Navigate

NASCAR Futures: Cup Series Championship 2024 Odds, Picks & Predictions

by |

After one of the quickest offseasons in professional sports, the 2024 NASCAR season is within shouting distance. Many changes have come to stock car racing’s premiere circuit - the Cup Series - including a new crop of drivers, aero/tire package modifications and a shifting schedule due to the Paris Olympics.

Never-ceasing, though, is the opportunity to wager and profit on the 38-stop traveling circus that is NASCAR. I’ll be here all season long, providing my best bets for each race. Be sure to download the BettingPros app and follow my profile to track and tail the plays.

Let’s jumpstart and cheers to a new year of motorsports with my favorite futures for the Cup Series Championship 2024 market!

NASCAR Futures: Cup Series Championship 2024

Kyle Larson | No. 5 Hendricks Motorsports Chevrolet

The 2021 Cup Series Champion and arguably the world’s most-talented stockcar racer will be on yet another revenge tour in 2024 after finishing as last season’s runner-up. The No. 5 paced the series in laps led (1,127) and tied for the most T5s (15) with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, the only driver who had more point-race wins than Larson’s four. In fact, Byron is the only driver to have more Cup Series point-race wins in the Next-Gen era than the Elk Grove, Calif. native.

What gives Larson the edge over every other driver heading into this season is pure consistency. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, he has a T5 rate of 44.4% and a T10 rate of 58.3%, along with 17 wins. That’s no surprise, considering Larson has finished inside ifantasyrace.com‘s top-five season-long total speed rankings for each of the past three years.

Also likely working in Larson’s favor is the new short-track package NASCAR will run at Pheonix, Richmond and Martinsville this spring, which should help cars slide around more. Larson was a part of the test group earlier this offseason, giving him an instant leg up at tracks he’s already great at.

The 31-year-old won at both Las Vegas and Martinsville last year, two of the three semi-final round races, so getting him to make the Championship 4 at plus odds is good value. Considering Lason also won and got third at championship-hosting track Phoenix last season, 6-1 to win it all at ESPN BET feels nice when he’s closer to 5-1 everywhere else. With the variance of the championship race, we’ll go heavier on him making it there than winning it.

Bets:

Ross Chastain | No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Championship odds of 20-1 for a driver who won two races a season ago and ultimately finished ninth feel like a bargain. Ross Chastain also won the championship race last year (just the race, not the championship itself) and finished second at Phoenix the year before when competing for a title.

Chastain’s four wins in the Next Gen era (tied for the eighth-most in that span) have come at every track type: road course, superspeedway, intermediate and short. This feat and his ninth combined total speed ranking over the past three years prove he’s one of the sport’s all-around best.

“The Melon Man” now has the momentum of winning last year’s finale, plus inking the coveted Busch Light sponsorship. Finishing well in most base metrics a year ago, like laps led (fifth) and T5s (tied for fifth), makes him feel like a safe bet to make the playoffs. If he gets hot, you could be looking at a very live 20-1 championship ticket down the stretch.

Bet: Championship Winner (20-1 via FanDuel Sportsbook) .7u

Erik Jones | No. 42 Legacy Motorsports Toyota

Do I think Erik Jones has a realistic shot at winning the 2024 Cup Series Championship? Not a chance in hell.

However, this feels like a great spot to catch a misprice and cash out later at a profit if “That Jones Boy” sneaks into the playoffs. Jones is as low as 80-1 at some books but is 120-1 at FanDuel. That’s below Cup Series rookie Josh Berry (60-1) and the same price as John Hunter Nemechek and Noah Gragson, who are both returning to the series after previous poor rookie performances. Jones is a three-time Cup Series winner who has been to the playoffs twice before in his seven full-time seasons.

The No. 43 car finished with seven T10s a season ago and was a threat to win several times late in the year. Now that Legacy Motorsports has switched manufacturers to Toyota and climbed the ladder, nothing is stopping Jones from pulling off a win, particularly at tracks he’s done it at before, like Daytona or Darlington. If that happens prior to the playoffs, you’ll be able to cash out with money earned.

Bets: Championship Winner (120-1 via FanDuel Sportsbook) .5u

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday:

Seth Woolcock is a featured writer and editor at BettingPros. For more sports betting and fantasy sports analysis from Seth, check out In-Between Media and follow him @Between_SethFF.

Try Premium for FREE in our mobile app

BettingPros App