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NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET Odds, Predictions & Best Bets At Kansas Speedway

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Jeff Hawkins
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Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

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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Published24 Sep 2024

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kyle larson wins bristol summer (1)

While Kyle Larson made a mockery of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 16 finale, leading 462 of 500 laps during last Sunday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, pilot Denny Hamlin drove to save Joe Gibbs Racing’s season. 

After placing 24th in the playoff-opener at Atlanta and 23rd at Watkins Glen, Hamlin entered Bristol six points below the cutoff line. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota started strong, finishing P6 and P3 in the first two stages. The 13 bonus points placed Hamlin above the cut line and he ventured forward with a fourth-place finish. 

“It’s just like, finally a decent run, right?” Hamlin said, per NASCAR.com. “I mean, we’re either in the 30s or top five, right?” 

Now, after advancing to the Round of 12, he added: “All offense from this point forward” 

For his and Christopher Bell’s teams, perhaps, but not for 2017 circuit titleholder Martin Truex Jr., who is retiring after this season, and Ty Gibbs. Both teammates failed to advance out of the postseason’s first round. 

That leaves Hamlin and Bell to carry on for the Huntersville, N.C.-based organization. Hamlin enters the week with +450 odds to capture Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET at Kansas Speedway, according to BetOnline Sportsbook. Larson (+350) was the favorite.

Below, we’ll preview the top storylines heading into Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET, go over the odds, and give our best bets for the 30th race and Round of 12 opener on the 2024 NASCAR schedule.

Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET Storylines

  • Stewart-Haas Racing is preparing to go dark after the Championship 4 race, but it’s going down fighting. At Bristol, the organization placed both teams in the top 10, with Ryan Preece finishing P7 and Chase Briscoe P8. Briscoe advanced to the Round of 12.
  • After placing all four machines in the top 10 at Bristol, how many will Hendrick Motorsports compile at Kansas?
  • Tyler Reddick captured wins at Kansas in 2023 and ‘22. Can the Round of 12 contender pull off a triple play?

Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET Driver Odds  

Here is an early look at the drivers’ odds for the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET at Kansas Speedway, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:

Driver NASCAR Cup Series’ Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET Odds
Kyle Larson +350
Denny Hamlin +450
Tyler Reddick +750
Christopher Bell +1000
Ryan Blaney +1200
Martin Truex Jr. +1200
Chase Elliott +1200
William Byron +1400
Kyle Busch +1600
Chris Buescher +1800
Brad Keselowski +2000
Bubba Wallace +2000
Ty Gibbs +2000
Joey Logano +2500
Ross Chastain +2800
Alex Bowman +3300
Chase Briscoe +3300
Noah Gragson +5000
Daniel Suarez +5000
Austin Cindric +8000
  Josh Berry   +10000
Erik Jones +10000
    Austin Dillon +10000
    Michael McDowell       +10000
Carson Hocevar +10000
Justin Haley +10000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +10000
Todd Gilliland +15000
  Ryan Preece +15000
John Hunter Nemechek +20000
Corey LaJoie +20000
Harrison Burton +25000
Zane Smith +30000
Jimmie Johnson +30000
Daniel Hemric +50000
Ty Dillon +50000
Kaz Grala +100000
JJ Yeley +100000

*-Odds current at time of publication

Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET Predictions and Picks  

Here are our best NASCAR Cup Series bets for the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN BET at Kansas Speedway:

Kyle Larson (+350) 

After dominating Bristol last Saturday night, Larson returns to a track where he has posted two wins and six top-10s since the start of the 2021 season. During that span, the 2021 Cup champ posted 538 laps led. 

Denny Hamlin (+450) 

After rallying to secure a spot in the Round of 12, Hamlin has one checkered flag and six top-five finishes during his past seven outings at Kansas. Look for Hamlin to kick off the second round of the playoffs with a strong run.   

Bubba Wallace (+2000) 

After posting a P3 at Bristol, Wallace, this week’s longshot, may not be a playoff contender, but he’s out to pay back 23XI Racing for his contract extension. Wallace’s six top-fives this season are a career-high.