RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – SEPTEMBER 21: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, crosses the finish line to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway on September 21, 2019, in Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
After a fast start to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff stretch, race teams were looking forward to Richmond Raceway as a race to bounce back into contention and further advance themselves in the point standings. Martin Truex Jr, with Joe Gibbs Racing, has the clear advantage in the early goings after securing the first win of the playoffs at Las Vegas. This automatically advances him into the next round and allows him the chance to earn extra points toward the championship title.
LAS VEGAS, NV – SEPTEMBER 12: Brad Keselowski (2) Team Penske Ford Mustang does a burnout during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 Burnout event on September 12, 2019, on Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Defending Las Vegas race winner Brad Keselowski is among those expecting the intensity to increase this weekend with the Playoff opener. A three-time winner at Vegas, Keselowski is a favorite this weekend and conceded that he’s fully prepared to do whatever is necessary to earn one of the coveted winner’s trophies en route to the Homestead-Miami Speedway Championship finale.
With seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson not a part of this season’s Playoff picture, there is a good chance that NASCAR could crown its first multi-time champion since Johnson earned his seventh title in 2016. He is the only active driver with more than one championship.
LAS VEGAS, NV – SEPTEMBER 12: A general view of the start/finish line of Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the upcoming South Point 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Playoff race on September 12, 2019, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Sportsbooks in Las Vegas have decided one of the city’s native – Kyle Busch – is the odds on favorite to win both this weekend’s South Point 400 as well as the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup championship.
Busch, the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, is the regular-season champ and a four-race winner in 2019. The casino’s sportsbook puts him as a 9-2 favorite to win Sunday’s Playoff opener and a 7-2 favorite to win the Cup championship. Defending race winner Brad Keselowski has the next most favorable odds to win again at Vegas.
Reigning series champion, Team Penske’s Joey Logano has the second-best odds 5-1 to repeat as champion, followed by Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr.
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 02: Erik Jones, driver of the #20 Sport Clips Throwback Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 02, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway is one of the most anticipated weekends on the NASCAR schedule for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Many drivers pay tribute to legends of the past with paint schemes that put a feeling of nostalgia in race fans. It is also one of the toughest races of the year. Five hundred miles on an old, abrasive surface give many drivers problems throughout the course of the race.
