Former Cup Series drivers Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty recently revealed their picks for the championship race this season and people are not happy about it. One of the biggest reasons for this is the exclusion of Christopher Bell by both NASCAR veterans. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has made the playoffs in both the last two editions. He also has the most playoff points this year more than he has ever had. So it is a fair shout to include the driver of the #20 car in that list.
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Three drivers were the same for both Petty and Jarrett — Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Tyler Reddick. Reddick recently won the regular season championship which has put him in a highly advantageous position on points. Larson is one of the best race car drivers in the world today and has been a title favorite ever since the season began. Hamlin, on the other hand, is a bit contentious for some fans. The #11 driver has never delivered on the big stage and has not been on the best run of late.
Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty made their Championship 4 picks.
What are yours? #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/h41i4D6nJJ
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 8, 2024
Jarrett named reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney as his fourth pick while Petty put his faith in William Byron. Bell’s exclusion is a bit unusual considering how good he has been this season. The JGR star has won three races so far and sits second on the points table at the moment. He was never considered the favorite the last two years but consistently made it as one of the top four to race for the championship at Phoenix.
Bell currently sits 40 points ahead of the cutline. If he runs well, it should not be a problem for him to make it into the round of 12. However, the next couple of races at Watkins Glen and Bristol can be quite tricky.
Fans slam Bell’s exclusion from Final Four
NASCAR fans are known to be opinionated and vocal, and they made their thoughts clear about Petty and Jarrett’s picks. “No Bell…bookmarked,” one user commented on X. “Kinda shocking no Bell in either,” quipped another. Some fans were not happy with Hamlin getting a shout. It has been a long time since he won a race and a lot of fans don’t believe he has what it takes to win the Cup Series anymore.
“Enough with the Hamlin d***riding he is not making the championship 4,” one fan commented. “That’s funny they both put Hamlin in the final 4,” quipped another. It will be interesting to see if they’re right or if the #11 driver proves them wrong. However, a lot of the favor lies with the driver of the #20 car. “Bell won races during last two playoffs, he is a closer,” another user wrote.
