The start of another season of NASCAR’s Cup Series racing is right around the corner with Speed Week at Daytona in full gear. Martin Truex Jr. had a run for the ages to win last season’s racing title, but a number of other drivers have their sights set on a championship run in 2018.
2018 Futures Odds Picks for NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup
The Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s biggest event of the year in its Cup Series, but that is just the start to a 36-race run to the championship. All the top drivers racing at NASCAR’s highest level are gearing up for the new season of racing and NASCAR bettors are gearing up for another year of winning money on those races at TopBet online sportsbook.
Going Chalk with the Favorites
TopBet has put Kyle Busch at the top of its NASCAR futures list to win a second-career racing title in 2018 after finishing second in last year’s final point standings. It would be hard to bet against the No. 18 Toyota at +450 betting odds considering everything that Busch has already accomplished in his Cup Series racing career. He won his first racing title in 2015 and the following season he worked his way to third. With three ‘top three’ runs in the last three seasons, Busch offers quite a bit of value as one of my top two favorites.
The other favorite to win this year’s Cup Series title would be last season’s champion Martin Truex Jr. at +475 betting odds. He has been racing in this series full-time for the past 12 seasons, but the 2017 campaign was one for the ages. The No. 78 Toyota posted eight victories in a Cup Series point race, including four in the 10-race playoff to the title. The closest driver was Kyle Busch with five checkered flags. Given just how high this racing team did raise the bar in 2017 after several seasons of racing in the wings might be a concern, but I believe that Truex is destined for continued success in 2018.
Finding the Value in the Contenders
There is a mix of veteran drivers and young guns in the contender category, so I am going with one of each as my top-valued plays.
Starting with my young-gun pick, I am going with Chase Elliott at +650 betting odds. That lofty number alone says quite a bit about a driver that is still looking for his first trip to Victory Lane in a Cup Series point race after racing at this level full time for the past two seasons. He has come close on numerous occasions behind the wheel of Jeff Gordon’s old No. 24 Chevrolet with 10 runs inside the top five in 2016 followed by 12 more last season. Elliott comes from good racing stock and I believe he is poised to have a breakout season in 2018.
The top value on the entire list is Jimmie Johnson at +900 betting odds. This guy is NASCAR racing behind the wheel of the famed No. 48 Chevrolet with seven Cup Series racing titles on his resume. The first six were won on NASCAR’s old rules that did not include elimination rounds in the 10-race playoff, but Johnson adjusted in 2016 to add the seventh title to the list. Last season was forgettable by his high standards with three victories and a disappointing 10-place finish in the standings, but Johnson remains a driver that you do not bet against.
Taking a Flyer on a Longshot
If you are looking for a driver at longer odds in this season’s title race, my top play would be Ryan Blaney at +2500. He is another one of NASCAR’s up and coming drivers and he turned some heads last season on his way to a ninth-place finish in the final point standings in just his second full-time season in the Cup Series. The No. 21 Ford won at Pocono in the summer as part of 14 runs inside the top 10 and four in the top five. Quite a bit would have to go right to cash in on this bet, but the value is still there.
Odds To Win The Monster Energy Nascar Cup 2018 Championship
- Kyle Busch +400
- Martin Truex Fr. +600
- Kevin Harvick +600
- Kyle Larson +600
- Joey Logano +900
- Chase Elliott +900
- Brad Keselowski +1000
- Jimmie Johnson +1200
- Denny Hamlin +1200
- Erik Jones +2000
- Ryan Blaney +2500
- William Byron +3300
- Clint Bowyer +4000