It’s on to the second half of the Sprint Cup Series. Thus, it’s time to take a look at the favorites to raise the Cup on victory lane. Defending Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick is making a big case for back-to-back titles, leading the series with 559 points. Jimmie Johnson, who sits at third, is raring for a run to the top with an impressive run of his own.
Can these two hot shots dominate the rest of the way en route to the Chase? Or will someone rise up to the occasion and shock the big dogs? Read on as we break down the top picks to win this year’s Sprint Cup Championship.
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2015 Sprint Cup Championship Preview
Favorites – Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson
[sc:NASCAR240banner ]Defending Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick seems to be in his prime. He leads the Sprint Cup Series standings with 559 points at 40 years old. Harvick has won two races this season. He has also been consistent with 13 finishes in the top 10, including 10 in the top five.
Harvick should continue to have plenty of success as the season progresses. He has the fast cars from Stewart-Haas Racing to thank for that. He’s also benefiting from the same team and crew chief (Rodney Childers) that led to his 2014 Sprint Cup-clinching performance. Harvick is the man to beat at the Sprint Cup Series. He’s +350 to win back-to-back titles.
While Harvick leads the series in points, Jimmie Johnson has the most wins among all drivers in the Sprint Cup. Johnson has already won four races this season (two in the past four races alone), and Johnson has the championship pedigree that no current racer can boast about: winning the Sprint Cup in six of the past nine seasons. Johnson is +550 to win Cup No. 7.
Sleepers – Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin
Jeff Gordon (+1,000) sits at 10th in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Not bad for a 43-year old man with an aching back. Despite his old age, Gordon still has the tools to remain a contender for the Sprint Cup Championship. He led the series in top 10s (23), average finish (10.4) and laps completed last season. Gordon is still consistent in his final full-time series, finishing in the top 10 in eight of the 14 races this year.
All the noise may be on the big stars like Gordon, Harvick and Johnson, but Denny Hamlin has made a strong case as a dark horse to win the 2015 Sprint Cup Championship. He won his first All-Star race at Charlotte this year. He also managed to secure a spot in the Chase earlier this season when he won the STP 500 at Martinsville.
The current track lineup of the Chase suits Hamlin very well. It didn’t change from last year when he finished third in the standings. Hamlin is an incredible racer at Texas Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Homestead. If he can make it to the first round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, then he may just run away with the title at +1,500.
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Long Shots – Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard
Jamie McMurray is ranked seventh in the Sprint Cup standings, but he has to secure a spot in the Chase by winning his first race of the season. He came agonizingly close once though, finishing second in Phoenix back in March. A win may be coming for McMurray later into the season. He’s one of the few drivers who can boast of winning two of NASCAR’s crown jewel races in the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 back in 2010.
There are two more races at Daytona and Indianapolis (McMurray’s two best tracks), so having him contend for the Chase isn’t too far-fetched. McMurray is one of the appealing dark horses contending for the Sprint Cup at +10,000.
Never underestimate consistent racers. Paul Menard is one of those consistent racers in the series. He regularly hovers in the middle of the pack, finishing at 16.6th per race this season.
Finishing at the cut-off spot is very nerve-wracking even for a 12-year veteran like Menard, but he has yet to participate in the most successful race of his career: the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. Menard already has a win at the Brickyard 400 from back in 2011. If he can win that race, then he should offer plenty of value at +15,000 to win the Cup.
Writer’s Prediction
Denny Hamlin (+1,500) wins his first ever Sprint Cup championship.
