NASCAR to Finalize “Championship 4” at Martinsville on Sunday

Article ByKyle Garlett

October 24, 2023

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, Arizona Gambling News, US Gambling News

When NASCAR’s Cup Series races for the Championship on November 5 at Phoenix Raceway, it will not have the brick-and-mortar Barstool Sportsbook that was planned for the space a year ago. That plan was scrapped earlier this year.

But if you do plan to be in Arizona for championship weekend, there are still plenty of good physical sportsbook options to choose from. Arizona also has several reliable online sportsbooks.

You might be in Phoenix for the race, but as of right now, we don’t know the entire makeup of the Championship 4 who will be there racing for the title. That will be decided this week at the Xfinity 500 in Martinsville – the last of the playoff elimination races.

It is the final chance for six drivers to get into the championship race, and the penultimate race for you to wager on NASCAR this season.

Already Qualified for Phoenix

There are two ways to qualify for the Championship 4 in Phoenix. Drivers need to win one of the playoff races, which automatically advances them to the final race, or they need to be the leader in points for spots that haven’t been claimed by race winners.

We have two drivers already in. Two weeks ago, Kyle Larson won in Las Vegas, advancing him to the finals. Last week at homestead, the winner was Christopher Bell, which gave him one of the four spots.

Among those two drivers, Larson is the favorite to win the Cup Series championship. BetUS.com has him at +150, while a bet on Bell is paying +300.

Next in Line to Qualify

Two spots are left, and in the standings, those two current positions belong to William Byron and Ryan Blaney. Byron is in the best position. If he can get 36 points in the race at Martinsville, no matter what happens with any other driver, he will qualify. And it’s worth noting that he has gotten at least 36 points in three of his last five starts at Martinsville.

Bovada.lv has Byron at +800 to win the race this weekend. That makes him the third betting favorite.

Blaney is also in a pretty good position. As long as one of the drivers behind in the standings doesn’t win the race outright, he just needs to protect his 10-point lead over fifth-place Tyler Reddick.

Blaney has picked up at least 42 points in seven of his last nine Martinsville starts, and if he can repeat those numbers of Sunday, only a win by one of the four drivers below him can keep him from qualifying. Blaney is paying +1000 to win this Sunday, and BetUS.com is currently paying +1000 on him winning the championship.

The Other Four Possible Qualifiers

Reddick is 10 points behind the cutoff line, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin are 17 points back, and Chris Buescher is 33 points behind the leaders.

The reality for Buescher is that he has to sell out for a win at Martinsville. Anything less and he will be eliminated. Xbet.ag has him as the longest shot in the field to win the championship at +7500. You can bet him to win this week at Martinsville at a number of different online sportsbooks that excel in NASCAR betting.

Hamlin and Truex aren’t quite in the same state of desperation as Buescher, but close. Although in the case of Hamlin, he is actually the betting favorite to win this week’s race at Martinsville. A bet on Hamlin to win pays +350 at Bovada.lv. Truex isn’t too far behind him, paying +900 with the fourth-shortest odds.