The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup power rankings have held stead over the last few weeks. Now we’re heading into Dover – the third race of the playoffs – and now might be a good time for bettors to make their move. The futures still offer some value but Martin Truex Jr. continues to be the clear-cut favorite, as he has been all season long.
It looks like it’s between him and Kyle Busch – both drivers have won the first two races of the postseason – while the rest of the field is fighting to catch up. The Cup Series heads to Dover for the second time this season on Sunday, and there are just two races left before the field is set for the round of 12.
Here is the latest look at the power rankings with the drivers ranked as the odds makers have them according to the futures.
1. Martin Truex Jr.
Last Week: 1
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +175
Truex is on to the round of 12 after his win at Chicagoland, and he was strong again at New Hampshire, finishing fifth after leading 112 laps. He finished third at Dover in the spring, leading 102 laps after starting second on the grid. He is also the defending race-winner at this event, where he started second last fall and led 187 laps. Overall at Dover, he has made 23 starts with an average of 13.7, and he also has a win in the 2007 spring race. Truex is running like a favorite and he’ll be a problem for the rest of the postseason.
2. Kyle Busch
Last Week: 2
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +200
Busch punched his ticket to the round of 12 with his win at New Hampshire, where he led 187 laps from the pole. Busch has yet to win at Dover in 12 starts, but he has an average of 13.3. He won the pole here in the spring, but finished 16th. However, he did lead 102 laps and finished second to Truex in the last fall race.
3. Kyle Larson
Last Week: 3
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +350
Larson finished second last week at New Hampshire, and he returns to Dover in his fourth start with a 13.3 average in his first three. He also returns to a place he dominated in the spring as he finished second after leading 241 laps. Larson will be eager to get to the drop of the green flag on Sunday because he has to feel like he gave away the race here in the spring.
4. Kevin Harvick
Last Week: 4
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +550
Harvick didn’t fare well at New Hampshire as he finished 36th after getting tangled up with Kurt Busch, who is his teammate. He needs a good result at Dover, where he has 16 starts with an average finish of 15.2, and he finished ninth here in the spring. Harvick won this race in 2015, and he might need another one to make it to the round of 12.
5. Brad Keselowski
Last Week: 5
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +700
Keselowski came in fourth at New Hampshire last week, and he has a finishing average of 14.6 in seven Dover starts, including a win in the 2012 fall race. The spring race in 2017 at Dover wasn’t too nice to Keselowski as he was 38th at the end of the race, running just 66 laps. He’ll need much better than that on Sunday.
6. Denny Hamlin
Last Week: 6
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +1000
Hamlin could only muster a 12th-place finish at New Hampshire, a track where he is generally very good. Dover isn’t one of his best tracks as Hamlin has 11 starts there with an average finish of 18.3. However, he did manage a decent finish of eighth here in the spring, and he was ninth here last fall.
7. Jimmie Johnson
Last Week: 7
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +1200
Johnson finished 12th last week at New Hampshire, and if Johnson is going to spark his title defense and make a run at his eighth championship, it has to start here at Dover. He won here in the spring, even though he didn’t have the best car, and his 11 wins here is the record at Dover. Five of those wins came have come in the fall, and in 31 starts, he has a finishing average of 9.3. If it is going to happen for Johnson, it probably starts on Sunday.
8. Chase Elliott
Last Week: 8
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +2500
Elliott finished 11th at New Hampshire, and he returns to Dover, where he made his first start in the spring and finished a very respectable fifth after starting 16th. Elliott is very much a darkhorse to win the title and likely will be even to win this race, but regardless of what happens, his first full year in the Cup Series has been a resounding success and he could still make some noise yet.
9. Matt Kenseth
Last Week: 9
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +3300
Kenseth finished third at New Hampshire last week to remain in the hunt and even though he has never won at Dover, he has a finishing average of 13.8 in 19 starts. Kenseth finished 12th at Dover in the spring and has been running in the front of the pack for the last couple months outside of Michigan and Richmond, the latter of which involved an accident caused by an ambulance on pit road. However, if Kenseth wants to go far in the playoffs, he needs to turn these good runs into victories and that isn’t out of the question for a driver of Kenseth’s ability and experience.
10. Ryan Blaney
Last Week: 10
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Title Odds: +10000
Blaney finished ninth at New Hampshire, and like Elliott, he has been a success this season no matter what happens. He did finish eighth in his first start at Dover in the spring of 2016, but he finished 38th here last fall and then 32nd in the spring, so Dover isn’t really one of his best tracks. He could win, but he’ll be a longshot on Sunday. Still, making the playoffs in his second full Cup season is a great accomplishment and the future is bright for Blaney.
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