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) /

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JOLIET, IL – SEPTEMBER 15: Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

Asher Fair’s Championship Four

Martin Truex Jr.:He dominated the regular season standings as well as the stage points and playoff points. In fact, he has over one full race’s worth of regular points in playoff points that he will carry with him from now until the season finale at Homestead, which he will more than likely qualify for.

Kyle Larson: From a head-to-head standpoint, he has really been the only driver that has had anything for Truex Jr. all season long. He tied for the lead among all drivers with four victories, and he racked up another seven 2nd place finishes as well, giving him top 2 finishes in over 40% of the regular season races (11 of 26).

Jimmie Johnson: It’s playoff time now, and that’s when he historically has been at his best. After all, he is one of three 7-time champions of the sport who knows how to win when it matters most. Without the playoffs, he would only have won three of those seven titles.

Kyle Busch: Ever since he broke his win drought of over a year at Pocono, he has been on a roll. Let’s not forget that he is, in fact, a former champion of the sport, as he won the title in 2015. That season, he drove in just 25 of the 36 races thanks to injuries he suffered in a nasty wreck at Daytona.

Champion

Kyle Larson:
At just 25 years old, he has nothing to lose, with a ton to gain. While other drivers have more experience deep in the playoffs, they have faltered at Homestead before, while Larson has not. Sometimes what you don’t know doesn’t hurt you. Plus, Homestead is a great track for him and should be a threat to win there.

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