Breaking down the Cup Series Championship 4
Kyle Larson looks to win his second Cup championship in three seasons while becoming the 18th driver to win multiple titles.
Christopher Bell looks to win his first Cup championship in his second appearance.
Ryan Blaney seeks to win the Cup championship in his first attempt while capturing Team Penske’s second straight title. Joey Logano won the crown last season.
William Byron aims to become the second driver to win a Cup championship in the 24 car and the first since 2001.
One of them will accomplish their season-long goal in Sunday’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock).
Here is a look at the four title contenders entering Sunday’s race.
Kyle Larson - No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Age 31 from Elk Grove, California
Second Championship 4 appearance
Best Cup points finish: 1st in 2021
This season: 35 starts with 17 top-10 finishes, 14 top fives and four wins.
Next Gen stats at Phoenix: Three starts with two top 10 finishes and one top five. His worst finish is 34th in last season’s spring race (engine).
Crew chief: Cliff Daniels (second Championship 4 appearance with one title)
Two of Larson’s wins this season have been at Richmond and Martinsville with the same package used at Phoenix.
Larson has won two races – Darlington and Las Vegas – while posting the best average running position of the playoffs at 7.62. He has the third-most playoff wins (nine) among active playoff drivers behind Denny Hamlin (13) and Martin Truex Jr. (10).
Larson went from fourth to first on the final pit stop in 2021 and won the title. This season, Larson’s crew has the second-fastest average pit stop time (four tires) at 11.071 seconds. Only William Byron’s crew is faster at 10.963 seconds.
Larson and Byron had two of the dominant cars during this season’s spring race at Phoenix. They split the stage wins. Larson led 201 laps and Byron led 64. Larson finished fourth after Tyler Reddick pushed Byron to the win in overtime.
Christopher Bell - No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Age 28 from Norman, Oklahoma
Second Championship 4 appearance
Best Cup points finish: 3rd in 2022
This season: 35 starts with 19 top-10 finishes, 10 top fives and two wins.
Next Gen stats at Phoenix: three starts with two top-10 finishes. Worst finish is 26th in last season’s spring race.
Crew chief: Adam Stevens (seventh Championship 4 appearance with two titles)
Bell has five wins in the Next Gen era. Two were at tracks shorter than 1 mile in length. He won at New Hampshire and Martinsville last season.
Bell’s pit crew has the fourth-fastest four-tire pit stop this season. The crew completed a four-tire stop in 9.267 seconds at Richmond in July while working with Ty Gibbs.
Bell has led the seventh-most laps in the Next Gen era with 1,172. Larson leads the list with 1,762 laps. Byron is second with 1,667 laps led. Blaney is fifth with 1,196 laps led.
Bell started 17th in last season’s championship race. He ran as high as fifth. He finished 10th after a slow final pit stop in which a crew member got his finger stuck between the lug nut and the spindle.
Stevens has extensive championship race experience. He made the championship race five times with Kyle Busch and once with Bell. He won in both 2015 and 2019.
Ryan Blaney - No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Age 29 from Hartford Township, Ohio
First Championship 4 appearance
Best Cup points finish: 7th in 2019 and 2021
This season: 35 starts with 17 top-10 finishes, seven top fives and three wins.
Next Gen stats at Phoenix: Three starts with three top-10 finishes and three top fives. His worst finish is fourth in last season's spring race.
Crew chief: Jonathan Hassler (first Championship 4 appearance)
One of Blaney's three wins this season is on a track 1 mile long or less. He won the Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville to reach the Championship 4. His other two wins were on an intermediate track (Charlotte) and a superspeedway (Talladega).
Blaney is tied with three other drivers for the fourth-most top-10 finishes in 2023. He has 17 on the season. Blaney has the second-most wins in career playoff races out of the Championship 4 drivers with four. Larson leads with nine.
Blaney has been the most consistent of the Championship 4 drivers at Phoenix. He has six top-10 finishes in the last six races. This includes four straight top-four finishes. Blaney has led 321 laps in this span.
Blaney's pit crew is 10th in average time for a four-tire stop at 11.376 seconds. Byron's crew is first. Larson's crew is second.
Blaney has a chance to make history. The No. 12 has never won a Cup championship. The No. 5, No. 20 and No. 24 have combined to win eight championships.
Blaney reserves place in Championship 4 with win
Ryan Blaney says it's "awesome" to win at place he grew up not too far from after finally closing one out at Martinsville after all the years, capping off a strong Round of 8 performance to reach the Championship 4.
William Byron - No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Age 25 from Charlotte, North Carolina
First Championship 4 appearance
Best Cup points finish: 6th in 2022
This season: 35 starts with 20 top-10 finishes, 14 top fives and six wins.
Next Gen stats at Phoenix: Three starts with two top-10 finishes, one top five and one win. His worst finish is 18th in last season's spring race.
Crew chief: Rudy Fugle (first Championship 4 appearance)
One of Byron's six wins this season was at Phoenix. He won the opening stage, led 64 laps and won in overtime over Blaney, Reddick and Larson.
Byron has eight wins in the Next Gen car. This is the most among Cup drivers. Larson is second with seven. Bell is tied with four other drivers for third place with five Next Gen wins. Blaney is tied with two other drivers for 10th place with three Next Gen wins.
Byron has not won a stage during the playoffs but has the best average finish (6.33) in the playoffs out of the four Championship 4 drivers. He has seven top-10 finishes, five top fives and one win in the first nine races.
Byron's pit crew has the best average time for a four-tire pit stop this season at 10.963 seconds. This crew had the fastest average times at both Charlotte (10.008 seconds) and Homestead (9.986 seconds).
Byron has six wins on the season. Jeff Gordon won six races in 2001 before winning the championship. A seventh win and a championship would match Gordon's 1995 season.
