WATCH: Dale Earnhardt Jr Reveals His ‘Surprise’ Favorite for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff

NASCAR Playoffs are here! And 1999 NASCAR Busch Series Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr has talked about his favorite drivers going into the playoffs. Answering a fan question about his top 4, Earnhardt Jr. revealed whom he wants to see at the top during his Dirty Mo Jo podcast.

Picking Hendrick Motorsports Chase Elliott as his first choice, Earnhardt Jr said; “Chase is definitely going in with the playoff points that he has. And he will continue to accumulate throughout the playoff. I think that he is a lock.”

With a successful season behind him, Elliott entered the playoffs with a total of 2040 points and 4 Cup Series wins to his name. 

Besides Elliott, Earnhardt Jr’s next choice was Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson. Entering the playoffs with 2019 points, Larson currently has 2 Cup Series wins to his name. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin was third on Earnhardt Jr’s list. Qualifying for playoffs with 2013 points, Hamlin has also won twice this season. However, his last pick was a surprising one. 

Explaining his choice, Dale Earnhardt Jr, said, “I think that Larson gets in and I think Denny gets in. And something tells me that maybe it’s gonna be a surprise on that fourth guy … like Reddick.”

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Earnhardt added, “I know that’s crazy,” and explained that Reddick belongs to Richard Childress Racing and the team has made it to the playoffs a few times. Pointing out that his team has “found some pace in their cars,” Earnhardt Jr said that “they are a team that has some tricks. Tricks that have been sitting there, waiting for the right time.” 

Having been associated with the team, Dale Earnhardt Jr choosing Richard Childress Racing seems like an obvious choice. However, that is not the case entirely, as the team has its own fifty-year-old glorious history. 

What history is Dale Earnhardt Jr talking about?

Richard Childress Racing has been a part of NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. Based in Welcome, North Carolina, the team made its Cup debut in the 1969 Talladega 500. With 112 wins and 6 championships today, the team won their first NASCAR Cup Series title in 1986.

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Moreover, the five-time NASCAR Xfinity Series Champions have a robust driver lineup. With both their full-time Cup Series drivers into the playoffs, the team would have high hopes now. Can they do it? Can one of their drivers take the championship home this season?