends and Counter Strike, dating back to the game's launch.
Education
Trent is pursuing a degree in creative writing.
Professional Achievements
Trent has been writing since the pre-internet days. He got his start writing about music for various fanzines before adding sports coverage to his repertoire, starting with hockey coverage before branching out into MMA and other sports. Trent spent time as an assistant editor for a large website focusing on MMA and NHL coverage. As an assistant editor, Trent ran the day-to-day business of those sites. After leaving that site, Trent moved on to work for SBNation and USA Today for their MMA sites. Today, Trent is a freelance writer concentrating on sports, but also covering health and wellness, fitness, music, and crime.