NASCAR championship: A detailed breakdown of the final 4 drivers competing for a title at Phoenix (2025)

NASCAR championship: A detailed breakdown of the final 4 drivers competing for a title at Phoenix (1)

NASCAR championship: A detailed breakdown of the final 4 drivers competing for a title at Phoenix (2)

Michelle R. Martinelli

November 3, 2021 8:00 am ET

And then there were four.

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 drivers are set and they’ll compete Sunday at Phoenix Raceway in a winner-take-all title race (3 p.m. ET, NBC).

The 10-race playoffs started back in September with 16 drivers racing for a shot at the championship. After the first three Round of 16 races, four drivers were eliminated, and the field dropped to 12. After the next three Round of 12 races, the field shrank down to eight, and when Sunday’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway ended with Alex Bowman — a playoff driver who was previously eliminated — as the winner, the championship contenders were whittled down to four.

And in an all-Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing finale, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. will race one more time in 2021 for NASCAR’s giant trophy. But Larson was the only one locked into the title race before the Round of 8 closer at Martinsville.

The field is down to four.

How does your #NASCARPlayoffs grid stack up? pic.twitter.com/fK7DpDWa4d

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 1, 2021

Now, going into the season finale at Phoenix, points in the driver standings no longer matter. To win the championship, the four title contenders don’t actually have to win the race itself — although that’s often the way it goes. But whichever of the final four drivers finishes ahead of the other three, he’ll be crowned the champion.

Here’s a breakdown of how the Championship 4 drivers got here, along with their season stats and title odds, per Tipico Sportsbook as of Tuesday.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR championship: A detailed breakdown of the final 4 drivers competing for a title at Phoenix (3)

(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

How he got to the Championship 4: Larson got here first. After a dominant season, it’s no surprise he’s had a commanding title run with four wins through the first nine playoff races, including three in a row. And inside that win streak, Larson locked himself in to the final four by winning the first race in the Round of 8 at Texas Motor Speedway and automatically advancing. In the playoffs this year, the 29-year-old driver also won at Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval and Kansas Speedway. He and the No. 5 Chevrolet team have been the ones to beat all season, and that’s certainly been true through the postseason as well.

History at Phoenix Raceway: While Larson has, by far, the most laps led this season — he’s been out front nearly 28 percent of the season and is 1,000 led laps ahead of Hamlin with the next most —he only led one lap at the Phoenix spring race. He finished seventh behind winner Martin Truex Jr. and the other two remaining title contenders. In 14 career Cup starts at Phoenix, Larson has never won, but he has five top-5 finishes and eight top 10s.

Season stats
Wins: 9
Top 5s: 19
Top 10s: 25
Laps led: 2,474
Championship odds: +175

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR championship: A detailed breakdown of the final 4 drivers competing for a title at Phoenix (4)

(Logan Riely/Getty Images)

How he got to the Championship 4: Getting a chance to repeat at NASCAR’s Cup Series champion, Elliott advanced to the title race after winning the first two stages at Martinsville on Sunday. The 25-year-old defending champ clinched his spot based on points earned, and accumulating enough points to be currently second in the standings is what got him this far. Without winning a playoff race going into Phoenix, Elliott’s best finishes through the playoffs were two runner-up spots, first at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Round of 12 and then at Kansas Speedway in the Round of 8. He’s had three top-5 playoff finishes this year and will be racing for back-to-back titles.

History at Phoenix Raceway: After starting sixth and not leading any laps in the Phoenix spring race, Elliott finished fifth. In 11 career Cup starts at Phoenix, he has four top-5 finishes and seven top 10s, plus his victory from the 2020 championship race.

Season stats
Wins: 2
Top 5s: 14
Top 10s: 20
Laps led: 858
Championship odds: +240

Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR championship: A detailed breakdown of the final 4 drivers competing for a title at Phoenix (5)

(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

How he got to the Championship 4: Truex had to wait until the end of the Martinsville race to know for sure he made it to the final four. But he clinched his spot based on points in the standings and will have a chance to race for his second championship. The 41-year-old driver has four wins this season, including taking the checkered flag at Richmond Raceway in the Round of 16. Through nine playoff races, he has five top-5 finishes and six top 10s, including coming in fourth at Martinsville to lock up his Championship 4 spot.

History at Phoenix Raceway: He won the spring race for his first checkered flag at Phoenix, and through his 31 career Cup starts, he’s accumulated just five top-5 finishes and 13 top 10s. However, four of those top-5 finishes have come in the last five seasons.

Season stats
Wins: 4
Top-5s: 12
Top-10s: 19
Laps led: 793
Championship odds: +330

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR championship: A detailed breakdown of the final 4 drivers competing for a title at Phoenix (6)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

How he got to the Championship 4: Hamlin entered the playoffs winless, but he turned that around quickly by winning the post-season opener at Darlington Raceway. The 40-year-old driver then won the Round of 12 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before locking himself into the Championship 4 based on points following Martinsville. Although it took until the 27th race of the season for him to end up in Victory Lane, Hamlin’s had one of the strongest cars and teams all season and was in contention for the regular-season championship. Through the first nine playoff races, he’s had five top-5 finishes and cannot be overlooked when it comes to Phoenix, where he’ll compete for his first championship.

History at Phoenix Raceway: Hamlin started and finished third in the Phoenix spring race, and he led 33 laps in the process. In 32 career Cup starts, he has two wins, 15 top-5 finishes and 19 top 10s.

