PHOENIX — NASCAR’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway is Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC. Four drivers are vying for a championship trophy after 35 grueling points races, including a dramatic closer to the Round of 8 at Martinsville last Sunday.
The Championship 4 consists of two teams each from two organizations, Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, with compelling arguments for any of the final drivers to win the title race. Two drivers, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, are seeking their first championship, while Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. are aiming to take home their second trophy.
Here’s what else to know about each driver and what he said leading up to the season’s final showdown.
Kyle Larson
— Advanced to the Championship 4 with a win at Texas/Kansas
— NASCAR’s 2021 regular-season champion
— Nine race wins in 2021 (five wins during the regular season, four wins during the postseason)
— First appearance in the Championship 4 race
— Advanced to the Round of 8 in the playoffs previously, but never further until this season
— Finished seventh at Phoenix in March
— Predicted as the favorite to win by multiple sports betting sites
— What he said about being considered the favorite: “I don’t think you can look at any of the four of us and pick a favorite. A lot of the races I’ve won are on the 550 (horsepower) package, high downforce stuff. Maybe that’s what would hinder me, but we’ve been good at the 750 races, too. I think it’s pretty equal, but I’m excited to compete with these three other guys.”
Chase Elliott
— Advanced to the Championship 4 on points
— NASCAR’s defending Cup Series champion
— Two race wins in 2021 (both during the regular season)
— Second appearance in the Championship 4 race
— Finished fifth at Phoenix in March
— What he said about fans rallying around driver feuds: “It’s good to have that passion, whichever side you’re on. If someone’s making noise, they care. And whether that’s a cheer or a boo, they care, so (I’m) relishing the fact that they’re there to watch and they care about what you’re doing.”
Denny Hamlin
— Advanced to the Championship 4 on points
— Two race wins in 2021 (both during the postseason)
— Fourth Championship 4 appearance with new format
— Seeking first Cup championship
— Finished third at Phoenix in March
— What he said about whether he cares about popularity with fans: “No, because it doesn’t correlate to common sense. We were the guys that were crashed (at Martinsville) and we were booed? ... Obviously, people were passionate about their driver, which that’s OK, but honestly, it doesn’t make any sense in the grand scheme of like what’s actually going on. It’s just bitter fans from half a decade ago.”
Martin Truex Jr.
— Advanced to the Championship 4 on points
— Four race wins in 2021 (three during the regular season, one during the postseason)
— Fifth Championship 4 appearance with the new format
— Seeking second Cup championship (won the title in 2017)
— Finished first in Phoenix race in March
— What he said about his mindset leading into Sunday: “I feel really confident. I don’t know, I’ve felt confident in other ones, but this one, I don’t know. I just feel a little bit different, a little bit better, a little bit more relaxed. I think the more you do this, the more relaxed you get about it and the more you understand the situation and how to worry about what you can control and not the other outside noise. I’m just feeling good.”
