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
(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
(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
(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
(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
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