MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Team Penske’s absence in next weekend’s Cup championship race makes the event wide open, says one of the drivers who will race for a title.
“I really couldn’t tell you who would be the favorite now,” Kyle Larson said Sunday evening. “Where if (Ryan) Blaney would have won (at Martinsville), we all would say he’s the favorite.”
Team Penske’s strength in the title race at Phoenix had hung over these playoffs as Blaney and reigning champion Joey Logano — who had combined to win the last three crowns — advanced to the Round of 8. No matter what others did in the playoffs, it often came back to the Penske drivers and Phoenix.
Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson claims the final spot in the title race at Phoenix.
In the joy of his victory last weekend at Talladega that secured a title appearance, Chase Briscoe pondered what a Championship 4 race without Team Penske would be like and said: “Personally I would love to not see a Penske car (advance).”
He got his wish. Both Blaney and Logano had to win Sunday to advance and didn’t.
Hendrick Motorsports captured the final half of the Championship 4.
William Byron, who also was in a must-win situation, bumped Blaney out of the lead with 44 laps left in Sunday’s 500-lap race at Martinsville and went on to win. Larson claimed the final transfer spot.
Blaney finished second. Logano was eighth.
“Stinks that we fell short,” Blaney said. “It stinks we’re not going to Phoenix (to race for a title).”
Blaney ‘just got loose’ down Martinsville stretch
Ryan Blaney explains what was happening inside his car as William Byron blew by him at Martinsville, saying that he just got a bit careless and “was fading quick.”
This marks the first time since 2021 Team Penske has not had a car in the championship race.
The Cup championship will be decided between Larson, Briscoe, Byron and Denny Hamlin. It will be Hendrick Motorsports (Larson and Byron) vs. Joe Gibbs Racing (Hamlin and Briscoe). Larson is the only former champion remaining.
So, who is the favorite now?
It depends on what criteria you use.
Hamlin could be the favorite because …
# He won a series-high six races this season.
# He is making his fifth title appearance, most among the championship contenders.
# He’s won twice in the playoffs.
# He finished second at Phoenix in the spring, best among the title contenders.
# He won the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas and his team has had two weeks to focus on Phoenix. Three of the last four drivers who won the opening race in the Round of 8 went on to win the championship that season.
Byron could be the favorite because …
# He won the regular season championship.
# He has led a series-high 1,278 laps this season.
# He ranks No. 1 this season in restarts, according to Racing Insights data.
# This is his third consecutive year in the title race.
# While he finished eighth at Phoenix in the spring, he led 83 of the 312 laps.
# He finished third at New Hampshire in September, best among the remaining title contenders at a track that shares similarities with Phoenix.
Byron: ‘Things have a way of working out’
William Byron reacts to his win to cap off the Round of 8 at a Martinsville course that holds a special place in his heart and commends the Hendrick Motorsports team for their resilience all season.
Larson could be the favorite because …
# He has the No. 1 pit crew this season, according to Racing Insights data.
# He ranks No. 1 in speed for the season, according to Racing Insights data.
# He has the most wins in the Next Gen era (since 2022) with 16 victories (Hamlin is next with 14 and then Byron with 13).
Larson: Byron’s Martinsville win was ‘awesome’
When asked if he was ever in doubt about his late battle with Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson responds that he just wanted to avoid any cautions before giving teammate William Byron props for a strong showing.
Briscoe could be the favorite because …
# He ranks first in the series in top-five finishes this season with 15 in 35 races.
# He has two wins in the playoffs.
So, who will win the title at Phoenix next weekend?
“I think,” Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon said, “it is wide open.”