If you think of the entirety of the NASCAR season like a race, then you have to say that we are now heading into the final lap. There are just 4 races left on the season, the next 3 which will decide which 4 drivers head into the final week with a shot at becoming the champion. The first of those races goes on Sunday, with the Hollywood 400 taking place in Kansas. There really is now very little margin for error for the remaining 8 drivers, particularly those who are sitting outside the top 4 at the moment. Every point is huge, but who will be at their best this weekend in Kansas? Let’s take a look at the favorites to see if we can figure that out, along with their NASCAR odds.

NASCAR Cup Series: Hollywood Casino 400 Odds & Picks

Kevin Harvick (+400)

With 9 wins on the season, Harvick is more than deserving of his top spot, but can he maintain that lead all the way to the finish? The reality is that he probably doesn’t need to win over the next few weeks, but he probably does need some better runs that what we have seen from him in the past couple of weeks. Might we get to see him back at his best when racing in Kansas? It’s always tough to say, but he does have a history of winning at this track, taking the checkered flag there 3 times over the course of his career. He finished 4^th at Kansas earlier this season.

Denny Hamlin (+400)

Hamlin is the man most likely to run down Harvick at this stage of the season, as he is coming into this race having already won 7 times this year. After a big win at Talladega, Hamlin has a bit of a rough go of things last week, so he will certainly be looking to bounce back this week and try to finish ahead of Harvick, which is his top task every week at this late stage of the season. You certainly have to like his chances here, as he has taken the checkered flag in each of his last 3 runs at the Kansas track.

Chase Elliott (+500)

It’s fair to say that Elliott made the race for the championship that much more interesting after picking up his 3^rd win of the season last weekend, a victory that has him in the top 4. The big picture goal is to win it all, but eight now, it’s all about staying in the top 4 and making that last cut before the final race of the season. He finished 12^th at Kansas earlier this season, but we can perhaps count that as an aberration, as he was no worse than 4^th in the 3 races prior to that one. A very good bet.

Martin Truex Jr. (+550)

With Truex Jr. making the cut and sitting in 6^th, the goal for him is to pick up enough points over the next 3 races to crack into that top 4. He only has 1 win on the season, though, so he really does have to be considered a longshot at this point. In his last 7 races in Kansas, he has been in the top 10 6 times, which includes a pair of wins, although both of those came back in 2017. Definitely worth a look at this price.

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