NASCAR Championship Odds: Gateway 2026
The NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series travels to the gateway of the west to World Wide Technology Raceway for the second race of the Chase.
Previously, the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to the Chase saw Christopher Bell capture his first victory of the 2026 season as well as a second career victory for Sheldon Creed the night before.
Cup Series Chase Standings
Denny Hamlin remains as the championship leader despite his underwhelming result from Darlington.
His teammate Christopher Bell is the biggest mover in the Chase standings with a four place jump into second. Therefore he also jumped to second-favorite to win the title.
Bubba Wallace has also gained four positions after the first Chase race. He entered at the 14th seed and left Darlington as the tenth.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, William Byron has fallen the most. Byron was primed for a top ten day before his engine expired in the final stage. The Hendrick Motorsports driver would drop from 13th to 16th in the Chase standings.
Due to Hamlin’s 18th-placed finish there are six other drivers within one race of the championship lead. Gateway should be kinder to Hamlin as he enters the second race of the Chase as its defending winner.
Championship Odds Before Enjoy Illinois 300
Below are the opening odds* for all 16 Chase drivers as of Wednesday, September 9, per Caesar’s Sportsbook.
*DISCLAIMER: This article is solely for news and entertainment purposes. This content is not financial or betting advice.
- (1) Denny Hamlin: +150
- (6) Christopher Bell: +280
- (2) Ryan Blaney: +500
- (3) Tyler Reddick, (4) Ty Gibbs: +800
- (5) Chase Briscoe: +1000
- (9) Joey Logano, (7) Kyle Larson: +1400
- (8) Chase Elliott: +2800
- (14) Bubba Wallace, (12) Carson Hocevar, (13) William Byron: +5000
- (15) Austin Cindric: +7500
- (10) Chris Buescher: +8000
- (11) Daniel Suarez: +10000
- (16) Ryan Preece: +15000
O’Reilly Series Chase Standings
Justin Allgaier faded late in the opening race of nine for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase. But the regular season champion earned a stage win and tied for the most stage points on the night to still lead the championship standings by seven points over Sheldon Creed.
The movement in the O’Reilly Series Chase standings was not as drastic as the Cup Series. The furthest any driver strayed from their original seeding was two positions.
Corey Day was the largest gainer in the standings. He jumped from sixth the fourth. The inverse happened to Jesse Love as he fell from fourth to sixth and essentially traded places with Day.
Championship Odds Before Nu Way 225
Below are the opening odds* for all 12 Chase drivers as of Wednesday, September 9, per Caesar’s Sportsbook.
*DISCLAIMER: This article is solely for news and entertainment purposes. This content is not financial or betting advice.
- (1) Justin Allgaier: +115
- (2) Carson Kvapil: +550
- (3) Sheldon Creed: +600
- (7) Corey Day: +650
- (5) Austin Hill: +700
- (4) Jesse Love: +1000
- (6) Brandon Jones: +2000
- (10) Sam Mayer: +2200
- (8) Sammy Smith: +2500
- (11) Taylor Gray: +2800
- (9) Parker Retzlaff: +5000
- (12) Rajah Caruth: +6000
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Ryan Kemna View All
Ryan Kemna is a photojournalist for The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2025.
Currently residing in the Minneapolis, MN, area, Kemna brings his passion for motorsports, photography, and a good story to readers.