Martin Truex? Kyle Larson? Nope, here’s our guys
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It took nearly seven months, thousands of miles, and plenty of pit stops — both planned and unplanned — but NASCAR’s wagon train has traversed all manner of wonderful American countryside and arrived at Playoff Pass.
It all starts Sunday evening at Darlington.
Ten races, 16 drivers, and their assorted teams — each its own little corporation, really, with a lot on the line for each. Every three weeks for the next nine weeks, we’ll lose a few from championship competition, though they’ll continue to tag along and battle for smaller-picture glory, in the form of checkered flags.
After nine weeks, we’ll be down to four drivers and one race, at Phoenix Raceway, and don’t worry, the desert fever will have broken by then and no one will melt.
NASCAR ODDS:Playoffs begin, will playoff drivers come out hot at Darlington?
THROUGH THE GEARS:Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. on NASCAR playoffs upset alert?
Who’ll arrive in Phoenix with a chance to etch their names into the history book as NASCAR’s 75th Cup Series champ?
The Daytona Beach News-Journal has a couple of guys — Ryan Pritt and Ken Willis — who pay just attention to these things, they think they can tell us who’ll survive the three-race cuts and reach Phoenix with championship hopes alive.
Let’s see what their crystal balls are telling us.
NASCAR playoff odds
The latest NASCAR Cup Series championship odds from DraftKings:
| Driver | Odds |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +400 |
| William Byron | +550 |
| Kyle Larson | +550 |
| Kyle Busch | +600 |
| Denny Hamlin | +600 |
| Christopher Bell | +1300 |
| Ross Chastain | +1400 |
| Joey Logano | +1400 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1500 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1800 |
| Chris Buescher | +1800 |
| Brad Keselowski | +1800 |
| Kevin Harvick | +2200 |
| Bubba Wallace | +3500 |
| Michael McDowell | +6500 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +10000 |
Round of 16: Can Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. advance?
The tracks: Darlington, Kansas Bristol
Ken’s survivors: William Byron, Martin Truex, Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Kevin Harvick.
Ryan’s survivors: William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell
Ken black-flags: Michael McDowell, Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain
Ryan black-flags: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Kevin Harvick
Ken says: Ross Chastain might be a mild surprise to some, but he’s been MIA for huge chunks of the season, including recent weeks. Blaney? That one is pure hunch.
Ryan says: Something just seems off with Kevin Harvick (see Daytona post-race interview) and while Busch and Reddick are both fast, they’re also prone to disasters, which is death in a three-race shootout.
Round of 12: William Byron, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano among upset picks
The tracks: Texas, Talladega, Charlotte Roval
Ken’s survivors: Martin Truex, Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick
Read More: Martin Truex? Kyle Larson? Nope, here’s our guys 2023-09-03 09:27:35