It started with 16, it’s now down to 12 and after three more races, the NASCAR Cup Series playoff field will drop four more championship contenders from the mix.
The Round of 12 in the 10-race playoffs begins Sunday with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, followed by races at Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval — the second elimination race of the postseason.
At the end of the Round of 16, Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Tyler Reddick were the four playoff drivers knocked out. And the remaining 12 can advance to the Round of 8 based on points in the playoff standings or by winning at least one of the three races in this round. But with non-playoff drivers sweeping the Round of 16, winning and advancing could prove more challenging than in the past.
The Round of 12 drivers in 2022 are: Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suárez and Austin Cindric.
So ahead of Sunday’s race at Texas, here’s a look at the latest odds for each of them to win it all come November, according to Tipico Sportsbook as of Friday, as well as their previous 2022 finishes at Texas in the 24-driver All-Star Race and Talladega (the Roval is only in the playoffs).
NASCAR playoffs guide 2022: Everything you need to know about the postseason format
12
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford +5000
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 21st
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 3rd
11
Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet +5000
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 31st (DNF)
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 5th
10
Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford +4000
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 37th (DNF)
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 18th
9
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet +3000
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 9th
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 6th
8
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet +1000
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 15th
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 11th
7
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota +900
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 22nd
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 10th
6
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet +900
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 1st
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 22nd (DNF)
5
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford +900
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 11th
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 1st
4
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford +750
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 32nd (DNF)
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 4th
3
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet +600
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 4th
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 24th (DNF)
2
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota +450
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 18th
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 2nd
1
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet +300
2022 performance on Round of 12 tracks
Talladega Superspeedway: 7th
Texas Motor Speedway (All-Star Race): 23rd (DNF)
