Kyle Larson walked into Darlington as the betting favorite, walked out having won the Cook Out Southern 500 – a race he’s dreamt of winning, and guaranteed himself a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series round of eight. Larson took the checkered flag ahead of Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, teammate William Byron, and Ross Chastain, who rounded out the top five.
As usual, Larson is among the betting favorites as the Cup Series returns to Kansas Speedway for the second time for the Hollywood Casino 400. Bangthebook focuses on the contenders likely to challenge for a top-five finish while finding our pick to win round two of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Check out the full Hollywood Casino 400 odds over on Bookmaker
Will Hendrick Motorsports Go Two-for-Two in the Playoffs?
William Byron (+700) leads the Cup Series Championship standings, leading teammate Kyle Larson (+500) by one point heading into Kansas.
Byron scored his second top-five finish in the last three races at Darlington, giving him five wins and ten top-ten finishes this season. Byron has consistently been at the front at Kansas, having an average finishing position of 8.3, with six top-ten finishes in his last seven races and third being his best finishing position.
However, Kyle Larson’s recent record at Kansas is outstanding. Larson has one race win, three top-five, and four top-ten finishes in his last five races at Kansas, with an average finishing position of 6.4.
At the Spring race at Kansas, Larson finished second, while Byron finished third.
Larson’s win at Darlington was his third of the season, giving him 11 top-five finishes, and Hendrick Motorsports has two drivers who could win at Kansas to bring home the Cup Series Championship.
The Toyota’s Fighting the Hendrick’s Duo
23XI Racing
Tyler Reddick’s (+850) second-place finish at Darlington was his second top-five finish in the last four races, three of which were top-ten finishes. Reddick finished ninth at Kansas’ Spring Race, one of two top-ten finishes in the last seven races at the track.
Reddick might have the best chance to win the Cup Series Championship for 23XI Racing, but teammate Bubba Wallace (+1200) won the 2022 edition of this race and finished fourth at the Spring race. Wallace has a real chance to win back-to-back races at Kansas.
Joe Gibbs Racing
Denny Hamlin (+475) enters Kansas as the betting favorite, looking to sweep Kansas in 2023. While always competitive, Hamlin won the Spring race at Kansas and has two race wins and five top-five finishes in the last seven races at the track.
Martin Truex Jr. (+550) needs to channel his 2017 Fall win at Kansas and avoid falling further down the Championship standings by having two consecutive finishes outside the top ten. Truex finished eighth at the Spring Race and in the top ten in each of the last seven races at Kansas, scoring two top-five finishes and an average finishing position of 6.3.
Will Buescher or Logano Bring Ford Back to Victory Lane?
RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher (+1600) has back-to-back top-five finishes – giving him four top-five finishes in the last six races – and has been the best Ford driver recently. However, he’s struggled at Kansas, finishing 17th in the Spring and only having three top-ten finishes in 15 career races at Kansas Speedway.
2022 Cup Series Champion, Team Penske’s Joey Logano (+2200), has won the Fall race at Kansas three times and could use adding a fourth win if he intends on making it out of the round of 16. Logano has eight career top-five finishes in 28 races at Kansas Speedway, with an average finishing position of 14.6 in his last seven appearances.
BangtheBook’s NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 Pick
Bangthebook is taking William Byron to win the Hollywood Casino 400, giving Hendrick Motorsports two consecutive playoff wins.
