NASCAR
Previewing 2024’s Championship 4 Drivers at Phoenix Raceway
Nine months and thousands of miles have whittled the NASCAR Cup Series down to their Championship 4. In mere days, one of these drivers will be rewarded stock car racing’s ultimate prize–the Bill France Cup. Phoenix Raceway is the battleground that decides the winner among these contenders. Are any of them standout favorites for the desert mile? Here’s a look at each of the Championship 4 driver’s respective histories at Phoenix, and their odds of becoming 2024 champion.
Joey Logano
Despite a season that’s seen his worst stats in over a decade, Joey Logano is a Championship 4 finalist. The two-time Cup champ owns three wins on this season, including Las Vegas two weeks ago. Driver 22 has three past Phoenix triumphs as well, most recently the 2022 finale. That day saw Logano pace the other contenders for all but one lap. In short, 2022 saw one of the most definitive and dominant Playoff era championship drives. Team 22 is hoping for a repeat of this recent history.
“I’d say the team itself is ready,” Logano said. “Just going through this round, being able to lock in with Vegas was helpful to get both cars ready in the way we like to prepare a championship car. Winning Vegas gives us a little more time, while for (Ryan) Blaney it happened kind of last minute. And we have to load these things up on Tuesday night, so you don’t have much time to prep and do those type of things. It’s nice that we had that as a team, to prepare a couple cars and be ready when we get out here.”
“The teams themselves do work together, maybe not physically on each other’s cars but people at the shop aren’t divided by car number. Everyone works on them all together. Having two in the hunt doesn’t really change things.”
Team Penske has remained undefeated in Next Gen titles, with Logano eyeing a three-peat and a third Cup of his own. The 22 team has had the most time to prepare for the winner-take-all desert showdown. Penske cars have been lights-out quick on flat, short ovals this season as well. Experience certainly swings in Logano’s favor for the coming week. Logano will likely have to outrun his equally-hungry teammate, however. With two Penske cars in the Championship 4, things could get very interesting between this dynamic duo.
Tyler Reddick
Making his first Championship 4 showing, Tyler Reddick lacks experience in this pressure-packed gauntlet. What Reddick does have in his favor however is sole support of Toyota Racing at his back. This manufacturer was in a league of their own at Phoenix in March, leading all but 14 laps. The No. 45 paced 68 of these circuits en route to a top-10. Reddick hopes to accelerate 23XI Racing’s five-year championship plan.
“Honestly for me it’s a sense of ease,” Reddick said. “I’m in a really good place I feel like mentally, going into this weekend. We know what’s ahead of us but not letting it overwhelm us or myself really for that matter coming into this. Just know what we have in front of us, ready to go out there and get to work.”
“I know it’s Championship Weekend, but I don’t know what the right word is, I’d say we’re calm, focused. There’s a lot on the line certainly, but just staying focused on what I need to do more than anything this weekend at this current moment.”
A Reddick title run is far from out of the question, especially if the grit shown at Homestead reappears with this team. The 45 didn’t have wins secured at Homestead or Talladega until the final corners. Should this crew execute to their full potential, 23XI’s celebrity owners could earn racing’s biggest trophy. Having no other Camrys in the championship race, Toyota has one basket to put all of their eggs in. An all hands on deck effort may just end with a maiden Cup title for Reddick.
Ryan Blaney
To be the best, any of the other three contenders will have to beat the top dog from 2023. Defending champion Ryan Blaney finds himself in a Groundhog Day situation; Blaney once again made the top four cut by winning Martinsville, and aspires for another big day in the desert.
“Every one of us is going to say we feel great about our chances and we’re the best group,” Blaney said. “As they should, right? Everyone needs to be confident in their team. I can personally say from our group that we’ve been incredibly strong all year really. It doesn’t really show though how great we’ve been as a 12 team. It’s easy for me to see it with how they’re operating, I feel like it’s just been unbelievable.”
“This place has been pretty good to us in the past, and I feel like our performance at these type of racetracks this year have been really really strong. Hopefully that continues, but you just never know. You never know who has what speed. We’ll know tomorrow night where everyone stacks up. But I think our 12 group is executing really well and controlling the things we can control to the best of our ability. That’s really all I can ask for. If it’s enough that’s great, if not then we’ll come up short. All I can ever ask is give everything you’ve got, and that’s all I ever ask of my guys. When they do that, they can be winners and champions. Hopefully they bring that attitude.”
“There are a few milestones we could hit this weekend. Going back-to-back, first ones to do that in this format and the first since Jimmie (Johnson). We have a great opportunity to do that. We have a chance to win three in a row for Roger (Penske) between myself and Joey (Logano). And we have a chance to be three in a row for Ford in Cup Series championships. A lot of neat milestones can be accomplished this weekend. I think it would mean a lot to go back-to-back, it’s something that’s really difficult to do, and it hasn’t been done in awhile. There’s a reason for that, it’s hard to get here two years in a row and perform on the weekends. It would mean more than the first to be honest with you.”
Even with last fall not being a win, Blaney still trounces the competition in Next Gen Phoenix stats. Five races have seen the No. 12 be no worse than fifth, with over 250 laps led too. Between his stellar numbers in Arizona and Penske’s flat track 2024 dominance, Blaney has reason to be seen as a favorite. Blaney is trying to become the first repeat Cup champion since Jimmie Johnson in 2010. The 12 will likely be a constant top-five threat on Sunday. If Martinsville was any indication, this team has all the momentum and confidence possible in their historic quest ahead.
William Byron
One Hendrick car is all that remains standing in 2024’s finale, William Byron’s No. 24. Can Byron convert a post-race Championship 4 insertion into a maiden Cup performance? This team was one of the finalists a year ago, and did show incredible promise early. Byron started from the pole last November and led all of Stage 1. Changing track conditions set the 24 slightly off their game though, with Byron backsliding to finish fourth.
“It’s a short week for sure,” Byron said. “You’re not home much because of obligations and just prepping for the weekend. It’s a lot of fun though. I enjoyed being a part of it last year. I feel like I learned a lot, not just for on-track but also off-track and what my routine would be going back this year. It’s something as a competitor you want to be a part of.”
“For us, we had really good qualifying last year. We qualified on the pole which was awesome. We just need to continue and improve for sure. Want to try to be better throughout the whole race though, especially the last run. That’s the part of the race that means the most, you don’t get paid for the first two stages, only the end.”
No longer a newcomer to Championship Weekend’s spotlight, Byron aims to be the breakout star. The 24 has seen no finish worse than sixth over the last six weeks. Appearing in peak title form for the balance of these Playoffs, Phoenix is ripe for Byron’s taking. The 2023 spring winner here hopes to cap off 2024 with another career-defining victory.
A wide ranging mix of veterans and young drivers define this year’s Championship 4 field. Four very compelling stories lie ahead, as each of these teams hope to leave their mark in the desert. The Cup Series Championship Race goes green Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. At the close of 312 miles, one of the above mentioned drivers will have their name on the Bill France Cup.
Written by Peter Stratta
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