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The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season is coming to an end with the race weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Last weekend at Martinsville the field of 8 remaining eligible Playoff drivers was trimmed to only four that can contend for the Championship on Sunday.
The surprise was, at least to some fans, was that Alex Bowman pulled off the win at Martinsville. That helped trimmed the field by eliminating an automatic win to the Championship race for the winner. Bowman had already been eliminated from the Playoffs several weeks ago. That means that his win forced other contending drivers to make the Championship race based on points.
As the result, drivers such as Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney missed the cut. Busch is coming off a week where he was penalized for using the “R” word in a post-race interview. Some may be pointing to that for motivation.
Aside from that controversy, the Championship field is set and there’s not a Ford driver in the mix. Kevin Harvick was eliminated from the Playoffs weeks ago and Team Penske saw their three eligible drivers knocked out after Martinsville. That leaves two Chevrolets and two Toyotas left to capture the 2021 Cup Series Championship.
Here are the favorites through to win the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race outright according to Intertops.
Kyle Larson +165
Chase Elliott +375
Denny Hamlin +400
Martin Truex Jr +475
William Byron +1400
2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Preview
Track: Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Arizona
Type: 1-mile asphalt doglegged tri-oval, 4 turns
Race Distance: 312 laps / 312 miles
Defending track winner: Martin Truex Jr
TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM / Local affiliates
2021 Cup Series Championship Race Predictions
Kyle Larson +165
Kyle Larson comes into the Phoenix race as the favorite to win outright as well as one of the 4 drivers to battle for the Cup Series Championship. He’s been the driver to beat for most of the season and he’s a master on tracks of a mile to 1.5 miles. But, he’s proven that he can win on any track style this season. Larson could capture his 1 st Phoenix race and his 1 st Cup Series Championship this weekend.
Martin Truex Jr +475
Martin Truex Jr has won at Phoenix before, earlier this season. Truex has unloaded well several times this season and that trend should continue this weekend. His key will be staying towards the front and out of trouble. At the same time, he’ll have to stay within reach of Larson. As will everyone else.
Joey Logano +2200
Joey Logano is not in the Championship mix during this final Cup Series event… but he could still win the race at Phoenix this weekend. Logano is the only Ford driver to have won at Phoenix in the last five trips to the track.
Cup Series Playoff Standings
No. 1 Kyle Larson
No. 2 Chase Elliott
No. 3 Martin Truex Jr
No. 4 Denny Hamlin
Eliminated after Martinsville
No. 5 Kyle Busch
No. 6 Brad Keselowski
No. 7 Ryan Blaney
No. 8 Joey Logano
Other Eliminated Cup Series Playoff Drivers
Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, Kurt Busch, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Aric Almirola, Michael McDowell, and Alex Bowman were all eliminated before the Martinsville race weekend.
NASCAR Handicapping Statistics
2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Betting Lines
Kyle Larson +165
Chase Elliott +375
Denny Hamlin +400
Martin Truex Jr +475
William Byron +1400
Kyle Busch +1600
Kevin Harvick +1800
Joey Logano +2200
Brad Keselowski +2500
Ryan Blaney +2500
Alex Bowman +2500
Christopher Bell +3300
Kurt Busch +4500
Tyler Reddick +6000
Aric Almirola +8000
Matt Dibenedetto +12500
Ross Chastain +15000
Austin Dillon +17500
Darrell Wallace Jr. +17500
Erik Jones +20000
Chris Buescher +20000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +20000
Cole Custer +25000
Daniel Suarez +30000
Chase Briscoe +30000
Michael McDowell +30000
Ryan Newman +50000
Corey Lajoie +50000
Ryan Preece +50000
Anthony Alfredo +100000
Justin Haley +100000
Josh Bilicki +150000
Quinn Houff +150000
Joey Gase +150000
Cody Ware +200000
BJ McLeod +200000
Garrett Smithley +200000
Timmy Hill +200000
David Starr +200000
