NASCAR: Every possible driver combination for the Championship 4

With Kyle Larson locked into the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, here are the remaining possible driver confirmations for the season finale.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson became the first driver to lock up a spot in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway when he won this past Sunday afternoon’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Understandably, he is the heavy favorite to win the title, having won a series-high eight races this season (nobody else has more than four) and a season-high three playoff races thus far.

Here are the championship odds after this past Sunday’s race, courtesy of WynnBET.

• Kyle Larson: +150
• Denny Hamlin: +475
• Ryan Blaney: +500
• Kyle Busch: +650
• Chase Elliott: +750
• Martin Truex Jr.: +1100
• Brad Keselowksi: +1600
• Joey Logano: +2500

With Larson having clinched, this past Sunday’s race leaves three spots open in the championship race at the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) oval in Avondale, Arizona on Sunday, November 7, and there are two races left to determine who those three drivers will be.

Make your pick now on WynnBET.

The middle race of the round of 8 is scheduled to take place at Kansas Speedway this Sunday, October 24 (3:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network), and the round of 8 finale is scheduled to take place at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, October 31 (2:00 p.m. ET on NBC).

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If these two races are won by different remaining round of 8 drivers, that will leave one spot open for a driver to clinch on points.

If just one of them is won by a remaining contender, that will leave two spots open for drivers to clinch on points.

And if none of them are won by remaining contenders, that will leave three spots open for drivers to clinch on points.

Here is the current playoff picture among the seven drivers vying for the final three Championship 4 spots.

Rank – Driver – Points (+/- cut line)
2 – Ryan Blaney – 4072 (+17)
3 – Denny Hamlin – 4064 (+9)
4 – Kyle Busch – 4063 (+8)
——–CHAMPIONSHIP 4 CUT LINE——–
5 – Chase Elliott – 4055 (-8)
6 – Brad Keselowski – 4048 (-15)
7 – Martin Truex Jr. – 4041 (-22)
8 – Joey Logano – 4020 (-43)

When the round of 8 started, there were 70 possible driver combinations for the Championship 4, With Larson having secured his spot, there are now 35 possible combinations.

NOTE: Each number represents a driver, based on the above playoff picture (i.e. Ryan Blaney is #2). Order doesn’t matter and Kyle Larson is #1.

1. 1-2-3-4
2. 1-2-3-5
3. 1-2-3-6
4. 1-2-3-7
5. 1-2-3-8
6. 1-2-4-5
7. 1-2-4-6
8. 1-2-4-7
9. 1-2-4-8
10. 1-2-5-6
11. 1-2-5-7
12. 1-2-5-8
13. 1-2-6-7
14. 1-2-6-8
15. 1-2-7-8
16. 1-3-4-5
17. 1-3-4-6
18. 1-3-4-7
19. 1-3-4-8
20. 1-3-5-6
21. 1-3-5-7
22. 1-3-5-8
23. 1-3-6-7
24. 1-3-6-8
25. 1-3-7-8
26. 1-4-5-6
27. 1-4-5-7
28. 1-4-5-8
29. 1-4-6-7
30. 1-4-6-8
31. 1-4-7-8
32. 1-5-6-7
33. 1-5-6-8
34. 1-5-7-8
35. 1-6-7-8

Here’s what to expect moving forward.

If Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway is won by a round of 8 driver other than Larson, there will then be 15 remaining combinations heading into the round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway, as there are 15 ways to pick two drivers out of a group of six (again, without order mattering). But if it isn’t, there will still be 35 heading into the third and final race of the semifinal round.

If the round of 8 ends with three different winners (among the championship contenders), there will be five possible combinations, since there will be five drivers who can potentially secure the fourth and final spot on points.

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