The NASCAR playoffs are almost upon us. The first of ten postseason races is on September 4. A race will go down until a champion is decided on November 6. Ahead of the playoffs, we’re offering our own betting predictions on which driver could win the 2022 Cup Series. Read on for expert advice on it!
The playoff field isn’t completely set (more on that soon), however, 2022 Cup Series betting odds have been released at the very top online sportsbooks. Here’s a look at the drivers most favored to win at the moment:
| Driver |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Elliott | +275 | +275 |
| Ross Chastain | +800 | +800 |
| Kyle Larson | +800 | +800 |
| Denny Hamlin | +800 | +800 |
| Kyle Busch | +900 | +900 |
| Kevin Harvick | +1200 | +1200 |
| William Byron | +1500 | +1500 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1500 | +1500 |
2022 NASCAR Playoff Preview
We’re 24 races into the NASCAR regular season with only two remaining before the playoffs get underway. The brand-new NextGen has provided a wild season so far with 15 different race winners — all of whom get automatic spots into the 16-driver playoff. While one spot still remains up for grabs, we have enough information to preview the 2022 NASCAR playoffs.
No driver has dominated the field more than Elliott, hence why he’s the overwhelming betting favorite. His four wins and nine top-5s have keyed him to 882 points in the Cup Series standings — that’s a 116 points more than the next-best driver Ryan Blaney. Speaking of which, if Blaney fails to win one of the next two races, he could possibly be out of the title picture since he remains winless (fourth-place Martin Truex Jr. is in the same spot).
Elliott and the rest of the playoff field will have their Series point totals reset to 2,000. But each regular-season win does add five points to the 2,000 sum. Elliott’s likely regular season title earns him another extra 15 points, which means he’ll likely begin the postseason with a whopping 2,035 points — a huge cushion which once again explains his favorable betting odds.
Just like the regular season, NASCAR’s postseason puts a huge premium on outright wins. If a driver wins an event, they’ll automatically advance to the following stage of playoffs. In the finale, the highest-finishing driver wins the whole Cup Series — no matter how much Cup Series points they do or don’t have.
The postseason is broken into four stages — Round of 16, Round of 12, Round of 8, and Championship 4. The first three rounds consist of three races a piece. At the conclusion of each stage, the bottom-four drivers in the standings are eliminated from title contention. And as mentioned, the final stage is a winner-take-all scenario.
Two Best Picks To Win 2022 NASCAR Cup Series
You saw the headline above, and yes, we’re making two different Cup Series champion picks. We mean, you kind of have to when the final race is a free-for-all with the best finisher winning it all. With that said, these two drivers are atop our to-bet list:
Chase Elliott
There’s just no way anyone can see how Elliott is performing up to this point and not be convinced he’s championship material for the second time in three years (he won the 2020 Cup Series already). Amazingly, the driver has finished top-2 in five of the previous eight races he’s competed in. That stat is a sign that Elliott is trending up — not down.
Moreover, Elliot’s four wins prove he has a “killer instinct” which is needed to win the whole playoffs. Finishing close doesn’t hack it here.
Kyle Larson
We’re picking Elliott’s HMS teammate as our second bet. Admittedly, Larson has taken a step back from his 2021 Cup-winning season. Yet, he’s still third overall in the standings (mainly thanks to nine top-5s). But we can’t help remember how dominating Larson was in the 2021 postseason — winning five of eight races. Yes, the car is different this time but Larson’s clutch ability can’t be overlooked. He’s a perfect compliment bet here.
How To Watch 2022 NASCAR Playoffs
The 2022 NASCAR playoffs are loaded with betting opportunities — and not just the futures we covered above. Of course, you can throw money on individual and if so, you’ll want to watch the 2022 NASCAR playoffs closely. Your best bet (pun intended) for watching is USA Network and NBC.
USA will air the first playoff races live, while NBC takes the last six — including the championship finale. To make viewing easier on you, we’ve included the full NASCAR playoff schedule underneath, along with TV start times.
- September 4 — Darlington at 6 pm EST
- September 11 — Kansas Speedway at 3 pm EST
- September 17 — Bristol at 7:30 pm EST
- September 25 — Texas Motor Speedway at 3:30 pm EST
- October 2 — talla at 2 pm EST
- October 9 — Charlotte at 2 pm EST
- October 16 — Las Vegas at 2:30 pm EST
- October 23 — Miami-Honestead at 2:30 pm EST
- October 30 — Martinsville at 2 pm EST
- November 6 — Phoenix at 3 pm EST
How To Bet On 2022 NASCAR Playoffs?
The best bookmakers to bet on the 2022 NASCAR Playoffs are listed in the below table. What qualifies these bookmakers as the best? Welp, for one, they’ll have any and every NASCAR line you can think of from now until the very end.
But two, these same bookies also offer killer sign-up bonuses worth hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play. Just deposit money into the sportsbook and the money is yours! This bonus money can then bet spent on playoff bets as you wish. Take a look at the underneath table to get an idea of the bonus riches that await you from site to site.
