Who Are the Favorites to Join Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in the Championship 4?

Last weekend, Christopher Bell surprised many, including himself, to win the NASCAR Cup race at Homestead-Miami. In the process, he managed to secure his berth in the 2023 Championship 4. Bell now joins Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson in the group and they will await their remaining rivals. Currently, there are six contenders, vying for two spots, meaning that four will walk away disappointed.

Larson drew first blood when he triumphed at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Then Bell is the latest one to book his spot, though he did confess that at one point, he was doubting his chances. Apparently, he was struggling with balance issues and only led 26 laps out of 267. Nevertheless, those laps were the important ones, especially the last lap of the race. Now the question is, who will join them in the Championship 4 season finale at Phoenix?

Who can join Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in the final 4?

Starting off the list is Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. The #24 driver has been in fine form in 2023, with six wins this season. This puts him on 10 career wins in the Cup Series. He is the current points leader in the standings and could qualify on the basis of points.

READ MORE: Christopher Bell is Ready to Step Out of Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr’s Shadows, and This is Why

Next on the list is Ryan Blaney, who has been on an upward trajectory in the past few races. At a time when defending champion Joey Logano faltered at the first hurdle, Blaney stepped up. Hopefully, for Team Penske, he spares them a few blushes and mounts a challenge. If none of the Playoff contenders win at Martinsville, Blaney could sneak into Championship 4, based on points.

Tyler Reddick is another strong driver and he is capable of winning races are potentially pulling off an upset. His team boss Denny Hamlin has always been considered a championship threat, so he could be a possible favorite. Hamlin’s and Christopher Bell’s teammate Martin Truex Jr is also one to watch out for. The #19 driver is on a bit of a redemption arc after a nightmare 2022 season, and he is keen to make up for it. Finally, there is Chris Buescher, who has been a bit of a surprise package with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

Will Denny Hamlin get a Cup title or will Martin Truex Jr redeem himself?

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For Joe Gibbs Racing, this is quite possibly the best-case scenario. They have one driver in the Final 4, and two of them have a chance to make it three against one Hendrick Motorsports driver. Even if William Byron does manage to secure a berth, all it takes is for one JGR driver to make it an even playing field. After all, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing are fairly big rivals. Meanwhile, 23XI Racing, RFK Racing and Team Penske could be on to try and spoil the party for the two giants.

With HMS having a wretched season and not having all four drivers in the Playoffs, the advantage is with JGR. As it happened, injuries away from the track put Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman out of action for a while. So they lost their chance to qualify for the Playoffs. Owing to this, HMS are merely at half-strength, so Larson and Byron have to fire on all cylinders.

Fortunately, Kyle Larson spared the organization a few blushes, with his win at Las Vegas. Now, all that he can do is play the waiting game and maybe try to help Byron reach the Championship 4. He will be sure that Christopher Bell will be hoping to do the same for Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. Hamlin could be a favorite because he has five wins at Martinsville, but even Truex Jr is a former winner. In other words, the battle will be far from straightforward for the victory and a spot in the Championship 4.

Everything depends on how Martinsville plays out in the coming weekend

There are so many questions about the 2023 NASCAR Cup season. No one can really tell which driver has the advantage until qualifying has wrapped up in a neat little bow. Christopher Bell won last year’s race, with Truex Jr winning in 2019. And for Hamlin, Martinsville is his favorite track with five career wins. Besides them, no one else has won the Xfinity 500, but there have been drivers who won the NOCO 400 at Martinsville. Kyle Larson, Byron, Truex Jr, and Hamlin can count themselves as winners in this race.

So the main talking point is, will one of them add to their tally? Or will there be a new winner among the Playoff contenders? Let’s not also forget the drivers who are not in Playoff contention, who could throw a spanner in the works for these six. Since Martinsville is a short track, it will be important for the Playoff drivers to try to stay clean and avoid damage. Furthermore, there will no longer be any ‘Hail Mary’ moves like Ross Chastain’s infamous wall ride.

As it stands, William Byron and Ryan Blaney stand the best chance of reaching the final 4, based on points. However, if either Reddick, Truex Jr, Hamlin or Buescher win, then Blaney could be vulnerable. That is unless he accumulates enough points in the first two stages and the final stage to outscore Byron.

On the short track front, Denny Hamlin won at Bristol earlier in the Playoffs. Meanwhile, Chris Buescher won at Richmond during the regular season, and Kyle Larson won at Martinsville in the regular season. Finally, with regard to the season finale at Phoenix, William Byron won at the track earlier this year. However, does that mean that he is a favorite to win the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship?

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