2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs: Championship 4 field set
By Asher Fair
With the Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway in the books, the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 field has been solidified.
The three-race round of 8 of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs has been completed, halving the list of championship contenders from eight to four.
These four drivers are slated to move on to the fourth and final round of the four-round, 10-race playoffs, the Championship 4, where the highest finishing of these four drivers will be crowned 2019 champion.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin closed out the round of 8 by winning the 312-lap Bluegreen Vacations 500 around the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) ISM Raceway oval in Avondale, Arizona, as he took the checkered flag for the sixth time in the 2019 season.
How did the four Championship 4 drivers put themselves in position to advance to the Championship 4 throughout the round of 8, which included races at Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and ISM Raceway?
Here is a brief overview of the Championship 4 field ahead of the Ford EcoBoost 400. This race, which is the lone race of the Championship 4, is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 17.
Advancing
Martin Truex Jr., #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Won at Martinsville
- Sixth place at Texas
- Sixth place at ISM
- Average finish: 4.33
- First place finish in round of 8 standings (first in playoff picture)
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Kevin Harvick, #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
- Seventh place at Martinsville
- Won at Texas
- Fifth place at ISM
- Average finish: 4.33
- Fourth place finish in round of 8 standings (second in playoff picture)
Denny Hamlin, #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Fourth place at Martinsville
- 28th place at Texas
- Won at ISM
- Average finish: 11.00
- Fifth place finish in round of 8 standings (third in playoff picture)
Kyle Busch, #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- 14th place at Martinsville
- Seventh place at Texas
- Second place at ISM
- Average finish: 7.67
- Second place finish in round of 8 standings (fourth in playoff picture)
Eliminated
Joey Logano, #22 Team Penske Ford
- Eighth place at Martinsville
- Fourth place at Texas
- Ninth place at ISM
- Average finish: 7.00
- Third place finish in round of 8 standings (fifth in playoff picture)
Ryan Blaney, #12 Team Penske Ford
- Fifth place at Martinsville
- Eighth place at Texas
- Third place at ISM
- Average finish: 5.33
- Sixth place finish in round of 8 standings (sixth in playoff picture)
Kyle Larson, #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
- Ninth place at Martinsville
- 12th place at Texas
- Fourth place at ISM
- Average finish: 8.33
- Seventh place finish in round of 8 standings (seventh in playoff picture)
Chase Elliott, #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- 36th place at Martinsville
- 32nd place at Texas
- 39th place at ISM
- Average finish: 35.67
- Eighth place finish in round of 8 standings (eighth in playoff picture)
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The Ford EcoBoost 400 is scheduled to take place this Sunday, November 17, and it is set to be broadcast live from Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Be sure not to miss the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4.