The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season ends Sunday, November 8, at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the title all but settled. Kyle Larson arrives holding a 67-point lead over Christopher Bell, with Denny Hamlin 70 back and nobody else alive. The 400.5-mile race, also listed as the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, goes green at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Chase Briscoe starts from the pole. A decided title paired with a wide-open win is where race-day value hides. Our best bets follow.
2026 Straight Talk Wireless 400 — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, FL |
| When | Sunday, November 8 – 3:00 PM ET |
| TV | NBC |
2026 Straight Talk Wireless 400 Betting Preview
Homestead-Miami is a 1.5-mile oval with worn, abrasive asphalt. Sunday covers 267 laps and 400.5 miles, with Stage 1 running 80 laps, Stage 2 another 85 and the final stage 102. The track rewards drivers who commit to the high line against the wall. It punishes anyone who abuses the right-front tire early in a run. This is the tenth and final Chase race, and the first Cup event here since March 2025, so teams work from older notes than usual. Briscoe won the pole ahead of Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Larson.
The board reflects that uncertainty rather than Larson’s cushion. Six drivers sit between +450 and +700, which is tight for a 40-car field. Larson is shortest at +450, but the championship market treats his title as close to settled, and that changes his incentives. He does not need to win. The drivers beside him do. Reddick owns the best average finish of any active Cup driver at Homestead at 8.8. One late item trims the field: Spire Motorsports suspended Carson Hocevar for the finale after his contact with Austin Cindric at Martinsville.
2026 Straight Talk Wireless 400 — Top Odds to Win
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +450 |
| Ryan Blaney | +500 |
| Chase Briscoe | +600 |
| Denny Hamlin | +600 |
| Tyler Reddick | +600 |
| Christopher Bell | +700 |
| William Byron | +1800 |
| Ty Gibbs | +1800 |
| Austin Cindric | +2000 |
| Chase Elliott | +2000 |
Odds accurate as of Sunday, November 8, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NASCAR Odds – Props
2026 Straight Talk Wireless 400 Best Bets
Chase Briscoe (+600) is our pick to win the finale. He starts from the pole, he has had the best car on 1.5-mile tracks for two months, and he has no points math to manage. Briscoe has three wins in 2026. Two came in the last five weeks on intermediate ovals, at Las Vegas and Charlotte, the two tracks that most resemble Homestead in corner load and tire wear.
Fading the favorite is the harder part of this call. Larson is the better driver at this track and across this season. However, his afternoon is about points rather than trophies, and a driver protecting a 67-point lead races the long game. Briscoe has the opposite assignment from the best starting spot on the grid.
What would make this wrong is Briscoe’s Homestead record. His career-best finish here is fourth, in March 2025, and he has never led meaningful laps at the track. Clean air from the pole can flatter a car that is merely good. This bet backs form and strategic freedom over track history.
Straight Talk Wireless 400 Predictions Mid-Tier Value Plays
Bubba Wallace (+2800) looks underpriced here. Wallace finished third in the last Cup race at Homestead, his career-best result at the track, and he was in contention late before Alex Bowman passed him. He is not in the title fight, so he can run the same aggressive line Briscoe will. The knock is conversion. Wallace has run well here twice without ever leading late.
Chase Elliott (+105) in the head-to-head matchup with Austin Cindric is better structured than an Elliott outright. A two-driver market strips out the variance of a 40-car race. Elliott carries a 10.6 average finish across ten Homestead starts, including a runner-up in 2020. Cindric’s career best here is 12th in four tries. The risk is simple. Cindric starts a position ahead in fifth, and one pit-road mistake decides matchups like this.
Long Shot Picks for The 2026 Straight Talk Wireless 400
Alex Bowman (+5000) holds the strongest credential of any long price in the field. He won the pole and finished second in the most recent Cup race here, losing only to his own teammate. Hendrick Motorsports has been the benchmark organization at this track. The case against is a 2026 season with no wins. Bowman needs a caution cycle to come to him rather than raw speed.
Chris Buescher (+5000) is the other long shot with a real path. Buescher finished sixth here in March 2025, his career best in ten Homestead starts, up from 15th a year earlier. His profile fits the track: disciplined on tires and better late than early. The ceiling is the problem. He rarely produces the single-run speed to beat the Gibbs and Hendrick cars straight up.
The Last Word on The 2026 Straight Talk Wireless 400
Two races run at once Sunday. One is a championship Larson should close out with a clean, quiet afternoon. The other is a 400-mile fight for the trophy among drivers with nothing to protect. Watch the first long green-flag run in Stage 1 for the real tire-wear read. The car that holds the high line for 30 laps dictates strategy all day. Stay green late and the fastest car wins. Stack cautions inside the final 50 laps and fuel and pit calls take over. Our championship race odds preview has the full market breakdown.
NASCAR Straight Talk Wireless 400 FAQ: Sunday November 8, 2026
Who is the favorite to win the 2026 Straight Talk Wireless 400?
Kyle Larson is the favorite at +450. He leads the standings by 67 points and won the most recent Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March 2025. Ryan Blaney is next at +500, with Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick all at +600.
What time does the Straight Talk Wireless 400 start?
The race starts at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the green flag waving shortly after. Driver introductions are set for 2:15 p.m. ET. It is the 36th and final points race of the 2026 Cup Series season.
What channel is the Straight Talk Wireless 400 on?
NBC carries the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series finale from Homestead-Miami Speedway. Radio coverage comes from the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Leigh Diffey, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte call the race for NBC.
How many laps is the Straight Talk Wireless 400?
The race is 267 laps and 400.5 miles around the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway oval. Stage 1 covers 80 laps, Stage 2 covers 85 and the final stage runs 102. The stage breaks fall on lap 80 and lap 165.
Who is on the pole for the Straight Talk Wireless 400?
Chase Briscoe won the pole in Saturday qualifying and leads the field to green in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Denny Hamlin starts second and Tyler Reddick third. Points leader Kyle Larson starts fourth, ahead of Austin Cindric and Christopher Bell.
Who won the last NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
Kyle Larson won the most recent Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March 2025, his second victory at the track. Alex Bowman finished second and Bubba Wallace third. Tyler Reddick won there in October 2024.