2019 Cup Preview: What are the odds? Part 2: The Non-Playoff Drivers


2019 sees not only Nascar, but all American sports entering a brave new world of legalized betting.  Expect to see a much-bigger focus from Nascar’s media partners on the gambling aspect of the sport, from traditional bets like race winners to stranger prop bets like the number of fans who will wear Cole Whitt merchandise in the grandstands.  Here below are some odds for the 2019 Cup season—teams with known charters listed, major known sponsors in parenthesis.


17. (“Ooh—SO CLOSE” Award) 3–Austin Dillon (Dow, American Ethanol)
Odds of winning a race: 15:1
Odds of winning a non-plate, non-fuel mileage race: 75:1

Pretty cool how a top-level Nascar team
has both a Mexican and a Cuban-American
driver on their roster.
18. 41–Daniel Suárez (Arris, Haas)
Odds of winning a race: 30:1
Odds of finally snapping about his time at JGR: 20:1

19. 17–Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Fastenal, Sunny D)
Odds of winning a race: 50:1
Odds of being referred to as Roush Fenway Racing’s “lead driver”: 2:1

20. 6–Ryan Newman (Oscar Mayer, Performance Plus)
Odds of winning a race: 40:1
Odds of Matt Kenseth being rumored for a comeback in this car: 5:1

21. 13–Ty Dillon (Geico, Twisted Tea)
Odds of winning a race: 100:1
Odds of his hauler driver getting lost on his way to their new shop: 25:1

22. (Rookie of the Year Leader) 8–Daniel Hemric (Caterpillar, Cessna)
Just like Dale Sr.'s Bass Pro car in
The Winston where he finished...19th?!?
Odds of winning a race: 50:1
Odds of running a Hut Stricklin throwback scheme at Darlington: 50:1 (sadly)

23. 47–Ryan Preece (Kroger)
Odds of winning a race: 400:1
Odds of his story of rising from obscurity to the Cup Series being run into the ground: 3:1

24. 37–Chris Buescher (Kroger)
Odds of winning a race: 200:1
Odds of his last name being misspelled: 2:1

25. 38–David Ragan (Love’s, Shriners)
Odds of winning a race: 400:1
Odds of being called Front Row’s “veteran leader”: 15:1

26. (Disappointment of the Year) 21–Paul Menard (Menards, Motorcraft)
Odds of winning a race: 100:1
Odds of losing his sponsor: 10,000:1

27. (“Nearly wins a race on fuel mileage” Award) 43–Bubba Wallace (???, WorldWide Technology)
Odds of winning a race: 300:1
Odds of people claiming RPM is on the brink of shutting down despite being majority-owned by a billionaire: 10:1
...and apparently this sponsor is based
about 10 minutes from where I live

28. 95—Matt DiBenedetto (Procore, DumontJETS)
Odds of winning a race: 400:1
Odds of his ascent to a mid-level ride being used as proof “the system works”: 4:1

29. 34–Michael McDowell (MDS, K-Love)
Odds of winning a race: 400:1
Odds of me making a McDowell’s/Coming to America joke: 5:1

30. 32–Corey LaJoie (Keen/Corvette Parts, Schluter Systems)
Odds of winning a race: 500:1
Odds of doing or saying something stupid: 5:1

31. 36–Matt Tifft (???)
Odds of winning a race: 500:1
Odds of winning Rookie of the Year...the special edition Blu-Ray Henry Rowengarter Edition: 100:1

32. 77/40—Multiple Drivers (???)
Odds of winning a race: NO LINE
Odds of Jamie McMurray being awkwardly interviewed on Daytona’s pit road by Michael Waltrip: EVEN

33. 15—Ross Chastain (???)
Odds of winning a race: 1,000:1
Odds of things getting awkward between him and Kurt Busch: 40:1

34. 00—Landon Cassill (Starcom, ???)
Odds of winning a race: 1,000:1
Odds of Landon ever matching team manager Derrike Cope’s luxurious mustache: 10,000:1

35. 51—??? (???)
Odds of winning a race: 1,000:1
Odds of this team running all three manufacturers: 3:1

36. 52—??? (???)
Odds of winning a race: 1,000:1
Odds of Cody Ware making an idiot out of himself online (again): 8:1