Darlington Raceway is the site of the NASCAR Cup Series Chase opener. The Cook Out Southern 500 at “The Track Too Tough to Tame” is the final Crown Jewel race of the 2026 season.
Oddsmakers are favoring three Toyota drivers to take the checkered flag on Sunday night. While the odds lean towards the Chase contenders, it is worth looking at some sleepers and longshots to win Darlington.
NASCAR betting odds for the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington
Here is a look at the complete betting odds for Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington.
Denny Hamlin +500
Tyler Reddick +550
Chase Briscoe +650
Kyle Larson +700
Ryan Blaney +850
William Byron +1000
Christopher Bell +1000
Ty Gibbs +1400
Joey Logano +1400
Chase Elliott +1800
Chris Buescher +2200
Bubba Wallace +2500
Brad Keselowski +2500
Ross Chastain +2800
Erik Jones +3000
Corey Heim +3000
Carson Hocevar +3000
Josh Berry +4000
Ryan Preece +5500
Austin Cindric +5500
Alex Bowman +6500
Shane van Gisbergen +8000
Daniel Suarez +8000
Austin Dillon +10000
Zane Smith +11000
Austin Hill +11000
John Hunter Nemechek +13000
Riley Herbst +15000
Todd Gilliland +20000
Michael McDowell +20000
Connor Zilisch +20000
AJ Allmendinger +25000
Noah Gragson +30000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +35000
Ty Dillon +70000
Cole Custer +70000
Cody Ware +100000
Chad Finchum +100000
Why Denny Hamlin is the favorite to win Darlington
Seeking his first Cup Series championship in his 21st full-time season, Denny Hamlin is the favorite to win the Chase opener at Darlington. Aside from being the top seed to begin the Chase, the driver of the No. 11 has an impressive resume at “The Lady in Black.”
Hamlin is a five-time Darlington winner with his latest victory coming in April 2025. In the last five Darlington races, the Joe Gibbs Racing star has finished no worse than 11th with four top 10s and two top fives.
Reddick and Briscoe are proven Darlington contenders
Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe have won the last two Darlington races, which is a key reason why they rank second and third, respectively, on the odds chart.
Reddick was victorious in last March’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington, earning his fourth of five wins in 2026. The driver of the No. 45 started on the pole and paced the field for 77 of 293 laps. Prior to that, Reddick finished runner-up in last year’s Southern 500.
Briscoe was the one who took the checkered flag over Reddick in last year’s race. The driver of the No. 19 has been the victor of the last two Southern 500s, driving for two different teams (Stewart-Haas Racing 2024, Joe Gibbs Racing 2025).
Briscoe’s 2025 triumph was a masterclass as he led a blistering 309 of 367 laps en route to victory.
Chris Buescher makes for a valuable sleeper
Appearing in the Chase for the first time since 2023, Chris Buescher enters Darlington at +2200 to win. While the driver of the No. 17 has not always had the results to show it for, he has shown up to the South Carolina track with proven speed.
Buescher finished ninth at Darlington in the spring and was a contender throughout the race, leading 41 laps. The RFK Racing driver has four straight top-10 finishes at “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”
In May 2024, Buescher was in command in the closing laps at Darlington until a dust-up with Tyler Reddick sent him back to a 30th-place result.
Erik Jones, AJ Allmendinger among worthy longshots
Darlington Raceway has proven to be one of the better tracks on the Cup Series circuit for Erik Jones. The driver of the No. 43 has two Southern 500 wins in 2018 and 2022, making up two of his three career victories.
Jones finished third in last year’s Southern 500 and earned a 10th-place result in last March’s Darlington race. When looking at potential non-Chase spoilers, Jones could be the driver to do it this Sunday at +3000 to win.
One driver that has an interesting value this Sunday is AJ Allmendinger at +25000. Although the driver of the No. 16 has never won on an oval surface, he put together a fifth-place run in last year’s Southern 500.
NASCAR Darlington Betting Odds: Favorites, Sleepers and Longshots for Sunday’s Race