Then there were 16! NASCAR’s Cup Series Playoffs are set, and just 16 drivers have a shot at being crowned the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. 14 different winners from the regular season made the field, while two drivers, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman, got in on points. Let’s take a look at the championship odds, playoff predictions, and best bets for the NASCAR Playoffs.
Those 16 drivers will compete over the next 9 races for the opportunity to make the “Championship 4” in Phoenix. After each set of three races, the lowest four drivers left will be eliminated, and everyone else’s playoff points will reset to their earned total throughout the season. A win in any round locks you into the next round, no matter your points position.
The first round consists of Darlington, World Wide Technology Raceway, and Bristol. The Round of 12 visits New Hampshire, Kansas Speedway, and The Roval. The Round of 8 is Las Vegas, Talladega, and Martinsville. The championship race this year will once again be in Phoenix before it moves back to Homestead in 2026. The books are offering odds to win the championship, and some are offering odds to make the Championship 4. We’ll take a look at every driver’s odds to win it all. Then I’ll share my best bets for both the championship and to make the Championship 4.
On the other side of this gauntlet lies the ultimate prize.
The #NASCARPlayoffs start now! pic.twitter.com/nKZPYaxVhW
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 24, 2025
Odds to Win the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Denny Hamlin +400
Kyle Larson +420
Ryan Blaney +470
Christopher Bell +500
William Byron +700
Chase Elliott +1000
Joey Logano +2000
Chase Briscoe +2000
Tyler Reddick +2000
Ross Chastain +30000
Bubba Wallace +4000
Alex Bowman +5000
Austin Cindric +6000
Shane Van Gisbergen +8000
Austin Dillon +10000
Josh Berry +10000
NASCAR Playoff Predictions, Championship Odds, and Best Bets
Chase Briscoe to Make The Championship 4 (+325)
This is my favorite futures bet on the board right now. Chase Briscoe has been a cash cow for us as of late. He enters the playoffs with four top-five finishes in the last seven races. He’s one of the hottest drivers in the series, and we’re getting him at a great price. The playoffs set up well for him in each round to keep advancing. He won last year at Darlington. WWT and Bristol should be good races, New Hampshire and Kansas set up nicely, as does the Roval. Las Vegas and Martinsville in the Round of 8 should be strong races for him to get to Phoenix. One of the drivers with the best form, and on one of the best teams, is the perfect combo.
William Byron to Make the Championship 4 (+115)
Byron is the first of the “favorites” with a bettable Championship 4 number. He’s another driver you’re getting a great deal on. Byron just wrapped up the regular season championship and heads into the playoffs tied with Kyle Larson as the leaders after the reset. Byron has made back-to-back Championship 4 appearances the last two seasons. Like Briscoe, he enters the playoffs with things pointed in the right direction. All of the playoff races line up nicely for Byron, who’s made it there the last two seasons in a row. Plus money for the regular season champion, let’s bet on him to get back for a third year.
Bring him the crown.@WilliamByron is the 2025 Regular Season Champion! pic.twitter.com/T7TAQoNR0r
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 17, 2025
Christopher Bell NASCAR Cup Series Champion (+500)
Bell is -160 to make it to the title race, and if he can make it there, I’d love to have a 5/1 ticket on him. He kicked down the doors of the 2025 season, winning three races in a row, all in the first four weeks of the season. Things got a little quiet over the summer as the team underwent some spotter changes. They stumbled coming into the playoffs, which I don’t love for betting a favorite. However, the playoff races line up perfectly for this team as well. Bell comes into the playoffs well above the cut line, and with New Hampshire in the first round, it’s the perfect track to turn things around and get headed in the right direction.
REPOST TO CONGRATULATE CHRISTOPHER BELL ON HIS WIN AT PHOENIX RACEWAY! pic.twitter.com/LoPydaNJqI
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 10, 2024
Bell is one of, if not the best, short flat track driver in the series. If he can get to Phoenix, he’ll be a race favorite. Bell also has some unfinished business. Last year he made the Championship 4 only to have it taken away by NASCAR after they deemed he violated the “Hail Melon” rule at Martinsville. It would have been the third straight Championship 4 appearance by the driver of the #20 Toyota. The tear before, Bell blew a brake rotor early in the race and never had the opportunity to race for a championship.
Chase Briscoe NASCAR Cup Series Champion (+2000)
For all the reasons mentioned above for Briscoe getting to the championship race, I like him to win it all. Briscoe struggled to kick off the season, but once he and this team got to know each other. It’s been lights out. He’s consistently one of the best cars each week, no matter the track. Like his teammate Christopher Bell, Briscoe is great on the short flat tracks. His first career win came at Phoenix when he was racing for the much lesser Stewart-Haas Racing team. If Briscoe can keep this hot streak up for nine more weeks and get to the championship race, having a 20/1 ticket in your pocket will have you feeling pretty excited.
FIRST WIN! RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE CHASE BRISCOE ON HIS NASCAR CUP SERIES VICTORY AT PHOENIX!
@ChaseBriscoe_14 | @StewartHaasRcng pic.twitter.com/R4ZnF2o7OL
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 13, 2022
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