Season stats
Wins: 2
Top 5s: 18
Top 10s: 24
Laps led: 1,502
Championship odds: +270

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

Denny Hamlin called Alex Bowman ‘an absolute hack’ after Martinsville incident in NASCAR playoffs

NASCAR championship: A detailed breakdown of the final 4 drivers competing for a title at Phoenix (2025)

FAQs

Who are the four drivers competing for the NASCAR championship? ›

This season's Championship 4 consists of William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney.

Who made the Final Four NASCAR championship? ›

The Championship 4 is set. Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney and William Byron will race for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

What was the finishing order of the NASCAR race at Phoenix? ›

NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children's 500 Race Results
FinStDriver
113Christopher Bell
214Chris Buescher
32Ty Gibbs
418Brad Keselowski
32 more rows
Mar 10, 2024

How many times has Denny Hamlin made the Championship 4? ›

Hamlin has made it to the Championship 4 four times but not since 2021. His four appearances trail Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick by one since 2014 when the playoff format changed. But Hamlin is the winningest driver in Cup history without a series title.

How does the NASCAR Championship 4 work? ›

Championship 4

The four remaining drivers will battle it out in the 36th and final race of the season as the points are reset to 5,000. During the race, there are no stage points awarded for the Championship 4 drivers. The format becomes very straightforward here -- whoever finishes highest, wins the title.

How many drivers are in NASCAR Cup Series championship? ›

The regular-season champion is awarded an automatic playoff entry and 15 bonus playoff points. The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs consist of 16 eligible drivers competing across four rounds in the final 10 races of the season. Four drivers are eliminated in each of the first three rounds, which all consist of three races.

What happens if there are 17 winners in NASCAR? ›

Call this one The Chaos Theory. If there are 17 winners, clearly a driver who has won a race will not advance to the 16-driver playoffs. Here's how it would be determined: Every driver with multiple wins would advance.

Who is the 4 time NASCAR champion? ›

ABOUT JEFF GORDON

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. Three-time Daytona 500 winner. Five-time Brickyard 400 winner. And the list goes on.

Why did NASCAR move the championship race to Phoenix? ›

PHOENIX (May 16, 2024) — Phoenix Raceway's reputation as a championship-caliber racetrack is driven by its championship-caliber fans. That's why NASCAR announced today that Phoenix Raceway will continue as host of NASCAR Championship Weekend in 2025. Three champions will be crowned over three days, Oct.

Who has the most wins in Phoenix NASCAR? ›

Check out the complete list of winners in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway, beginning with the first race in 1988. Kevin Harvick has the most wins in track history, as well as perhaps the best finish — shown here edging Carl Edwards by a nose in 2016. 2003: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

What is the closest NASCAR finish ever? ›

Closest finishes
NASCAR Cup Series closest finishes
RankRaceMargin
12024 AdventHealth 4000.001
2 & 32003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 4000.002
2011 Aaron's 499
65 more rows

Why did Denny Hamlin lose his win? ›

NEWS: Denny Hamlin gets crushing NASCAR L2 penalty for an engine rules violation committed by Toyota. Hamlin loses 75 points, 10 playoff points, crew chief Chris Gabehart fined $100k. TRD tore down and rebuilt one of Hamlin's winning engines before it was inspected by NASCAR,…

Who is the oldest NASCAR driver? ›

Well, in the 2022 Cup Series season, the oldest full-time driver is Harvick at 46 years old. However, he's by no means the oldest active NASCAR racer. For that accolade, we must turn to 70-year-old racer Norm Benning.

What did the driver say after Dover? ›

Just a great team, they just did a great job,” said Hamlin, who led a race-best 136 of the 400 laps. “All the guys on the wall right here, they made it happen,” he said motioning to his cheering team on pit wall. “Thank you to them and to [crew chief] Chris Gabehart. The whole team just gave me a great car.

What drivers are in the NASCAR Cup playoffs? ›

NASCAR playoffs: Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. enter Bristol outside the top 12
  • Joey Logano (2,084 points, win at Atlanta) ...
  • Christopher Bell (2,089) ...
  • Austin Cindric (2,086) ...
  • Alex Bowman (2,084) ...
  • Daniel Suarez (2,079) ...
  • Tyler Reddick (2,073) ...
  • Chase Elliott (2,073) ...
  • Ryan Blaney (2,072)
3 days ago

Who is eligible to win the NASCAR championship? ›

The Cup Series playoffs consist of 16 drivers — the regular-season champion and then the next 15 drivers ranked by wins with ties broken by points. All three drivers who have a shot at the regular-season title are among the 13 drivers who have a win this year that have locked them in the playoffs.

What time is the NASCAR championship race on Sunday? ›

What time is the NASCAR Cup Series Championship? The NASCAR Cup Series Championship will be at 3:00 PM ET.

What are the NASCAR point standings right now? ›

Christopher Bell (2089 points) leads the NASCAR playoff standings in the Cup Series right now, with Austin Cindric (2,086 points) in second, Joey Logano (2,084 points) in third, Alex Bowman (2,084 points) in fourth, Daniel Suárez (2,079 points) in fifth and Tyler Reddick (2,073 points) sixth.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Nathanael Baumbach

Last Updated:

Views: 6292

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nathanael Baumbach

Birthday: 1998-12-02

Address: Apt. 829 751 Glover View, West Orlando, IN 22436

Phone: +901025288581

Job: Internal IT Coordinator

Hobby: Gunsmithing, Motor sports, Flying, Skiing, Hooping, Lego building, Ice skating

Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.