And then there were four. A NASCAR season that began in February comes down to one final race — whoever finishes the highest takes the Cup Series title. Are you ready? We sure are, and we have money on the line. Keep on reading to see which driver we’re betting takes the NASCAR championship!
- What: 2023 NASCAR Championship 4
- When: Sunday, November 5
- Where: Phoenix International Raceway in Arizona
Who’s Competing At The NASCAR Championship 4?
Per usual, Phoenix gets the final winner-take-all race. There will be a bunch of cars in the racing field, but all eyes will be on the four competitors left in NASCAR championship contention. The best betting sites for sports have released odds for each to win the title, and they are as follows:
| Driver |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +150 | +150 | +150 |
| William Byron | +250 | +250 | +250 |
| Ryan Blaney | +250 | +250 | +250 |
| Christopher Bell | +300 | +300 | +300 |
Let’s quickly break down each of the four drivers remaining — how they’re trending, how they’ve fared in Phoenix before, what could hold them back, and more.
Kyle Larson
You saw the odds, Larson is the betting favorite to take the NASCAR championship. The big thing Larson has going for him over the others is big-race experience— he’s the only one left who’s won a Cup Series title before, getting first in the 2021 championship race. Earlier this season, Larson also placed fourth at this track in the spring race. Only Byron has more 2023 wins than Larson’s four too so he’s been a gamer all season long on the track.
The risk with betting on Larson, however, is has a tendency to knock himself out before he can even win. Get this, on six different occasions in 2023 when Larson was leading the field (or near the lead), he wrecked. Sure, some of that is bad luck, but self-sabotage seems to be always lurking with Larson.
William Byron
We said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Byron was a winner all of 2023. His six wins during the season led the entire circuit and that doesn’t just happen. But here’s the best part: one of those six wins came at Phoenix. There is no arguing Byron has been the best all-around driver this entire season.
However, it’s a little ironic that Byron doesn’t have a whole lot of momentum right now. He qualified into this championship spot off points, not winning a Round of 8 race like the other three. At this past weekend’s event in Martinsville, he finished all the way down in 13th. That’s not the type of performance you want going into your first-ever Championship 4, which is the case for Byron.
Ryan Blaney
Blaney is also debuting in the Championship for the first time. He’s the exact opposite of Byron in terms of momentum, however. That’s because Blaney has caught fire the last month of racing. Over the last five races, Blaney has racked up two wins and a second-place finish. Blaney is red-hot, plain and simple.
The knock on Blaney, and this has marked his whole career, is he’s not exactly a clutch performer. Before this season, he had never finished higher than seventh in the Cup Series. Most of his career has been defined by good, but not great results.
Christopher Bell
This is the second consecutive season that Bell finds himself alive in this stage. In 2022, Bell got third in the Championship 4. So he has experience and also recent success given that he won Homestead a week ago.
But here’s why we’re wary on Bell in Phoenix: this track has never been his strong suit. Ever. Flat short tracks, in general, is not where Bell shines, and that’s evident by recent showings at this circuit. His overall standing in the last three appearances in Phoenix are 6th, 10th, and 26th.
Best Bet To Win 2023 NASCAR Cup Series
All right, it’s time to lay down a bet on the NASCAR Cup Series winner. You can only pick one because the odds are too close. “Double dipping” would just cannibalize any potential winnings.
If you can only pick one driver to win in Phoenix then let it be Blaney. Look, we’re 100 percent believers in “getting hot at the right time.” We’ve seen it too many times in too many sports. Blaney is the personification of that right now in NASCAR.
We have a sneaking suspicion Phoenix is the race where Blaney “gets the money off his back” per se. The mistakes that have marred his postseason runs before will be a thing of the past because the Blaney of today is a changed driver. Bank on him to come up clutch here!
How To Bet On NASCAR Championship 4?
This is your last chance at betting on NASCAR for four months. Are you really going to miss out? Especially after we’ve given you some money advice? We sure hope not~
To place your wagers, hit one of the bookmakers below. The sites listed are highly rated in our latest sportsbook reviews. These sales sites are also offering lucrative sportsbook bonuses to first-time players. The bonuses could easily fund your Championship 4 bets too. See the table underneath for full details on what we’re talking about.
