Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship Futures

With the Daytona 500 right around the bend, oddsmakers have updated the futures odds for the new NASCAR season. If you’re out of the left-turn loop, the name of this article may look a little goofy to you as NASCAR has changed sponsorship and consequently renamed the Sprint Cup Series to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship Series. That may be a mouthful to say but with the engines revving up, there’s a fistful of cash to be won.

The last ever winner of the Cup Series, under its old name, is defending champ Jimmie Johnson. This 41-year-old Chevy driver is being offered as the second favorite to win the cup again this year and has +700 odds at Bovada. Johnson is now a seven-time winner of the award so it’s no surprise to see him near the top of the list once again.

Right ahead of Johnson we have 2014 winner Kevin Harvick in the pole position at +650. Harvick is now 42 years of age and will want to make hay while the sun is still shining. He’ll look to get his season started in the right direction at Daytona, a place he won back in 2010 and 2007.

Rounding out the top 10 we have Joey Logano (+850), Kyle Busch (+850), Martin Treux, Jr. (+850), Brad Keselowski (+1100), Chase Elliott (+1200), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (+1300) – yes, that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – Denny Hamlin (+1300) and Matt Kenseth (+1300).

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is now 42 years old and is coming off a season in which he missed the final 18 races due to a concussion. Jr. has won the cup series just once in his career – in his first season as a full-time driver – and hasn’t finished higher than fifth since 2003. With four career wins at Daytona and six at Talladega, Junior is known as a big-race driver. If he wins the first race on this year’s circuit, his price will go way up so if you want to take a flyer on the Chevy driver, you should do it now.

Here’s the full list of odds heading into the first race of the year: