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Ryan Blaney Earns Top NASCAR Cup Series Drivers’ Championship Odds; Katherine Legge Returning

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
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Ryan Blaney Earns Top NASCAR Cup Series Drivers’ Championship Odds; Katherine Legge Returning

With Shane van Gisbergen capturing Sunday’s Round of 12 finale at Charlotte Motor Speedway, here are some of the top post-race comments by the podium finishers: 

  • Van Gisbergen, who was eliminated following the first round of the playoffs: “What an awesome race, Kyle (Larson) and Christopher (Bell) driving really good and got a little rough. But man, the battle was awesome.”
  • Kyle Larson, who advanced to the Round of 8 after finishing P2: “I’m happy with a second-place finish for this No. 5 Chevrolet team. Shane van Gisbergen is just so good. It was a fun battle with Christopher (Bell), too.”
  • Christopher Bell, who advanced aided by a P3: “What made the difference, I don’t know. It felt kind of like the rest of the road courses. We had a hell of a race for second between me and my Camry, (Chris) Buescher and (Kyle) Larson. It is that (Shane van Gisbergen) car was what 30 seconds ahead of us. Congratulations to Shane and that Trackhouse team. They have set the bar, and we are all clearly having a hard time getting up to it.”

Entering Sunday’s Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney (+425) was tabbed with the sports-betting favorite to capture the 2025 circuit championship, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Katherine Legge Makes NASCAR Cup Series Return

Katherine Legge, the first woman to compete in a Cup race since Danica Patrick in 2018, appeared on Monday’s entry list to return at Las Vegas. The 45-year-old driver posted two top-20 finishes in six events this season. She will pilot the No. 78 Chevrolet.

A former IndyCar competitor, Legge also appeared in six Xfinity Series events this season.

“We’re honored to have Katherine back with us,” Live Fast Motorsports owner BJ McLeod said via press release. “Her talent and professionalism bring tremendous value to the team, and her leadership as a trailblazer continues to inspire both inside and outside of racing.”

2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Odds

Here are the drivers’ odds for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series drivers’ championship, according to BetOnline Sportsbook: 

Driver 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Odds
Ryan Blaney +425
Denny Hamlin +450
Kyle Larson +475
Christopher Bell +500
William Byron +600
Chase Elliott +600
Chase Briscoe +800
Joey Logano +1000

*-Odds current at time of publication

Jeff Hawkins Written by Sports EditorJeff Hawkins
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  
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