2019 NASCAR Cup Series Preview: Top Championship Sleeper Bets

2019 NASCAR Cup Series Preview: Top Championship Sleeper Bets: Top Championship Sleeper Bets The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season is fast approaching, and while guys like Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. are among the big names who get most of the attention when it comes to the championship, there is nothing wrong with taking a chance on a sleeper or two when placing preseason bets.

After all, 2018 champion Joey Logano wasn’t exactly a frontrunner entering the year. In fact, he was coming off one of the most disappointing seasons of any driver in recent memory, but he recovered in a big way to claim the title.

Is another established driver waiting to make a similar rebound this year, or is a young driver ready to take the next step? Time will ultimately tell, but in the meantime, here are a few of my favorite sleeper bets to take home the 2019 crown.

2019 NASCAR Cup Series Preview: Top Championship Sleeper Bets

Top Sleeper Bets

 
Erik Jones (15/1)

His second season at the Cup level ended with a playoff appearance, but bad luck in the postseason quickly ended any championship hopes. Still, Jones finished the year with nine top-5s and 18 top-10s, and he notched his first-career Cup victory. The progress in his sophomore season was encouraging, especially his strong performances at the 1.5-mile ovals, and another year of experience should only help the youngster. Joe Gibbs Racing fields elite equipment, and Jones has the talent to take advantage. At the very least, another win and playoff appearance should be on tap, and multiple wins and 20-plus top-10s are certainly possible. Jones is oozing with upside, and at 15/1, you may want to take a chance that he realizes his potential in 2019.

Denny Hamlin (20/1)

Hamlin failed to win a race for the first time in his career in 2018, but I’m still a little surprised to see his odds fall all the way to 20/1. After all, he still made the playoffs and was one of only eight drivers with double-digit top-five finishes. Hamlin has also been a perennial title contender for almost a decade, and Joe Gibbs Racing always brings some of the best equipment in the business to the track. He is exactly the type of driver that could be poised for a big rebound in 2019, and he is the best value on the board in my mind.

Kurt Busch (25/1)

He changed teams this offseason, moving from Stewart-Haas Racing to Chip Ganassi Racing, and while that may seem like a bit of a downgrade after SHR was so successful last year, I’m not concerned. For one, Busch has been able to elevate the performance of almost every team he has driven for, and Kyle Larson has already shown that Chip Ganassi Racing equipment can contend for wins and titles. Busch has also won a race in each of the last five seasons, and he has topped 20 top-10s in three of the last four. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t make the playoffs, and his consistency could allow him to make a deep run. From there, one timely victory could have him racing for a title at Homestead.

Alex Bowman (50/1)

I’m dipping into the serious longshots with Bowman, but if one driver is going to come out of nowhere to contend for a title this year, I like Bowman’s chances. He was good enough to sneak into the playoffs in his first full-time season in good equipment, and his 17.0 average finish wasn’t terrible, especially when you consider how most of the Chevy teams struggled to dial in the Camaro. In 2019, Bowman will have another year of experience under his belt, and another year to iron out the kinks with the Camaro should benefit all the Chevy teams. I expect him to be more consistent in his second season in the No. 88, so a return trip to the playoffs should be on tap. Two of his best tracks, Martinsville and Phoenix, happen to be on the playoff schedule, so he could have a puncher’s chance at stealing a win and a spot in the Championship 4.

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