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The final round of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season takes place this Sunday. The Cook Out Southern 500 is the last chance for any driver to confirm a playoff place. Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson lead the betting at +500. All three have already confirmed their playoff places. Can one of the trio win, or will we get another leftfield winner like last weekend to further muddy the waters? We take a look ahead to the race and give you our verdict in our latest NASCAR betting picks.
- What: Cook Out Southern 500
- Where: Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina
- When: Sunday, September 1st, 2024
- Time: 6 pm ET
- Laps: 367
- Distance: 501.32 Miles
The Cook Out Southern 500 is the final race before the playoffs.
As things stand, there are 13 drivers already qualified for the playoffs. They are Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Harrison Burton.
Harrison Burton is the surprise name on that list. He punched his playoff ticket with a shock win at the Coke Zero Sugar at Daytona last Saturday night.
Harrison Burton took a dramatic win in an overtime finish of the #NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. 🏁@woodbrothers21 X @HBurtonRacing
𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 ⬇️: https://t.co/rHHjst8KtE
— Racing America (@RacingAmerica) August 25, 2024
The drivers inside the playoff positions without a win this season are Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, and Chris Buescher. The drivers just outside of the top 16 who still stand a chance of getting in through points alone are Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain.
For everyone else, it’s win or bust at the Darlington Raceway on Sunday night.
NASCAR Cook Out Southern 500 Winner Betting
The ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’ hosts the Cook Out Southern 500.
The Darlington Raceway egg-shaped oval is one of the more unique on the NASCAR roster. Its configuration means that both ends of the oval are shaped differently, making it very tough for crews to set the car up perfectly to win at this venue.
As a result, the cream rises to the top, and we have a three-way tie in the betting to win the race.
Points table leader Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson are the +500 joint favorites to win the Cook Out Southern 500.
Also in the mix are Brad Keselowski and William Byron. Both are +850.
Of the five winless drivers all fighting it out for the final three playoff places, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs are the shortest in the betting, with both at +1000. Ross Chastain and Chris Buescher are +1200, with Bubba Wallace the outsider at +2200.
More Cook Out Southern 500 betting is on our NASCAR odds table. All our odds are from the best NASCAR betting sites. For more information about the Cup Series, check out our guide on how to bet on NASCAR.
| Driver |  |  |  |
| Tyler Reddick | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Denny Hamlin | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Kyle Larson | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Brad Keselowski | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| William Byron | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Ty Gibbs | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Christopher Bell | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Ross Chastain | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Chris Buescher | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Joey Logano | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Kyle Busch | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Chase Elliott | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Bubba Wallace | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Erik Jones | +3500 | +3500 | +3500 |
| Josh Berry | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Chase Briscoe | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
Betting to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series
After leading the points table for so long this season, Kyle Larson was sensationally replaced at the top of the table by Tyler Reddick after the No.45 Toyota driver won the FireKeepers Casino 400.
In the same race, Larson recorded a DNF, which saw him drop down to fourth place. Larson is now back up to second place after his 21st-place finish at Daytona, a race which also saw Reddick record a DNF.
Just 18 points separate Reddick (823), Larson (806), and Elliott (805), and with 15 bonus playoff points awarded to the points table topper after Darlington, the competition will be intense.
From a betting perspective, Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell are the joint favorites at +400 to win the Cup Series. Tyler Reddick and William Byron are +600, with Ryan Blaney at +800.
Also in the running is Chase Elliott at +1200, with Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. at +1600.
2024 Cook Out Southern 500 Winner Betting Picks and Predictions
Unlike last weekend’s open race at Daytona, this Sunday’s Darlington showdown looks more likely to be won by one of the main protagonists.
For our betting picks, we are starting with Ty Gibbs. The 21-year-old recorded a fifth-place finish at Daytona last weekend, following on from his third place in the FireKeepers the previous weekend.
Furthermore, Gibbs has recorded two top-10 finishes in four starts at Darlington. The youngster is +325 for a top-three finish and +165 for a top-five position. We are backing him to make the podium.
Ty Gibbs to finish in the top three is our first betting pick.
Next up, before last Saturday, there was no way in the world we would have selected Kyle Busch on his current form. But his second place at Daytona tells us he is hungry to extend his remarkable run of making the playoffs.
Yes, Kyle Busch has made the playoffs every year since 2012. He probably should be longer than +2000 to win at Darlington. But wouldn’t it be just like him to pull a rabbit out of the hat this weekend?
Our first race-winner betting pick is Kyle Busch.
Finally, how can we overlook Kyle Larson? The Hendrick No.5 driver has been the standout performer in NASCAR this season. He finished 21st last weekend, but he will be keen to get back to the top of the points table, and also take some much-needed good form into the playoffs.
Our final betting pick for the Cook Out Southern 500 is for Kyle Larson to win.
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