36 weeks, 252 days, 6,048 hours, 362,880 minutes. That’s what makes a NASCAR season. All that time comes down to one race. Four drivers, one race, one shot at immortalization, forever engraved in the history books.
NASCAR’s Championship Weekend is upon us yet again. It feels like yesterday that the season started in Daytona Beach, but we’ve come a long way since February. 35 races later, it all comes down to Phoenix. NASCAR’s championship format is somewhat difficult to understand for a first-timer. I’ll explain.
NASCAR follows a Playoff Bracket format, however, unlike the NFL and NCAA, each round isn’t head-to-head, nor is it a single game. It’s three races, in which you are up against all 40 drivers, but only 16 are in the Playoffs. If you win a race in a round, you advance. If you don’t, try to earn as many points as possible, and you can point your way in. Eliminations occur after 3 races, bringing the field down from 16, 12, 8, and 4. In the “Championship 4”, the highest placed driver remaining in the Playoffs after the checkered flag in Phoenix is the champion.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, the Championship 4 consists of Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson, and William Byron. Hamlin is the most accomplished, yet he hasn’t won a Championship. Hamlin is 44 years old, and his time is running out in NASCAR. Briscoe has never made a Championship 4 in his career, until now. In his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, he has set the bar high, and as a former Phoenix winner, his odds are high to take home the title. Larson is the only former champion (2021) in the Championship 4 this year. After a sluggish year, he squeezed his way in, and is looking to silence the doubters, and to prove he is an outstanding driver. Byron is the third wheel in this Championship 4. He’s won numerous races in the Next Gen Era, and has made the Championship 4 three years running now, and finished third each time. He’s looking to break through and claim a title.
My prediction is that Denny Hamlin will claim the championship. His father has been very ill lately, and Michael Jordan gifted Hamlin’s father many years ago with a cigar with the words inscribed “use when Denny wins the title”. It’s sat on his shelf for years, collecting dust, through years of heartbreak and agony. Hamlin has said that this is his motivation, his father, Jordan, his wife, his kids, his fans, and his team. If Denny can break through and win the title, he’ll certainly be one of the best NASCAR drivers of the 21st century. 60 wins, 3 Daytona 500s, 3 Southern 500s, 3 Bristol Night Races, 1 Coca-Cola 600, but zero Championships. Zero. He is the modern-day Mark Martin.
The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race will take place at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 2nd at 3:00 PM EST on NBC. One Race. Four Drivers. One Trophy. Who’ll win? Who’s to say? The 2025 NASCAR Season has led to one race, to be remembered forever, and a must-watch race will be put on.
