NASCAR is making its way to the finish line of a long season amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial unrest we saw in June.
After the news and events surrounding the Confederate Flag and the rope that was found in Bubba Wallace’s garage, this sport has quietly moved forward and continued to offer the faced-paced competition we love to see. If you’re a fan of NASCAR, you’re certainly going to love the next week of racing.
The Field is Down to Four
The Phoenix Raceway will be the stage of the final NASCAR event of the year and it will be where one of the final four racers who are qualified to win the Cup Series trophy will be able to raise it up as a finish to the season. NASCAR was one of the first sports to make it back to competition after the initial COVID-19 pandemic had our world locked down, and now they are ready to crown a champion.
Who Made the Championship Four?
The final four racers qualified to win the NACAR Cup Series Championship this year are Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Brad Keselowski. These four will be the headliners of the race in Phoenix, but the rest of the field will also be on the track working to gain points for their teams and possibly win this single race. It’s not going to be an easy race for any of them.
Elimination Came as a Sour Result in Texas
The final qualifying race at Texas Motor Speedway was won by Kyle Busch who was already eliminated from making the final four. Joey Logano was already locked in because he won at Kansas Speedway two weeks ago in the first Round of 8 races, but the other qualifiers had to get in based on points. After the Texas race, Kevin Harvick, Alex Bowman, Martin Truex, Jr., and Kurt Busch were all eliminated from contention for the final four. Although Kevin Harvick won the regular season, his woes during the playoffs leave him out of the final four.
How Will Each of the Final Four do at Phoenix?
During the past 18 NASCAR seasons the final race was at Homestead-Miami Speedway but this year the championship has been moved to the Phoenix Raceway, which is a one-mile oval track with its own level of challenges for each of these racers. Let’s take a look at how each of the final four drivers has fared at Phoenix to offer a possible prediction for their finish this weekend.
Joey Logano
Joey Logano has had some good fortune on the Phoenix Raceway. He won the race at this location earlier this season, he won in 2016, and he has five top-five finishes in 23 starts at this track. Along with these accolades, Logano has twelve top-ten finishes at Phoenix. He seems to have this track figured out and just might become the favorite going into the race this weekend.
Brad Keselowski
Unfortunately, Keselowski has never won at Phoenix. His best finish was second in the 2018 playoff race. He does have six top-five finishes at the track and ten top-ten races, giving him a good resume of driving on this track. The car Keselowski will use at Phoenix is the same one he used to win at the Richmond Raceway and on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which are similar tracks.
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin has two career wins at Phoenix with the most recent coming last fall when the track was the last stop before Homestead. During this race, Hamlin won in dominating fashion while leading 45.8 percent of the laps around the track. His thirty starts at Phoenix have netted thirteen top-five finishes and 17 top-ten races. Unfortunately, he did finish in 20thduring the race in March, but that might not be the case this weekend.
Chase Elliott
The most inexperienced racer at Phoenix is Chase Elliott. He has only raced at this track nine times but he does have a solid record. While he, like Keselowski, is still looking for his first win, he does have two top-five finishes and five top-ten races with his best finish being second in 2017. The spring race at Phoenix was a race in which Elliott finished in seventh place, but this weekend could be much better.
Get Ready to Crown a NASCAR Champion
Keep your eyes on the four qualified racers during the NASCAR race at the Phoenix Raceway this weekend. One of these four men will raise the trophy and be the Cup Series Champion for the 2020 season and playoffs. Get ready for some power, speed, and adrenaline on the track this weekend.
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