NASCAR power rankings: Who’s most likely to make the Championship 4 after Round 1?

Already, the NASCAR Playoffs have proved to be complete chaos for the now 12 drivers left. Many who advanced barely made it through Round 1 and for a few, the race to get above the cutline came down to the final few laps at Bristol.

While it was surprising to see some heavy hitters go home so soon, that’s the nature of these playoffs.

Now with the field reduced from 16 to 12, the points gap will be even more slim when it comes time to cut four more from the field. But through all this calamity, four drivers have emerged as the favorites to be a part of the Championship 4.

Here are four drivers that are most likely to race for a championship in Phoenix.

No. 1 Kyle Larson

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. Larson has been on a roll as of late. His dominant win at Bristol further cemented that he’s the best driver in NASCAR right now.

Add to that the fact that Larson enters this next round a full 39 points above the cutline. This gives him as much cushion as one could want to go to a track like Talladega, where big wrecks destroy the championship hopes of many.

Larson’s NASCAR-leading five wins on the season are largely to thank for his wide points gap and as long as he doesn’t have a complete meltdown in this next round, he’ll cruise to Phoenix.

No. 2 Christopher Bell

The best Joe Gibbs Racing driver this year by far, Bell has kept pace with the front runners for the majority of the season.

Like Larson, he too has a pretty comfortable gap on the field at a 24-point advantage. Bell looked solid at Kansas earlier this year, scoring a top-10 finish.

On top of that, Bell won the spring race at Phoenix. His team has a great short-track program and he’ll be tough to beat as the season goes on.

No. 3 Tyler Reddick

Reddick is poised to bring 23XI Racing to the Championship 4 for the first time in the team’s short history. Reddick is one of the best road-course drivers in NASCAR, a skill that will bode well at the Charlotte ROVAL.

Reddick and his team 23XI Racing have a history of success at this weekend’s track, Kansas, with the team winning three races. Reddick accounted for one of those wins last fall.

No. 4 Ryan Blaney

A former Cup Champion himself, Blaney knows what it takes to make it to the final round of the playoffs. Blaney won the first-ever race held at the ROVAL and is a great restrictor-plate racer.

Expect Blaney to be a contender in these last handful of races and have a strong showing in Phoenix. He’ll have some stiff competition from his teammate, Joey Logano, though.

The driver of the 22-car has been on a roll since the playoffs started and would be a favorite to make it to Phoenix, but lacks the playoff points to get there.

NASCAR returns to the chaotic mile-and-a-half oval in Kansas this weekend for a Sunday afternoon showdown. Catch the race at 3 p.m. on the USA Network.

Ethan Ellis is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email ece5133@psu.edu.