The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs open on Sunday in Atlanta after a very eventful summer of racing.
It’s not the strongest playoff field in the two-decade history of playoff formats in the Cup Series. A run of unlikely winners in July and August have shaken up the bottom half of the playoff picture. Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace are not in the playoffs but could be consistent contenders through the fall.
But we’re not talking about the non-playoff drivers. NASCAR crowns a new Cup Series champion in 10 weeks in Phoenix.
Here’s The Tennessean’s NASCAR playoff picks ahead of Sunday’s opening race:
NASCAR PLAYOFF PICTURE: Cup Series points standings after Darlington
NASCAR playoffs predictions: Here’s who wins the 2024 Cup Series championship
Mike Organ, reporter: Kyle Larson earns another Cup championship for Hendrick
Eliminated after Round of 16
-
Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Martin Truex Jr.
Briscoe’s win in the regular season finale at Darlington was a surprise so it will come as no surprise when he makes an early exit from the playoffs. The same goes for Cindric and Burton. And Truex simply has no momentum going into the playoffs.
Eliminated after Round of 12
-
Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowski
I came close to giving Logano the boot in the opening round because he has been so inconsistent. Except for Atlanta and Richmond, Suarez has been slow for the better part of the season. Bowman should be happy to make this far while Keselowski is the only one in my group capable of proving me wrong and going further.
Eliminated after Round of 8
-
Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, William Byron, Tyler Reddick
Elliott has looked really good in spots but the bottom line is he has not finished better than ninth in the last nine races. Gibbs has looked good throughout the season and could prove me wrong here.
Championship 4
-
Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney
Cup champion
I picked Larson to win more than any driver throughout the season and there’s no reason to stop here. He is the prohibitive favorite.
Tom Kreager, sports director: Christopher Bell wins his first Cup title
Eliminated after Round of 16
-
Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, Chase Briscoe, Harrison Burton
No surprises here. They all won races as sleeper picks to lock up playoff berths.
Eliminated after Round of 12
-
Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman
Truex’s fulltime NASCAR Cup career ends shy of a second championship. But it was a heckuva run.
Eliminated after Round of 8
-
Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Chase Elliott
Byron and Elliott – both part of Hendrick Motorsports – don’t get to run for a championship.
Championship 4
-
Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson
Joe Gibbs Racing gets a nod with two of four left competing for a championship.
Cup Series champion
Is this a surprise? Anyone not named Larson or Hamlin has to be considered a surprise. But Bell has been dynamic this season.
Nick Gray, trending reporter: Kyle Larson gets it done
Eliminated after Round of 16
-
Harrison Burton, Martin Truex Jr., Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman
It’s alarming how poorly Truex and the No. 19 JGR team is executing right now. I have no trust that they can put three results together. Burton, Cindric and Bowman made their season-long goals by making the playoffs.
Eliminated after Round of 12
-
Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez
Elliott is the surprise here after finishing third in regular season points. The No. 9 team hasn’t finished better than ninth since Iowa. Logano has had a trying season despite the Nashville win, so this wouldn’t be a surprising place for his championship hopes to end. Briscoe goes to Joe Gibbs Racing with momentum, while Suarez and Trackhouse continue to make inroads into the series elite.
Eliminated after Round of 8
-
Brad Keselowski, Ty Gibbs, William Byron, Tyler Reddick
Reddick could be the title favorite, but unless he wins at Martinsville he will be under threat to miss out on the final four. Byron is a tough omission from the top four too, but his time is coming soon. Keselowski could surprise given his experience, but RFK Racing needs to better on short tracks. Gibbs’ time is also coming soon, but his lack of victories will hurt him in this round.
Championship 4
-
Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney
Denny Hamlin is in the final four again, and he’ll miss out on a title again. Sorry, Denny.
Cup champion
Larson is the favorite, and the guy you want to have driving a car in a must-win race.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR playoffs predictions 2024: Who will win Cup Series title?
Read the full article here
Discussion about this post