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 16: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Sweet Heat Toyota (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

Alex Herbst’s Championship Four

Martin Truex Jr.: He enters the playoffs as the favorite to win the title. He has won the most stages, most races, and led the most laps by far of any contender. But what could hold him back, if anything? His small team at Furniture Row Racing. Not having true teammates to lean on in the playoffs may hurt his chances. Any shortcomings here though are aided by a massive total of playoff points.

Kyle Larson: Larson needed to prove to fans and competitors that he could win on tracks smaller than 2 miles in length in 2017. He did that to end the season with a win at Richmond. Larson then put the field on notice, showing he will be a contender for the title all the way down to Homestead. But will Chip Ganassi Racing’s lack of experience in the championship battle hurt them?

Kyle Busch: Rowdy may not have won a race until late in the regular season, but he was consistently a contender for wins and stage points throughout 2017. That consistency will keep Busch in the picture for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship this year, perhaps even being more consistent than Truex Jr.

Brad Keselowski: The driver of the No. 2 can and will leverage his experience and his power within the sport to angle for a final four spot. It also doesn’t hurt to spark a Twitter war with everyone’s least favorite driver, Kyle Busch, to get the fans on your side. Team Penske only having one driver in the title fight will also help, with assets and personnel likely focusing more on the No. 2 squad than Joey Logano’s No. 22 car.

Champion

Kyle Busch: He will win the 2017 championship because of his consistent effort throughout the 2017 season. He will not win it in huge style with big points grabs or wins like Truex Jr. will try to do, but instead rely on his experience from his 2015 championship run to claim his first ever Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title.

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