The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will take a week off before making the trip to the Darlington Raceway for the Bojangles Southern 500 next Sunday. With just two races to go before the Chase begins, time is running out for the drivers currently on the outside of the playoff looking in. The big three of Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch have been absolutely dominate. Nobody will be surprised if one of those three goes on to win a championship this season. Here is a look at the NASCAR weekly top five power rankings.
1. Martin Truex Jr.
Last Week: 1
NASCAR Championship Odds: +450
Truex finally hit a wall when he placed 21st at Bristol last weekend. Truex had placed third or better in three straight races including a victory at Watkins Glen before the disappointing result. It was a rare poor outing for the overall point leader, who has registered 16 top-10 finishes in 24 starts this season. While consistency has been key, Truex has registered four wins this season to solidify his position as the sports betting favorite to win a championship. With just two weeks left before the Chase begins, it doesn’t look like anybody is going to be able to catch Truex at the top of the standings before the playoffs begin.
2. Kyle Larson
Last Week: 2
NASCAR Championship Odds: +550
Larson added another top-10 finish to his resume when he placed ninth at Bristol last week. However, he is now third in the standings after Busch motored past him with last week’s victory. Larson still has one more win and one more top-five finish than Busch this season but the gap between the two has been closed and now Busch has five more points than him in the standings. After an outstanding start, it’s clear that Larson’s pace has slowed a little over the past couple of months. It will be very interesting to see if he can turn it on again and contend for an overall championship once the Chase begins next month.
3. Kyle Busch
Last Week: 3
NASCAR Championship Odds: +650
Busch led 156 of the 500 laps in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race last week to pick up the victory and gain 20 playoff points. After getting burned by bad luck early in the year, Busch has turned things around and slowly made his way to second in the standings. Busch has won two of his last four races overall with four straight top-10 finishes dating back to his win at Pocono at the end of August. After an extra week to prepare for the Bojangles Southern 500, there is no doubt that Busch will be locked in for next week’s race at Darlington as he continues to chase Truex at the top of the standings.
4. Jimmie Johnson
Last Week: 4
NASCAR Championship Odds: +700
Johnson’s struggles continued last week when he placed 11th in the Bristol race. Johnson hasn’t registered a top-10 finish since July 16th and he hasn’t finished any higher than 10th in any race since he won at Dover at the beginning of June. Johnson does have three wins this season but with only seven top-10 finishes in total there is obvious reason for concern. It’s impossible to write off the driver of the No. 48 car just yet. However, Johnson needs to ramp up the urgency and prove he is ready to compete with the Chase right around the corner now.
5. Kevin Harvick
Last Week: +700
NASCAR Championship Odds: +750
Harvick returned to the top-10 with an eighth-place finish at Bristol last week. Now the Stewart-Haas Racing team gets an extra week of preparation before the Bojangles Southern 500. Harvick is just outside of the big three in the standings with a comfortable lead ahead of Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski for fourth place. The urgency is about to ramp up once again with the Chase now right around the corner. Harvick will get another opportunity to close the gap on the big three at Darlington.
Odds To Win The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Kevin Harvick +700
Jimmie Johnson +500
Kyle Busch +350
Joey Logano +3000
Martin Truex Jr +350
Brad Keselowski +800
Chase Elliott +1500
Matt Kenseth +1500
Dale Earnhardt Jr +20000
Denny Hamlin +1200
Daniel Suarez +12500
Clint Bowyer +4000
Kyle Larson +600
Erik Jones +5000
Kurt Busch +5000
Kasey Kahne +7500
Austin Dillon +10000
Ryan Blaney +4000
Ryan Newman +10000
Field +3000
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