• What: NASCAR Cup Series
  • When: Sunday, February 15, 2026, to Sunday, November 8, 2026
  • Where: Speedways across the USA
  • Watch: FOX, Prime, TNT, USA, NBC, Peacock

Oddsmakers are unable to choose between the reigning champion and a driver who's never won the title when settling on the top betting choice to win the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series title.

It's Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson who are set as the +500 co-favorites at leading online sportsbooks to be the winner of this year's NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Let's look at the latest NASCAR betting lines for the Cup Series title. Remember, odds are always subject to change.

NASCAR Cup OddsBovadaBetUSBetOnline
Kyle Larson+500+500+500
Denny Hamlin+500+500+500
Christopher Bell+600+600+600
William Byron+600+600+600
Ryan Blaney+600+600+600
Chase Elliott+1000+1000+1000
Chase Briscoe+1000+1000+1000
Connor Zilisch+1000+1000+1000
Joey Logano+1600+1600+1600
Tyler Reddick+1600+1600+1600
Ross Chastain+2500+2500+2500
Bubba Wallace+3000+3000+3000
Josh Berry+3000+3000+3000
Carson Hocevar+3000+3000+3000

Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Christopher Bell are all next in the NASCAR betting lines at odds of +600. Chase Briscoe, Connor Zilisch, and Chase Elliott are the next choices with NASCAR odds of +1000.

Veteran drivers Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick are both at +1600 in the NASCAR betting lines. No other driver has odds shorter than +2500.

How the 2026 NASCAR Schedule Lines Up

The NASCAR season traditionally begins with the Daytona 500. The 2026 race is scheduled for Sunday, February 15. In 2026, the Cup Series playoffs will get underway on September 6 at Darlington Raceway. The final race, the NASCAR Cup Championship, is slated for November 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

While it will take months to determine the NASCAR Cup Series winner, you don't have to wait that long to be placing your NASCAR wagers. Take advantage of the top mobile betting apps to make a bet wherever you might be in the course of your day.

NASCAR Cup Series Betting Picks

The first 26 races of the season will determine which 16 drivers qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Every three races during the NASCAR postseason, three drivers are eliminated from the playoffs. The final four drivers compete in the NASCAR Cup Series championship race.

Before we take a look at the top contenders and get into the analysis and predictions for this race, check out our how-to bet on NASCAR page.

Kyle Larson (+500)

Winning his first title since 2021, reigning champion Larson won just three races all season long. However, he was tied for the NASCAR Cup Series lead in top-five (15) and top-10 (22) finishes.

Larson was also second among all drivers with 1106 laps led. He did his best driving when it mattered most. Larson finished tied for second with 32 playoff points.

Denny Hamlin (+500)

It looked as though it might finally be Hamlin's year in 2025. He won a series-high six races. With 1024 laps led, he was one of three drivers to run up front for more than a thousand laps.

However, Hamlin lacked overall consistency. He was fourth in top-five finishes (14) and sixth in top-10 showings (18). And Hamlin suffered four DNFs.

Ryan Blaney (+600)

His eight DNFs certainly didn't help Blaney's overall cause as the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title winner sought to return to the top of the heap last season.

Blaney recorded four wins, 15 top fives, and 19 top 10s. He led over 800 laps.

William Byron (+600)

Byron began the 2025 campaign by winning the Daytona 500 for the second successive year. He wouldn't win again until Iowa, the 23rd race of the season.

Yet Byron led the points standings at the end of the regular season. Byron was part of the Championship 4, but finished 33rd in the season-ending race at Phoenix.

Christopher Bell (+600)

Bell's 2025 season couldn't have started much better when he won three of the first four races on the schedule. He became just the 29th driver in Cup Series history to win three races in a row.

However, the usually reliable Bell suddenly wasn't. He won just once the rest of the year and led just 282 laps all season long. Bell's average finish per race was 11.194.

Chase Briscoe (+1000)

Finishing third in the Cup Series standings, Briscoe posted 15 top fives and 19 top 10s. He won three races and led 884 laps.

Connor Zilisch (+1000)

All eyes are on Zilisch as the rookie prepares to run his first full NASCAR Cup Series slate. Zilisch made three Cup Series starts last season for Trackhouse Racing. His best finish was an 11th at Atlanta.

However, he dominated the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Zilisch won 10 of 33 races in NASCAR's Tier II series.

Chase Elliott (+1000)

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Elliott, came alive in the 2025 playoffs. He posted a win and six top-10 finishes during the 10-race NASCAR postseason.

NASCAR Cup Series Best Bet

If Hamlin were a fading veteran, it would be easy to count him out as a NASCAR Cup Series title contender. But that isn't the case at all. He was the runner-up last season and might've won his first title if not for his four DNFs.

Denny Hamlin To win 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Title
Bovada
+500
Bet Now!

You can always count on the Toyotas of Joe Gibbs Racing to be very competitive cars. And one of these years, the roll of the dice has to go Hamlin's way eventually. So why not next year? Take Hamlin to win the 2026 title in the NASCAR Cup Series picks.