Ford’s Dark Horse Reignites Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Hopes in Ryan Blaney as He Names His Championship-4 Picks

When the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season commenced, not many people gave Ryan Blaney a chance. But one man who did was Dale Earnhardt Jr., and his prediction came true. This time, the 2-time Xfinity Series champion has put his faith in the Team Penske star yet again, but it may be even more difficult for the driver of the #12 to retain his crown.

On a recent episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast, he made his early predictions for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, including the championship 4 and the title winner. The picks put Team Penske in a strong position and don’t give much luck to Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. But it will be interesting to see if he gets it right this time around as well.

Dale Earnhardt Jr predicts Team Penske dominance in championship 4

According to Dale Earnhardt Jr, the 4 drivers who will make the championship 4 in the NASCAR Cup Series are Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin. The reason Junior went with 2 Penske cars and one each of HMS and JGR was just how well the team ran towards the end of last season. Another factor is that Ford has a new car for this season which could make a lot of difference.

Joey Logano’s pick was interesting considering that he was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year. However, it is important to note that the driver of the #22 is a 2-time Cup Series champion who has a point to prove in 2024. Only time will tell if he can actually make it to Phoenix where he can win his third championship.

“My 4 is Logano, Larson, Hamlin, and Blaney. And I got Blaney repeating. Now I know the odds of that happening are not good at all…it’s never happened. This is a short sample of what we’re pulling from to say oh this has never happened. We’re not pulling from 75 years of history here, just a few. I think that man they ran so good at the end of the year. They got a new car. Is that new car gonna help them at some of these other racetracks, is it gonna help them in some scenarios aerodynamically and so forth that they find themselves in where they were a bit challenged?” Junior said.

However, it will not be easy for Team Penske to have 2 drivers in the championship 4, and as per Junior, one thing they have to be wary of is Toyota. The Japanese manufacturer has released a new Camry which the team will run in the 2024 Cup Series.

Watch This Story: Logano’s warning to Ty Gibbs: A brewing NASCAR rivalry

Which will reign supreme, the new Camry or the Mustang Dark Horse?

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According to Dale Earnhardt Jr, the new Toyota Camry will be a massive help to the drivers in terms of pushing. Changes have been made to the front end of the car from last season, which may give its drivers an advantage at the longer tracks like the Daytona International Speedway and the Talladega Superspeedway.

“I know that Toyota also has a new car too so could be interesting to see how those…that matters. The little changes in the front end especially I think where we’re mainly going to see that is Daytona and Talladega where the pushing happens. They made the Toyota a lot better in terms of being able to push another car,” the 2-time Xfinity Series champion explained.

There will be a lot at stake going into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship for every team involved in the competition. Chevrolet dominated last season with 18 wins and won the manufacturer’s championship for the third consecutive year. Which manufacturer will reign supreme this year?

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