The world of MLB and NASCAR recently collided when the match at the Bristol Motor Speedway was announced. Ever since then, we have seen baseball athletes take extra interest in NASCAR. Many of the athletes have always been NASCAR fans, and one such player is the Atlanta Braves, Chipper Jones.

The 1995 champion spent his childhood near the Daytona International Speedway and that led to him attending several races. Despite being into NASCAR, Jones recently admitted to making his way to Bristol track for the first time after the announcement of the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds match on August 2, 2025. While Jones missed many races on an iconic track, he followed the NASCAR scene, and when he was asked about who he thought was a contender for the championship, he skipped out his friend’s name for another driver.

Chipper Jones believes Kyle Larson will win the 2024 Cup Series Championship

After the announcement of the MLB game at Bristol, FOX Sports conducted an interview with Chipper Jones. The former Atlanta Braves player was asked 11 questions related to both baseball and NASCAR as he revealed his love for the motorsport. The interview consisted of many questions from the player’s past, but one that stood out was who he believed would win the championship.

While discussing NASCAR, FOX Sports asked Chipper Jones, “Did you tell Chase to go win the championship? Do you think he’s a favorite to win the championship? Or do you have a favorite to win the championship?” Although Jones is known to be Chase Elliott’s friend, he did not vouch for his buddy but instead pointed towards another Hendrick Motorsport driver.

Jones replied to the question, saying, “I definitely like the guys in the Hendrick stable. I think somebody’s going to come through. Obviously, up to this point, Kyle Larson’s been the guy, but William Byron can win any race on the circuit as well as anybody else in that stable. I think most of us who follow the sport would probably put Larson in the driver’s seat up to this point.”

With this, it’s clear that Jones has his money on Kyle Larson to win the championship over his friend, and looking at the No. 5 driver’s performance this year, it’s justified. Kyle Larson is leading the season with 4 race wins, putting him at the top of the playoff charts. On the other hand, although Elliott has also booked his spot, it was by winning just 1 race.

As of now, all the drivers from Hendrick Motorsports have made it to the playoffs, but this makes the question even harder to answer.

Which Hendrick Motorsport driver has the best chance of winning this year’s Cup Series championship?

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When comparing drivers within a team, it gets easier to gauge where each of them stands. This year’s Hendrick Motorsports line-up consists of Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and William Byron. As of now, Kyle Larson is leading both the Cup Series and, after the last race, Chase Elliot dropped from P2 to P3.

On the other hand,  William Byron stands at P7 after the Richmond race, losing a position to Christopher Bell. Alex Bowman stands at P10 but with a race win in the bag, he will be within the top 16 by the time the season ends. Despite Kyle Larson having 3 DNFs this season, he leads the standings and that only shows how well the season is going for him.

Although William Byron is P4 on the playoff charts, he has a tie with Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, who all have 3 race wins this season. While the other 2 Hendrick Motorsport drivers have made their way into the playoffs, it is not with the same dominance as Larson or Byron. With the playoffs just 3 races away, it’s fair to say that Larson’s season is going better than his teammates.

While the whole point of the playoffs is the unpredictability that has fans hooked to their screens, anything can happen and turn the season around for Kyle Larson. As of now, he looks like the most promising candidate according to statistics, and to see who will win the Cup Series Championship this year, all we can do is wait.

Who do you think will walk away with the championship title this year? Share your thoughts in the comments below.