Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR Cup Championship Odds Now 25-1; Is His Winless Streak Nearly Over?

• It has been over two years since seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has claimed the checkered flag in regular season action
• The 42-year-old veteran has endured a tough 2019 campaign, and travels to Chicagoland sitting outside the NASCAR Cup playoff picture
• Kyle Busch currently leads the way on the NASCAR Cup championship odds, but it is defending champion Joey Logano that currently offers bettors the most value

It has been another long and difficult NASCAR season for veteran driver Jimmie Johnson. With a distant 12th-place finish at last weekend’s Toyota/SaveMart 350, Johnson’s lengthy winless drought continued. The 43-year-old has now failed to take the checkered flag in 75 straight races since his last victory two years ago at the 2017 AAA 400 Drive for Autism.

Not surprisingly, Johnson now lags well behind the leaders on the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings in 17th place, one point below the cut-off for this year’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup playoffs.

The El Cajon, California native’s struggles have also been felt on the NASCAR Cup championship odds, where the seven-time champion has tumbled to a lengthy +4000. His average odds across a number of top online sportsbooks, meanwhile, sit at +2500.

2019 NASCAR Cup Championship Odds

*Odds taken on 06/27/19

Seven-time Champion Enduring Second Straight Tough Season

Johnson’s 2019 campaign opened on a hopeful note, with a victory at the 2019 Advance Auto Parts Clash, the first exhibition race of the NASCAR Cup season, but maintaining that momentum has been a challenge.

Johnson improved on dismal performances in his previous two appearances at the Daytona 500, finishing ninth after starting at no. 17, but has cracked the top 10 on just four occasions since, with his best performance coming in Texas at the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, where he fell to fifth after claiming his first pole in three years.

.@JimmieJohnson, not done yet.#Chasing8 pic.twitter.com/k01rpr0atL

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 17, 2019

Now approaching the midway point of the NASCAR season, it would take an impressive turnaround for Johnson to lay claim to a record eighth career NASCAR Cup title. That task starts this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, with the running of the Camping World 400.

Johnson has enjoyed little success of late at Chicagoland, cracking the top 10 just once in his past five appearances.

Sitting well down the odds board as a +3300 bet to win this weekend’s race, Johnson has enjoyed little success of late at Chicagoland, cracking the top 10 just once in his past five appearances, clouding the memory of four trips to the podium at that track earlier in his career.

Kyle Busch Emerging as Man to Beat

A winner of four races so far this season, Kyle Busch remains the man to beat as the circuit moves to Joliet, Illinois. The 34-year-old turned in a second-place performance last weekend at Sonoma, and picked up 39 points to close to within one point of first-place Joey Logano, and emerge as the projected top-ranked driver entering the playoffs.

NASCAR CUP SERIES:

Updated Points/Playoff Standings after race 16/36
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— World Racing Media (@WRMediaGroup) June 24, 2019

Busch has maintained steady consistency throughout the campaign, cracking the top 10 in 15 of this season’s 16 races to date, including five total top five finishes. That is reflected on the NASCAR Cup Championship odds, where Busch has emerged as a clear +250 favorite to win a second career crown.

That consistency is nothing new for the Las Vegas native, who won at Chicagoland a year ago, and reached the podium on seven occasion during the second half of last season.

Defending Champion Joey Logano Offering Value on the NASCAR Cup Odds

However, Logano remains a real threat to successfully defend his NASCAR Cup title, and provides exceptional value as a lengthy +800 wager on the NASCAR Cup championship odds.

The 29-year-old is coming off a disappointing 29th-place finish at Sonoma, but has built his lead atop the standings on two victories and 11 top 10 finishes. Logano also proved his mettle in last year’s playoffs, posting six top five finishes, and sealing his first career championship win with victories in two of his past four outings, edging out the trio of Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. by a mere seven points.

Pick: Joey Logano (+800)