NASCAR: Staff Picks for Championship Four

RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 09: Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 Mountain Dew Chevrolet,, Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 DOW Chevrolet,, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Caramel Toyota, Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota, Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford, Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Hurricane Harvey Relief Toyota, Ryan Newman, driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, Jamie McMurray, driver of the #1 McDonald's Chevrolet, Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Great Clips Chevrolet, Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford, Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John's Ford, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, and Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, pose for a photo after making the playoffs following the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway on September 9, 2017 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

1 of 6

RICHMOND, VA – SEPTEMBER 09: 2017 NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

It’s playoff time for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Chicagoland Speedway kicks off the first of 10 races for 16 championship-eligible teams.

A few of us on the staff here at Beyond the Flag have made predictions for who we think will be the final four drivers left standing at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, and who will be crowned the 2017 Cup Series champion. Asher Fair, Montana Lindsley, Dustin Smith, Alex Herbst, and Shane Carlson reveal their Championship Four drivers and their 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Here is a list of the 16 drivers vying for the championship. (In standings order)

No. 78 Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry
No. 42 Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS
No. 18 Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry
No. 2 Brad Keselowski, Team Penske Ford Fusion
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS
No. 4 Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion
No. 11 Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry
No. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
No. 21 Ryan Blaney, Wood Brothers Racing Ford Fusion
No. 24 Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS
No. 31 Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS
No. 41 Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion
No. 5 Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS
No. 3 Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS
No. 20 Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry
No. 1 Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS

Home/NASCAR