Martin Truex Jr., who won the NASCAR race today in the Joe Gibbs Racing number 19 ride, might be among the new Cup Series favorites after his 2023 Clash at the Coliseum victory. Truex Jr., listed at +1200 to win the Cup Series Championship, finished ahead of four Chevrolet drivers, including Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, at the event where Joey Logano won and started his 2022 Cup Series winning campaign.
Could Truex build on this success and follow Logano’s Championship path from last season?
With the regular season NASCAR schedule set to start in Daytona, we’ll review our top NASCAR 2023 drivers who have a chance to win the Cup Series Championship. We’ll also spotlight three drivers who might not win the Cup Series in the end but could have excellent seasons and provide options in NASCAR odds as the season progresses.
Kyle Busch – #8 Richard Childress Racing-Chevrolet (+1400)
Among the biggest NASCAR news, this off-season was multiple-time Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch’s move from his long tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing to a new ride with Richard Childress Racing. It’s so far, so good for Busch in his new ride, finishing third at the Clash.
Busch is not at the very front of the NASCAR odds to win the Cup Series in 2023. Still, with a new ride and a successful debut during the Clash at the Coliseum, Busch has the potential to be among the leaders as the season progresses and will always likely be among the top NASCAR 2023 drivers for fans and sports bettors alike.
Kyle Larson – #5 Hendrick Motorsports-Chevrolet (+600)
Larson is the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and is one of two drivers expected by oddsmakers to be near the top of the NASCAR standings this season.
As a preseason favorite, Larson will like to replicate last season’s early success by taking the pole position for the 2022 Daytona 500 but will want to avoid late race incidents that left him finishing 32nd at Daytona.
Larson started his season finishing fifth in the Clash, but the third Hendrick Motorsports ride in the top five. Nonetheless, Larson remains one of the top NASCAR 2023 drivers to wager on each week and potentially be in the mix for the Regular Season and Cup Series Champion.
Chase Elliot – #9 Hendrick Motorsports-Chevrolet (+600)
Don’t let Chase Elliot’s 21st-place finish in the clash dampen your hopes or betting interest in Elliot: he remains atop the NASCAR odds to win the Cup Series in 2023, driving for the highly-competitive Hendrick Motorsports team.
Elliot is the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and the 2022 NASCAR Regular Season Champion and will be among the top NASCAR 2023 drivers every weekend and will be among the challengers to win the overall Cup Series Championship in 2023.
Denny Hamlin – #11 Joe Gibbs Racing-Toyota (+800)
Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs teammate Turex Jr. are the two Toyota drivers we see having a chance to emerge as the top NASCAR 2023 drivers.
While Turex Jr. is the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Hamlin hasn’t captured a NASCAR Cup Series Championship, finishing fifth in 2022, but is a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 and won the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte last season.
With Hamlin and Turex Jr. nearing the end of their racing careers, time is ticking on both drivers to capture the NASCAR Cup Series Championship against a Chevrolet-dominated field. Fortunately for Hamlin, we know he’s likely to be in the mix for the Cup Series Championship, as he has made the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs every year he has been in the series, a fifteen-year streak.
Joey Logano – #22 – Team Penske-Ford (+1000)/ Ryan Blaney – #12 – Team Penske-Ford (+1000)
Joey Logano is the reigning, defending two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, with his last win coming at the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race in Phoenix. Logano has 31 wins and 255 top-ten finishes in his career, should be among the top NASCAR 2023 drivers and will be near the Top of betting odds every weekend for seasons to come.
Ryan Blaney is listed at the same odds to win the Cup Series Championship as his two-time series-winning teammate Joey Logano. Blaney’s last Cup Series race win was the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, while Blaney won the 2022 NASCAR All-Star Race winner.
Blaney got turned around during the Chaotic Clash falling to seventeenth, finishing just behind Logano, who finished 16th. However, don’t let the front runners from Team Penske’s low-finishing at the Clash affect your belief in a driver from Team Penske to emerge as the top NASCAR 2023 drivers, enter the playoffs, and challenge for the Cup Series Championship.
Ross Chastain – #1 – Trackhouse-Chevrolet (+1200)
Ross Chastain might be most famous for channeling his youth and wall-riding his way past the competition and into the final four last season as if NASCAR was no more than a Nintendo Gamecube videogame playing out in real life.
While the wall-ride overtake has been banned, Chastain finished second in the 2022 Cup Series Championship, winning the 2022 Texas Grand Prix and the 2022 GEICO 500 at Talladega, showing his race-winning versatility on two radically different race tracks.
When the NASCAR standings are set, and the playoffs begin, you can expect Chastain to be among the top NASCAR 2023 drivers and in the playoff mix again.
Ryan Preece – 41 – Stewart-Haas Racing-Ford (+5000)
While we don’t think these final three drivers will payout at these Cup Series NASCAR odds, both drivers have the potential to provide the betting public with interesting options throughout the season.
Ryan Preece has been promoted from the Stewart-Haas reserve driver role and NASCAR Truck Series competitor to a full-time ride in the number 41 ride. Preece has previous Cup Series experience and finished an impressive seventh in the Clash at the Coliseum.
While Preece might not be among the very top NASCAR 2023 drivers, he might provide plenty of betting options for people looking for deeper NASCAR bets to make as the season progresses.
The Rookies: Ty Gibbs – #54 – Joe Gibbs Racing-Toyota (+8000)/ Noah Gragson – #42 – Legacy Motor Club-Chevrolet (+10000)
Ty Gibbs won the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Cup Series Championship, barely beating Noah Gragson to win the Series Championship. Both had good showings in their first preseason Cup Series action, with Gragson finishing 14th at the Clash, while Gibbs made it to the Clash itself but only finished 26th.
Both Gragson and Gibbs are rookies heading into the NASCAR season and won’t be among the top NASCAR 2023 drivers at the end of the season, but will poove they belong in the Cup Series for the foreseeable future while providing bettors an interesting option when making NASCAR picks.
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