Before the 2024 Cup Series season began, Kevin Harvick had picked his former rival Denny Hamlin as his favorite to win the championship. Only four more races remain and he is now less confident about the No. 11 driver’s chances. However, he still believes Hamlin will make it to the Championship 4.
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Hamlin has not won a race since the event in Dover, and his performance in the playoffs has been average at best. “I can’t go against my pick, so I’m gonna take Reddick out, put Denny Hamlin in because he’s my pick, but I’m not 100% confident,” Harvick said on the Harvick Happy Hour podcast. The other three drivers he picked for the final four were Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Christopher Bell.
He mentioned that the No. 11 has to win a race, probably the one in Martinsville, in the Round of 8 to make it into the final four. Another notable driver he left out was Chase Elliott. He added, “Chase Elliott has been very consistent and had quality good finishes but I just haven’t seen that dominant performance.”
Despite his hesitation to pick Hamlin, Harvick noted that he was the wildcard heading into this round. It has been a long and arduous wait for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to win a championship. He is currently below the cutline and needs three great performances or one win to make it to the final four.
Kyle Larson considers Hamlin to be a strong threat
Larson is mighty confident of winning his second Cup Series championship this season. His form has been unmatchable and he heads into the Round of 8 on top of his victory at the Charlotte Roval. However, he is still wary of his competitors finding a purple patch at any point of the season. One of the drivers that he views as a big threat to his title charge is Hamlin.
“I mean, I still view Denny as probably being the guy that has the speed that we do,” he said in a recent interview. “He’s just had a run of some crappy luck really for a while. Especially I think when you look at the next four tracks, Denny could win at any of them. Then I think William too. He’s sneaky good.”
Larson is still the favorite to win the championship but the Cup Series can get extremely unpredictable. It will be interesting to see if Hamlin can find his form and carry it to the championship race in Phoenix. Considering his winless run in the last several weeks, it would be a fantastic comeback.
