NASCAR is down to its final eight drivers and its final four races before crowning its champion next month.
Sunday in Las Vegas the round of eight will begin with three Hendrick MotorSports drivers, two from Joe Gibbs Racing, two from Team Penske and one from Michael Jordan’s 23XI.
Kyle Larson, the favorite in the field, William Byron and Chase Elliott will all represent Hendrick. Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin are in from JGR. Defending champion Ryan Blaney and two-time champion Joey Logano qualified for Team Penske and Tyler Reddick is the lone driver from 23XI.
The field didn’t come without controversy, however. Alex Bowman originally qualified, which would have given Hendrick four drivers and half of the field. He was disqualified after the race in Charlotte last Sunday.
“Unfortunately, the 48 had an issue (and) did not meet minimum weight,” Brad Moran, managing director of the NASCAR Cup Series, told NASCAR.com “We put the car to the side. We continued on. We … gave them the opportunity to fuel the car as well as purge the water system and add water. So we gave them every opportunity to make minimum weight. We ran them back through. Unfortunately, they were light again. They are allowed a 0.5% weight break, which is for usage of fluids and so on. That’s about 17 pounds. We backed the car back off the scales, ran it back on and then, unfortunately, it was the same weight. So the car had a weight issue. All the other cars cleared inspection. The 48 didn’t, and that ends up in a disqualification.”
Logano, who was the first out, moved up to take Bowman’s place. After Sunday’s race in Vegas, racing continues in Homestead, Fl. (Oct. 27) and Martinsville, Va. (Nov. 3) before the field is trimmed to the Final Four for the championship race, Nov. 10 in Phoenix.
Here’s a look at the eight remaining drivers.
Kyle Larson, Hendrick, Chevy: He’s been the best driver all season with six wins. The 32-year-old, who won the title in 2021, also has three career wins in Las Vegas.
Christopher Bell, Gibbs, Toyota: The Norman, Oklahoma native has three wins this year and 20 top 10 finishes. He’s made the Final 4 twice, but it is looking for his first title.
Tyler Reddick, 23XI, Toyota: Reddick claims Talladega as one of his two wins this season. He has also finished in the top 10 19 times on this circuit.
William Byron, Hendrick, Chevy: The youngest driver in the field of eight, the 26-year-old Byron is looking for his first title. He opened the season with a win in the Daytona 500 and has three wins and 17 top 10s.
Ryan Blaney, Penske, Ford: Last year’s champ is looking to be the first driver to repeat since Jimmie Johnson won five straight from 2006-2010. The Ohio native has two wins and 15 top 10s so far this year.
Denny Hamlin, Gibbs, Toyota: At 43, the oldest driver in the final eight, Hamlin has 54 career wins, but has never won the Cup Championship.
Chase Elliott, Hendrick, Chevy: The 2020 champ has just one win this year, but his 16 top 10s show his consistency.
Joey Logano, Penske, Ford: The only two-time champ (2018, 2022) in the field, Logano will look to take advantage of the break he got when Bowman was disqualified.
