Doug McSchooler/Associated Press
The NASCAR Cup Series postseason kicks off Sunday at one of the sport’s most historic race tracks, with the 16 drivers in the playoff field, as well as the other drivers on the circuit, heading to Darlington Raceway.
Kyle Larson captured the regular-season title to earn the top spot in the standings going into the playoffs. Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. are both 28 points behind the No. 5 car driver.
Larson, Blaney and Truex have the easiest paths to the next round, but that could change in an instant if someone deeper in the postseason standings wins a race.
Any driver in the playoff hunt can automatically move on to the 12-driver postseason round with a victory at Darlington or at one of the two other round-of-16 races that follow at Richmond and Bristol.
Southern 500 Information
Date: Sunday, September 5
Start Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app
Odds
Kyle Larson: +300 (bet $100 to win $300)
Martin Truex Jr.: +500
Kyle Busch: +600
Denny Hamlin: +700
Chase Elliott: +850
Kevin Harvick: +1000
William Byron: +1200
Joey Logano: +1500
Alex Bowman: +1800
Brad Keselowski: +1800
Ryan Blaney: +2000
Starting Lineup
Preview
Larson and Truex are the two favorites to win at Darlington for separate reasons.
The regular-season champion has been the most dominant driver on the Cup Series circuit in 2021, recording five wins and 14 top-five finishes. Truex, meanwhile, won the May race at Darlington. That was his second victory at the Track Too Tough To Tame.
Truex beat out Larson and Kyle Busch in the first Darlington race of the season. The No. 19 car led 248 of the 293 laps.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver needs to make up some ground from the start to catch up to Larson and Blaney. Truex starts on the outside of Row 5 in 10th place.
Larson begins the race in sixth place. He is one of three Hendrick Motorsports drivers starting on the first three rows.
Even though Blaney sits on the pole and won last time out at Daytona, he carries much steeper odds to win than Larson and Truex. Blaney owns a single top-10 finish at Darlington, but that did come in May, when he took eighth.
Blaney carries the best betting value based on his recent form. He has five top-five placings in the past six races and won in back-to-back weeks at Michigan and Daytona to close out the regular season. Blaney is +2000 to win, +650 to land in the top three, +330 to earn a top-five spot and -110 for a top-10 finish.
Kevin Harvick is the driver to watch outside of the top three in points. He has won two of the past four races at Darlington and is in need of a victory to rise out of the bottom four.
Harvick, Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick and Michael McDowell sit beneath the cut line going into Darlington. They are all within three points of Christopher Bell in 12th. A strong run from those drivers should make them feel more comfortable about their prospects of advancing to the next round.
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