It is that time of the year again and everyone has got down to picking their choices for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race. The upcoming three races of the Round of 8 will decide who competes for the title in Phoenix.
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Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch opened up on his opinion in a recent interview in Las Vegas and delivered an interesting take. He believes that Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and William Byron are fixed entrants for the season finale.
“I would say – baring craziness, which we all enjoy chaos, I would say that the race for the final spot is between the No. 45 and the No. 11,” he quipped. “The other three are set.” Reddick, the No. 45 driver for 23XI Racing, and Hamlin, the No. 11 driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, have both been excellent this year.
The final spot being decided between the two of them would be a cruel situation considering Hamlin is the co-owner of 23XI Racing. But with Rowdy’s experience and wisdom backing it, it could be an eventual outcome.
What’s intriguing is that he left the likes of Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano out of the mix. This is despite Blaney’s position as the defending champion and Logano’s even-year luck.
Busch himself missed out on the playoffs in what was a heartbreaking turn of events. He will approach the rest of the races with the hope of reaching victory lane at least once.
He has won a single race as a bare minimum over the past 19 years and this is not a streak that he would want to break in 2024. Back to his championship picks, he found some backing from the retired icon Kevin Harvick.
Kevin Harvick also leaves Logano out of his Championship 4 favorites list
Three drivers that the former Stewart-Haas Racing man is sure will make it to the finale are Larson, Byron, and Bell. For the final spot, he hesitantly picked Hamlin over Reddick. But what ought to be noted is that both veterans have left the same set of drivers out of the cut.
An understandable stand considering how Logano secured his Round of 8 seat, owing to Alex Bowman’s disqualification. Had Bowman not been disqualified, the two-time Cup Series champion wouldn’t be going to Vegas with the title still in his sight.
The same goes for Blaney. The defending champion has been lackluster with his performances and doesn’t appear to have enough momentum on his side.
Elliott has been relying on consistency to make it thus far in the season. It is about time that he shifts into higher gears and displays some no-bar explosive speed on the track to win races.
