There are only four races remaining in the Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series, and Kyle Larson holds a commanding 49-point lead. But with the extra bonus points for wins that were instituted this season, that advantage can evaporate as quickly as he built it.
Chase Briscoe has won back-to-back events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway, in doing so going from 123 points behind to only 65. But as the series heads to Phoenix Raceway, there's another contender you'll want to keep your eyes on.
Everybody counted out Ryan Blaney after two crash DNFs in the first three Chase races. Now, he's one Larson misstep away from being right back in it.
Ryan Blaney survived the crucial stretch that was supposed to end his title hopes, and now the schedule lines up in his favor
After blowing a brake rotor at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and tangling with Carson Hocevar at Bristol Motor Speedway, Blaney's title hopes seemed shot. And the biggest reason for that was because the next three races were on 1.5-mile intermediates, where Team Penske had struggled all year.
Blaney finished fifth, fifth, and third in those three events.
He lost points to Larson, who won at Kansas Speedway, but he didn't lose as much as everybody expected him to, and that's key. Penske has turned a corner as an organization, with even Austin Cindric and Josh Berry having consistent high-end speed in recent weeks.
The next four races are all at tracks where Blaney should be considered one of the favorites. He's won the last two times the Cup Series has been to Phoenix. He's won two of the last three fall events at Martinsville Speedway. And while Talladega Superspeedway is a wild card, he's arguably the best drafter in the series.
If Blaney enters the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in contention, it will be a tough task against Larson at his personal playground. But he also dominated there last year prior to blowing an engine.
Realistically, Blaney probably needs to win at least twice in the final four weeks, and he'll need Larson to have at least one poor finish. And he certainly can't afford to wreck at Talladega or have any other backbreaking issues.
But it's not impossible, the way it looked three weeks ago. And if this season has shown us anything, it's that momentum can change in a hurry.
First, it looked like Tyler Reddick was going to run away with the season. Then, Denny Hamlin was the man to beat. Now, Larson, Christopher Bell, and Briscoe have been the class of the field during the Chase.
But Blaney has been just as good as all of them all year long. Now, it might be his time to pounce.
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