Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
CONCORD, N.C. — The heavyweights have made it through to the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
In one corner: Hendrick Motorsports with 2021 champion Kyle Larson, 2020 champion Chase Elliott and William Byron. This organization has 14 Cup titles in its history.
In another corner: Joe Gibbs Racing with Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe. JGR has five Cup titles.
And in another corner: Team Penske with three-time (including 2024) champion Joey Logano and 2023 champion Ryan Blaney. Penske has five Cup titles.
OK, so that’s three corners. Who comes out of the box — er, triangle — to win this title will have won a battle of three of the sport’s biggest and strongest organizations.
Joey Logano (L) and Ryan Blaney are two Penske drivers whose chances are still alive for the title.
While the 2025 Cup season had its share of upstarts winning races, these three storied organizations fill all eight spots in going for the Cup title.
Just eight points separate the top five — Hamlin (4,036), Blaney (4,034), Larson (4,032), Byron (4,032) and Bell (4,028). A little bit further behind are Elliott (4,018), Briscoe (4018) and Logano (4,008).
If any of the drivers win in the next three races of the semifinal round (Round of Eight) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway or Martinsville Speedway, they automatically earn a berth to be among the four drivers racing for the championship at Phoenix Raceway.
The remaining spot(s) will go to the highest in points.
“Our team is in a good place and we just keep going about our business and keep our heads down,” Elliott said. “We certainly know we have room to improve.”
That would be a common theme among most of the drivers.
All the drivers except Logano have more than one win this year. Hamlin has the most among this group with five wins. Bell has four and Blaney and Larson have three apiece.
Five of them — Briscoe, Hamlin, Bell, Blaney and Elliott — have won playoff races already this year. Larson, though, hasn’t won in his last 20 starts. Logano hasn’t won in his last 22 starts.
Kyle Larson is one of the Hendrick drivers whose playoff hopes are still in play.
“I feel like our speed has gotten better,” Larson said. “I feel like we’re executing well. As you get into the next round, it’s time to turn the intensity up and take a little bit more risk and things like that.
“I feel like our team has quietly been getting better for a while now. I feel like each week, we’re continuing to get better. It’s exciting going to the track and it’s just an exciting time of year right now. It’s fun and hopefully we can keep elevating and be where we need to be come Martinsville.”
The drivers competed at all these tracks earlier this year, but that seems forever ago since those races were in March and April. They should have good notes, but they also now that just the slightest changes in the cars or the tires could make a big difference.
“I’m just excited to get there and excited to see what we’ve got when we unload,” Blaney said. “We’ll see where practice goes and then the race.
“I don’t really know until we get there, but I’m looking forward to it.”
How can you not? All of these drivers except Briscoe have competed in the Champ Four round more than one time. They have 22 appearances, being in the Championship Four among them.
“We just keep grinding away,” Logano said. “It’s the way we operate. We just keep going and going and trying to stay alive.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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