The NASCAR Cup Series playoff field is set, and 16 drivers will be competing for racing immortality at the conclusion of the Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 2.
Yesterday, we discussed five drivers who you should probably steer clear of in any betting games, in addition to the other six, a group which includes Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Shane van Gisbergen, and Austin Dillon, who are heavy underdogs.
That leaves five hopefuls who have everything they need to be crowned the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion. Here's why each of them can win it all.
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports
It's simple: Byron's team has been the best team all year. He has unloaded with contending speed nearly every week, regardless of track type, and his pit crew and crew chief Rudy Fugle seldom ever put him in difficult positions.
No one in NASCAR has it made better than the driver of the No. 24 car, and he's good enough to capitalize on it. It's a near guarantee that he finds his way to Phoenix for his third straight Championship 4, and he'll have as good of a shot as anyone to win his first title.
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
Byron may have the best team, but the No. 12 team has the best driver this season. That would be Blaney, who if not for a comically unlucky stretch of finishes earlier in the season, all due to unavoidable circumstances, would be running away with the points lead right now.
Oh, by the way, Team Penske is three-for-three winning championships in the Next Gen era, and the second-generation star has won at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the title round in back-to-back years. If he makes it to Phoenix, he should be the presumptive favorite.
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
It's a broken record at this point: It's Denny Hamlin's year! (Just ask him). But, because nothing makes sense in this world, this might actually be his year, for real this time.
Nobody has stood out as head-and-shoulders above the field, and working in his favor is the fact that this year's playoff schedule lines up in such a way that no round includes both a road course and a superspeedway, two track types that have been glaring weaknesses for him since the introduction of the Next Gen car.
No one expected the 20-year veteran to still be a title contender after losing crew chief Chris Gabehart, but at this point it must be reckoned with that he's going to keep being a thorn in everyone else's favorite driver's side until he finally wins one.
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing
Remember when Bell won three straight races back in February and March and everyone thought he was going to dominate the living daylights out of 2025? Well, it didn't quite turn out that way, with no victories since then, but his most recent one was at *checks notes* Phoenix, the host of the Championship 4.
That's enough reason to pencil in the Oklahoma native as a serious threat, provided he rekindles enough of his springtime magic to be one of the last four standing.
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
NASCAR's brightest star may be the hardest one to dissect in 2025. On his best day, he's still better than anyone else in the field is on theirs. The only problem is he hasn't had one of those days in months, ever since his ill-fated Memorial Day double attempt resulted in a pair of wrecks.
We've seen seasons like Larson's before that have gotten turned around when it mattered most, most notably from his Hendrick Motorsports predecessor Jimmie Johnson. For that reason, he still can't be counted out, even during a season that's seen a noticeable downturn in performance from his previous two.
USA Network is set to provide live coverage of the playoff opener from Darlington Raceway this Sunday, August 31 starting at 6:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss the Cook Out Southern 500!