Denny Hamlin enters the 2026 Cracker Barrel 400 as the oddsmakers betting favorite at +400.
The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran chases Sunday's win at Nashville Superspeedway after finishing third in last week's rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600. He also won the All-Star Race at Dover two weeks ago. Hamlin opens race week as the chalk on a 38-car board that has produced five different winners in as many Cup races at Nashville.
Below is a complete breakdown of the latest 2026 Cracker Barrel 400 odds, the favorite's case for and against, mid-tier value plays, and the longshots and race-day storylines worth tracking before the 7 PM ET green flag on Prime Video.
Last Updated: Thursday, May 28, 2026
2026 CRACKER BARREL 400 DATE, TIME & HOW TO WATCH | |
|---|---|
| Where | Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, TN |
| When | Sunday, May 31 – 7:00 PM ET |
| TV | Prime Video |
Denny Hamlin Headlines 2026 Cracker Barrel 400 Odds
Hamlin's case for the favorite role on Sunday rests on a strong run through the intermediate-track stretch of the schedule. The No. 11 finished third in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 and won Stage 2 there, sweeping a 1-2-3 podium for Joe Gibbs Racing alongside Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs in the stage order. He also won the All-Star Race at Dover the week before Charlotte. Hamlin currently sits second in the championship standings, 122 points behind Tyler Reddick after 13 races. His career at Nashville Superspeedway has been consistent, including a third-place finish in last year's Cracker Barrel 400 behind winner Ryan Blaney and runner-up Carson Hocevar.
The case against Hamlin is the price and the track's history of refusing to crown a chalk. At +400, Hamlin's implied probability sits near 20 percent in a field where the five Cup races at Nashville have produced five different winners. Kyle Larson took the inaugural in 2021. Chase Elliott followed in 2022, then Ross Chastain in 2023, Joey Logano in 2024, and Blaney in 2025. The pattern argues against any short-priced favorite at Nashville. Hamlin's pace is genuine. The price simply leaves little margin for the kind of late-race attrition this 300-lap event has delivered each year on the 1.333-mile concrete oval.
2026 CRACKER BARREL 400 – TOP ODDS TO WIN | |
|---|---|
| Name | Odds |
| Denny Hamlin | +400 |
| Ryan Blaney | +600 |
| Tyler Reddick | +650 |
| Christopher Bell | +700 |
| Kyle Larson | +850 |
| Ty Gibbs | +1200 |
| Chase Briscoe | +1400 |
| William Byron | +1400 |
| Chase Elliott | +1600 |
| Carson Hocevar | +2000 |
Odds accurate as of Thursday, May 28, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NASCAR Odds - Props
Cracker Barrel 400 Betting Value Sits Just Below the Favorite
The most defensible value typically sits in the +600 to +1200 range, where bettors can pair proven equipment with a price that pays for the late-race chaos Nashville regularly delivers.
Ryan Blaney (+600) is the obvious anchor. The defending Cracker Barrel 400 winner led 139 of 300 laps last June and combined dominant speed with sharp pit-road execution to take the trophy. The No. 12 Team Penske Ford has remained a strong intermediate package in 2026, and Blaney sits third in the championship standings entering Nashville. A repeat would be the first back-to-back winner in the race's six-year history on the 1.333-mile concrete oval.
Tyler Reddick (+650) leads the championship standings by 122 points over Hamlin. He started the Coca-Cola 600 on the pole and led a race-high 119 laps at Charlotte before settling for fourth when the rain cut the event 27 laps short. Reddick has been the most consistent driver of the 2026 season. However, his Nashville record is the catch. He has yet to win at the Superspeedway in a Cup race despite the steady finishes.
Christopher Bell (+700) brings the quietly elite Nashville résumé. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has four top-10 finishes in five career starts at the Superspeedway, with 134 laps led across those races. Bell finished second at Charlotte last week and won Stage 3 on his way to the runner-up result. The intermediate-track form is there. The breakthrough Nashville win has not yet followed.
Kyle Larson (+850) is the inaugural Cracker Barrel 400 winner, taking the first Cup race at Nashville in 2021. The defending Cup Series champion finished fifth in the Coca-Cola 600 and sits sixth in the championship standings. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has shown its usual late-stage closing speed in 2026, and Larson's prior win on this layout keeps the price relatively short.
Longshot Bets and Cracker Barrel 400 Storylines
At +1200, Ty Gibbs is the third Joe Gibbs Racing entry and a defensible play on the team's intermediate-track depth. The No. 54 sits fourth in the championship standings with 425 points and owns one of the eight 2026 Cup wins so far this season. Chase Briscoe (+1400) won the pole at the 2025 Cracker Barrel 400 with a lap of 164.395 mph and is a fourth Joe Gibbs entry worth a sprinkle at the longer price.
William Byron (+1400) brings the most efficient Nashville profile of any active full-time driver. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has three top-10 finishes in five Superspeedway starts and the best average start of the field at 6.4. Byron has slipped to 12th in the standings after an uneven month, but the concrete intermediate layout matches his strongest skill set and the price reflects the recent dip more than the underlying ability.
Two storylines beyond the betting board frame Sunday's race. Nashville will be the second Cup event since the death of two-time series champion Kyle Busch, who died May 21 at age 41 after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis. NASCAR honored Busch with a missing-man flyover and a tribute ceremony before the Coca-Cola 600, and Daniel Suarez dedicated his rain-shortened Charlotte win to his longtime mentor. Tributes are expected to continue at the Superspeedway throughout the weekend.
The second thread is the championship arithmetic. Hamlin trails Reddick by 122 points after Charlotte, with the gap holding between 122 and 129 over the past two months. A Nashville win for Hamlin would tighten the margin further. A Reddick or Blaney win would push the deficit back out from the closest challengers. Every result through the summer matters for playoff seeding, and the favorites at the top of the Cracker Barrel 400 board are also the names atop the points page.
2026 Cracker Barrel 400 Betting FAQ
Who is the favorite to win the 2026 Cracker Barrel 400?
Denny Hamlin is the betting favorite at +400. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran enters off a third-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 and a win in the All-Star Race at Dover. He sits second in the championship standings, 122 points behind leader Tyler Reddick.
When is the 2026 Cracker Barrel 400?
The 2026 Cracker Barrel 400 is scheduled for Sunday, May 31, 2026, with the green flag at 7:00 PM ET at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee. It is the 14th points race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
What channel is the 2026 Cracker Barrel 400 on?
The 2026 Cracker Barrel 400 streams on Prime Video and HBO Max. Radio coverage is on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Who won the 2025 Cracker Barrel 400?
Ryan Blaney won the 2025 Cracker Barrel 400 in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, leading 139 of 300 laps. Carson Hocevar finished second and Denny Hamlin finished third. Chase Briscoe won the pole with a lap of 164.395 mph.
How many different drivers have won at Nashville Superspeedway?
Five different drivers have won the five Cup Series races at Nashville Superspeedway: Kyle Larson (2021), Chase Elliott (2022), Ross Chastain (2023), Joey Logano (2024), and Ryan Blaney (2025). No driver has yet repeated as winner of the Cracker Barrel 400.