The 2020 NASCAR Playoffs begin on Sunday and a schedule shift means that the 2020 Cook Out Southern 500 will be included for the first time since 2004 and just the second time ever. Darlington Raceway has hosted the NASCAR Cup Series since 1950 and 39 drivers will be giving it their all when the green flag drops at 6 p.m. ET. However, only 16 drivers are in the hunt for the 2020 NASCAR championship and that number will drop to 12 after the next three races.
Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin were the two most dominant drivers in 2020 with a combined 13 victories. Harvick enters Sunday's race as the 9-4 favorite with Hamlin just behind him at 12-5 in the NASCAR at Darlington odds from William Hill. Meanwhile, Matt DiBenedetto was the last driver to sneak into the postseason and the 29-year-old is a 60-1 long shot in the 2020 Cook Out Southern 500 odds. Before you lock in your 2020 Cook Out Southern 500 picks, be sure to see the latest 2020 NASCAR Playoffs at Darlington predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven model at SportsLine.
Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results.
The model began the 2020 NASCAR season by picking Denny Hamlin to win his second consecutive Daytona 500 at 10-1. It got off to a hot start on its NASCAR picks following the coronavirus hiatus as well, calling seven of the top 10 drivers at both Darlington races. Using the model, McClure also recommended an outright play on winner Brad Keselowski at 13-1 as one of his best bets at Bristol in May.
The model also called Kevin Harvick's win at Atlanta and nailed a whopping nine top-10 finishers in that race. McClure also used the model to lock in an outright bet on Hamlin winning at 10-1 at Miami. At The Brickyard, the model called Harvick's fourth victory of the season, and also identified four top-five drivers in the All-Star Race at Bristol. At the Daytona road course, the model called Chase Elliott's win and nailed three of the top four drivers. Anybody who has follow the model has seen huge returns.
Now, the model simulated the NASCAR at Darlington race on Sunday, Sept. 6, 10,000 times. Head here to see the complete projected leaderboard.
Top 2020 Cook Out Southern 500 predictions
One surprise: the model is high on Kurt Busch, even though he's a 25-1 long shot in the latest NASCAR at Darlington odds from William Hill. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Busch is coming off a crash at Daytona but he scratched out enough points to earn his way into the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs after finishing 15th in the 2020 NASCAR standings.
Busch finished third at Darlington Raceway in the first of two races at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval earlier this season and he's had a lot of recent success there. In fact, Busch has five top-seven finishes at Darlington in his last seven NASCAR Cup Series starts. That level of track success, combined with his double digit odds, makes him one of the drivers you should be all over in your 2020 NASCAR at Darlington bets.
And a massive shocker: Chase Elliott, one of the Vegas favorites at 10-1, stumbles big time and doesn't even crack the top five. There are far better values in this loaded field. Elliott is fifth in the 2020 NASCAR standings entering the postseason after winning at Charlotte and the Daytona road course and he's also coming off a second-place finish last week at Daytona.
However, Elliott finished 38th in his last start at Darlington earlier this season and he only has three top-10 finishes there in seven career NASCAR Cup Series starts. During last year's postseason, Elliott was extremely inconsistent and wound up finishing 30th or worse in four of his nine playoff starts before being eliminated prior to the Championship 4.
How to make 2020 Cook Out Southern 500 picks
The model is also targeting three other drivers with 2020 NASCAR at Darlington odds of 20-1 or longer to make a serious run at the checkered flag. Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it big. You can only see who they are here.
So who wins Sunday's 2020 Cook Out Southern 500? And which long shot stuns NASCAR? Check out the latest odds below and then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2020 NASCAR at Darlington leaderboard, all from the model that has crushed its NASCAR picks and nailed the Daytona 500.
2020 NASCAR Playoffs at Darlington odds (via William Hill)
Kevin Harvick 9-4
Denny Hamlin 12-5
Martin Truex Jr. 13-2
Chase Elliott 10-1
Brad Keselowski 12-1
Kyle Busch 12-1
Joey Logano 20-1
Ryan Blaney 25-1
Kurt Busch 25-1
Aric Almirola 28-1
Alex Bowman 30-1
Erik Jones 40-1
Jimmie Johnson 40-1
William Byron 50-1
Clint Bowyer 50-1
Matt DiBenedetto 60-1
Tyler Reddick 60-1
Christopher Bell 75-1
Austin Dillon 125-1
Cole Custer 125-1
Matt Kenseth 150-1
Ryan Newman 200-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 250-1
Chris Buescher 300-1
Bubba Wallace 300-1
John Hunter Nemechek 1500-1
Ty Dillon 2000-1
Michael McDowell 2500-1
Daniel Suarez 2500-1
Ryan Preece 2500-1
Brennan Poole 5000-1
Quin Houff 5000-1
Corey Lajoie 5000-1
Josh Bilicki 5000-1
Reed Sorenson 5000-1
JJ Yeley 5000-1
James Davison 5000-1
Joey Gase 5000-1
Timmy Hill 5000-1
