The first race of the year is a tough one for the sportsbooks. Not only have they been unable to pick a clear favorite, they can’t even pick two. That’s right, the 2023 season is going to start with three favorites to win the first race of the year.
Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson are all tied to win the first race of the year at +1000, or an implied 9.1% chance. This isn’t the first time the books have done this either. In 2022, it was Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney who kicked off the season as favorites to win the first race.
It’s not just the top-3 that are tight. The entire top-10 is given better than a 5% chance to win the race. That includes Kyle Busch, +1100, and Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney, +1200.
Quote from OddsChecker spokesman Kyle Newman, “The books always have a tough time at the start of the year. They back drivers with a history of past success, and who better than the last three champions to start the season. It doesn’t hurt that Logano won this race last year. Still, when odds are this tight it truly does signal that anyone has a shot to take home the victory this weekend.”
CLASH AT THE CHAMPIONS WINNER
| Driver | Odds | Implied chance |
| Chase Elliott | +1000 | 9.1% |
| Joey Logano | +1000 | 9.1% |
| Kyle Larson | +1000 | 9.1% |
| Kyle Busch | +1100 | 8.3% |
| Denny Hamlin | +1200 | 7.7% |
| Ryan Blaney | +1200 | 7.7% |
| William Byron | +1400 | 6.7% |
| Christopher Bell | +1400 | 6.7% |
| Ross Chastain | +1600 | 5.9% |
| Tyler Reddick | +1600 | 5.9% |
— OddsChecker —