This season’s 10-race playoff in NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup Series run to the 2018 racing title gets underway this Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The green flag for this year’s South Point 400 is set to wave at 3 p.m. (ET) with NBC Sports Network carrying the race nationally.
The Cup Series regular season ended last Monday in Indianapolis with Brad Keselowski making back-to-back trips to Victory Lane after winning at Darlington two weeks ago. Erik Jones edged out Denny Hamlin for second place in that race. Joey Logano was my top-valued pick to win at +1600 odds, but he faded to 13th in the final running order.
The following is a look at a trio of the top favorites to win Sunday’s race at Las Vegas along with my top-valued pick to win at longer odds as provided by 5Dimes Sportsbook
South Point 400 Favorites
Kevin Harvick +270
Despite winning a Cup Series-high seven races in the regular season, advancing through the playoff rounds is all about winning races this time of the year. Harvick comes into Las Vegas tied for first in the updated standings with 2050 points to open with a slight edge against the rest of the 16-driver field. However, a poor performance out of the gate this Sunday would put the No. 4 Ford in an early hole for this title run. Fortunately for Harvick, he has had some recent success at this track including a victory in the first race at this venue early in the season.
Kyle Busch +270
Busch is in the same boat as Harvick coming into this 10-race run. As much as the No. 18 Toyota has dominated the track through the first 26 point-race events with six victories and 11 additional finishes inside the top 5, it all comes down to racing your best from here on in. He placed eighth last Monday at Indy on the heels of a seventh-place finish at Darlington. This followed a string of Top 5 runs in five of his previous six races including a victory at Pocono. Busch was second to Harvick at Las Vegas in race No. 3 this year, but his average finishing position at his hometown track is just 13.3.
Martin Truex Jr. +475
The defending 2017 Cup Series Champ lit up last season’s playoff with four victories in the 10 races. He comes into this race with four checkered flags on the 2018 resume as part of the No. 78 Toyota’s 15 finishes inside the top five. This team will start the playoff in third place in the updated standings with 2035 total points, which is well within striking distance of Harvick and Busch. Truex was also right in the mix at Las Vegas in that first race this season with a fourth-place finish. He earned his first career victory at this track in a Cup Series event by winning here in 2017 when there was only one race a year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Get more details: South Point 400 Matchups
