2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship odds, picks and predictions
The NASCAR Cup Series arrives at Phoenix Raceway for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Sunday afternoon. The green flag is set to drop shortly after 3 p.m. ET (NBC). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship odds, and make our expert NASCAR picks and predictions.
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship: What you need to know
- Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell is among the Championship 4 racing for glory in Phoenix. In 7 career Cup starts at Phoenix, Bell has managed 4 top-10 starts and no laps led with a 14.4 Average-Finish Position (AFP)
- Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney, also racing for a championship, has 0 career Cup wins in Phoenix, although he has 6 top-5 finishes, 10 top-10 runs, 429 laps led and an 11.9 AFP in 15 career starts at the track
- Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron has a win at Phoenix in 11 career Cup starts, with an 11.9 AFP like fellow Championship 4 driver Blaney. He has 6 top-10 finishes in 11 career starts at the track with 0 DNFs. Byron won the first Phoenix race back in March
- Hendrick's Kyle Larson has the best AFP (11.7) among the Championship 4 drivers, posting a win, 7 top-5 finishes and 11 top-10 results with 382 laps led in 18 career Cup starts at Phoenix
- Among the non-title contenders, Kevin Harvick races off into the sunset at one of his favorite tracks. He has 9 career wins with 20 top-5 finishes and 1,699 laps and an 8.6 AFP in 41 career Cup starts
- Former title winner Kyle Busch has managed 3 career checkered flags at Phoenix, posting 12 top-5 finishes and 1,190 laps led and a 10.6 AFP in 36 Cup starts at the track
- JGR's Denny Hamlin has managed 2 victories at Phoenix, while turning in 16 top-5 finishes in 36 Cup starts with 854 laps and a 10.9 AFP
- Hendrick's Alex Bowman has struggled at Phoenix over the years, posting a dismal 22.9 AFP in 19 career Cup starts with just 2 top-10 finishes and 3 DNFs
- Byron brought it home for Chevrolet in March, and Chevy has 2 wins in the past 4 starts, with Ford also posting 2 wins during the span. Toyota hasn't won at Phoenix since Martin Truex Jr.'s victory in March 2021
- Lastly, RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski will not race Sunday due to the birth of his son. Cole Custer will be behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford
2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship – Expert pick
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:11 a.m. ET.
RYAN BLANEY (+210) is looking for his 1st Cup Series championship at Phoenix, and he is looking for a little redemption, too. He was the runner-up back in the March race to fellow title contender William Byron (+240).
Again, Blaney has a solid 11.9 AFP in 15 career Cup starts at the flat track in Avondale, while posting 429 laps led. His best finish was the runner-up result in the spring.
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2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship – Long shot
While Blaney is the best play among the Championship 4 contenders, if there is a non-title driver to crash the party, rolling the dice on Richard Childress Racing's KYLE BUSCH (+5000) would be a good bet. That's a ridiculous amount of value playing Rowdy to win, even if it would simply be in a spoiler role.
Busch was a respectable 8th in the first Phoenix race back in March, finishing 1.142 seconds back of the eventual champ Byron.
KYLE BUSCH TOP-10 FINISH (+200) for a chance to double up also represents a very good value.
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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