Cook Out Southern 500 Betting Preview
01 September 2023
Chris Buescher continued his late charge to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, winning at Daytona in overtime, marking his third race win and fourth top-ten finish in the last five races. Teammate Brad Keselowski made it an RFK Racing top-two at Daytona, with Aric Almirola, Chase Elliott (283.104), and Joey Logano completing the top five.
At the end of the night in Florida, the field of 16 was solidified, with 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace claiming the final spot, meaning Elliott couldn’t overcome an early season injury and find his way into the playoffs.
The Cup Series playoffs begin with two drivers tied atop the standings with 2036 points and an 11-point gap to third place. The Dunkel Index has your pick to win NASCAR’s Fall stop at Darlington and the opening round of the Cup Series playoffs.
Joe Gibbs Racing Dual Threat To Win
Denny Hamlin (281.872) has won the Fall race at Darlington three times (2010, 2017, 2021) and has five top-ten finishes in the last seven races. More importantly, the four most recent top-ten finishes were in the top three.
Hamlin finished 26th at Daytona and 12th at the Spring Cup Series stop at Darlington but has two race wins, nine top-five, and 12 top-ten finishes this season.
Teammate and one of the co-top seeds in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Martin Truex Jr. (276.020), won at Darlington in the Fall of 2016, giving Joe Gibbs Racing a dual threat to win most weekends.
However, like Hamlin, Truex Jr.’s Daytona result wasn’t optimal, finishing 26th, but winning a stage and taking a valuable playoff point with it. Truex Jr. has three race wins and 15 top-ten finishes in 2023 and should always receive considerable thought as your pick to win.
A Repeat Hendrick Motorsports 1-2 Performance?
While it’s co-top seed William Byron’s (277.645) impressive season - featuring five race wins and 11 top-ten finishes - that should stand out, it's Kyle Larson (275.903) who will receive the majority of the focus at Darlington this weekend.
Larson is returning to the Xfinity Series to run on Saturday, having won the Xfinity Series’ Spring stop at Darlington in 2023, following that with a second-place finish in the Cup Series race the next day. Recent success at Darlington has Larson among the favorites to win round one of the NASCAR playoffs.
However, Byron’s chances at Darlington shouldn’t be discounted: among his five race wins and 13 top-five finishes, Byron won the Spring race at Darlington this season.
Previous Winners Returning to Victory Lane?
Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (278.704) won at Darlington back in 2008 and finally ended a three-race streak outside the top ten at Daytona. Busch has three race wins and 14 top-ten finishes in 2023, including finishing seventh in the Spring race at Darlington.
Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones (285.129) is 28th in the Cup Series Drivers’ standings, with five top-ten finishes in 2023. While we’ve never featured Jones in one of our NASCAR betting previews, Jones is the most recent winner in the Fall at Darlington - his second win in four years at this race (2019, 2022), making him among the long shots with a real chance to win this weekend.
The Dunkel Index’s Pick to Win the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500
The Dunkel Index is taking Kyle Larson to win round one of the NASCAR playoffs by taking the checkered flag at the Cook Out Southern 500.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
