NASCAR Cook Out Southern 500: Odds for Darlington, September 6
- The NASCAR Playoffs kick off on Sunday, September 6 at 7:30 pm ET at the Darlington Raceway with the Cook Out Southern 500
- Harvick and Hamlin are still priced as heavy favorites at (+325) and (+350) respectively
- A number of other drivers have secured a win at Darlington previously and they are all going to race in the event
Darlington Raceway is hosting a triad of awesome events this week, including the playoff opener for the Cup Series with the Cook Out Southern 500. This is the first time in three years that the playoffs race was hosted outside of Las Vegas.
The post-season events will see all the favorites, including the reigning champion Kevin Harvick who is coming in hot with 57 playoff points. Harvick was buoyed up by his good performance in the season, commenting that every driver was trying to secure as many points as possible in the regular season and give themselves a good start in the playoffs.
Where and When to Watch Cook Out Southern 500
- Date: Sunday, September 6
- Time: 7:30 pm ET
- Track: Darlington Raceway
- Watch: NBCSN
Odds to Win NASCAR Cook Out southern 500
| Drivers | Odds |
| Kevin Harvick | +325 |
| Denny Hamlin | +350 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +800 |
| Brad Keselowski | +900 |
| Kyle Busch | +1,100 |
| Chase Elliott | +1,300 |
| Joey Logano | +1,300 |
| Erik Jones | +1,400 |
| Ryan Blaney | +2,000 |
| Kurt Busch | +2,000 |
| Alex Bowman | +2,200 |
| Aric Almirola | +2,800 |
| Jimmie Johnson | +2,800 |
| William Byron | +3,300 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | +5,000 |
| Tyler Reddick | +5,000 |
| Clint Bowyer | +6,600 |
| Austin Dillon | +6,600 |
| Matt Kenseth | +6,600 |
| Christopher Bell | +8,000 |
| Cole Custer | +8,000 |
| Ryan Newman | +8,000 |
Darlington Raceway: A Familiar Raceway for Drivers
Now, usually Darlington Raceway was supposed to be kept under tight wraps, but scrambling the Cup Series schedule all over the place due to the Covid-19 outbreak has made it rather difficult to keep a straight racing schedule.
Instead, the Darlington Raceway was featured twice in the regular season with both Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin securing one win each. Both Hamlin and Harvick are rather optimistic about their first race in the playoffs, and believe they can keep up the good work to secure yet another victory.
However, they will be facing a rather broad field of contestants, including Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski who have each won a race at Darlington at least once. Busch though has not been able to secure a victory in any of the races this year, fading other drivers as close second and third on several occasions, but never first. Commenting on his performance, Busch had this to say for MRN:
“The fact of trying to be able to come out of this year with a victory is certainly high on my list that might be number one on the list actually even more so than winning the championship just with the way this year has gone.”
A Crowded Field of Contestants in the Cook Out Southern 500
There is some good news and there is some bad news for the top contenders, though. The good news is three-time Darlington winner Jimmie Johnson was eliminated at Daytona and he won’t be racing in the playoffs.
However, this won’t stop other worthwhile contenders from debuting in the race, including Erik Jones who has finished top ten in all of his Darlington’s five starts. There is also Matt Kenneth who has won the event before.
Besides, there is no telling what rookie Cole Custer can pull off in the playoffs nor is there a way to gauge Matt DiBenedetto’s own performance in the postseason. Of course, for someone who has won the track five times, such as Hamlin, having some good, honest competition isn’t too much of an issue.
If anything he will be looking forward to the event a little on edge which is a healthy attitude for a professional NASCAR racer. Backing either Hamlin or Harvick at MyBookie could be a good pick.
