It was only a matter of time before Kyle Busch finally broke through with his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the season. After capturing that elusive victory at Pocono last week, it will be very interesting to see If Busch can build on that win with a strong finish to the regular season. The order of our NASCAR top five power rankings didn’t change this week but the odds for the drivers listed from No. 2 through 5 did with Busch joining Kyle Larson and Jimmie Johnson as drivers now listed at +650 to take home a championship title this season. Here is a look at the NASCAR top five power rankings for this week according to the sports betting odds.
Of note, these power rankings are based on how the sports betting odds makers list the teams. In other words, this is how they rank the drivers in terms of the odds to win the championship.
1. Martin Truex Jr.
Last Week: 1
NASCAR Championship Odds: +400
Truex might not have added any playoff points at Pocono but his advantage over the field for top spot in the point standings increased once again with a third-place finish. Truex is now 85 points ahead of Larson for the top spot with only five races left before the Chase begins. If Truex finishes the regular season atop the standings he will start the playoffs with at least 44 extra points. No driver has been as consistently dominant this season so it makes sense that Truex remains the sports betting favorite to win it all in 2017.
2. Kyle Larson
Last Week: 2
NASCAR Championship Odds: +650
Larson was a point ahead of Truex in the standings four races ago. Now he is 85 points behind Truex. Larson hasn’t been terrible over that span including a pair of runner-up finishes. However, a 35-point penalty really hurt and Sunday’s disaster added to his problems. Larson still has five races to close the gap on the current point leader. He will need to compete with a sense of urgency over the next couple of weeks to close the gap before the Chase gets underway.
3. Jimmie Johnson
Last Week: 3
NASCAR Championship Odds: +650
It’s pretty incredible that a driver that ranks in the top-three in wins this season is currently outside of the top-10 in the point standings. Johnson has been extremely inconsistent and that will have to change if he is going to contend for another championship title. Johnson has been particular bad of late, including last week’s wreck at Pocono. He hasn’t exactly been dominant at Watkins Glen over the course of his career so it will be interesting to see if he can bounce back with a strong result this weekend.
4. Kyle Busch
Last Week: 4
NASCAR Championship Odds: +650
Busch finally captured that elusive win that everybody knew was overdue in the Overton’s 400 last week. It was an impressive victory with Busch pitting later than everyone else around him and then chasing them down over the final couple of laps when the race went green. Busch and his team have learned a number of lessons throughout a difficult season and it seems as though they are now better because of it. Busch has captured back-to-back wins in each of the last two seasons so it will be interesting to see if he can build on that trend with an opportunity to do so at Watkins Glen this weekend.
5. Kevin Harvick
Last Week: 5
NASCAR Championship Odds: +750
Harvick was disappointed after he was passed by Busch for the win late at Pocono last week. However, he admitted that Busch did what he needed to in order to pick up the victory and was gracious in settling for a runner-up result. Harvick is now within striking distance of second in the points standings with Larson just 12 points up on him heading in to the I Love New York 355 at The Glen this weekend. Harvick registered top-10 finishes in two of his last three starts at Watkins Glen including a third-place finish in 2015. It will be interesting to see if he can deliver another strong performance and continue to close the gap on Truex and Larson at the top of the standings.
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