The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs completed the Round of 16 on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway with Denny Hamlin winning his first race of the postseason.
The win not only secured Hamlin's spot in the Round of 12 but also propelled the No. 11 driver for Joe Gibbs Racing as the FanDuel Sportsbook favorite to win the NASCAR championship, setting the odds at +430.
Despite being the favorite, Hamlin trails William Byron and former favorite Martin Truex Jr. by four points in the playoff standings heading into the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 40 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Hamlin has won three races in Texas but hasn't had success since May 31, 2019. Tyler Reddick won the race last September.
In 18 seasons driving in the NASCAR Cup Series, Hamlin has never won the championship.
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How the rest of the field shakes out behind Hamlin:
Kyle Larson +450
William Byron +450
Martin Truex Jr. +450
Kyle Busch +900
Chris Buescher +900
Christopher Bell +1000
Tyler Reddick +1200
Brad Keselowski +2000
Ross Chastain +2500
Ryan Blaney +2500
Bubba Wallace +10000
The 12 remaining NASCAR drivers had their points reset to 3,000 plus their earned playoff points from the entire season.
At the conclusion of the Round of 16, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell were all eliminated from contention.
Chastain, Keselowski, Blaney and Wallace currently are on the bubble and would risk elimination if they cannot make it into the top eight with points or win one of the three races in the second round.
At the end of the Round of 12, the eight remaining drivers are reset to 4,000 plus their playoff points.
