First Stint with Chip Ganassi Racing (2002-2005):

Originally from Joplin, Missouri, Jamie McMurray was thrust into the spotlight at Talladega on October 6th, 2002. This was due to the driver of the #40 for CGR, Sterling Marlin, fractured a vertebra the week prior in a wreck at Kansas. The very next week, McMurray won his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in just his second start at Charlotte. He would hold off a hard-charging Bobby Labonte after leading 96 of the final 100 laps. In 2003, McMurray would win Rookie of the Year and finish 13th in the points standings. In 2004, it was a better season for McMurray compared to 2003. However, McMurray missed The Chase for The Cup by just 15 points.

2005 was the turning point for McMurray and Chip Ganassi Racing. Despite once again missing The Chase for The Cup, McMurray finished 12th in the points standings. After the season, McMurray was released from his contract with Chip Ganassi Racing on November 7th, 2005. After Chip Ganassi and his partner, Felix Sabates, learned that McMurray signed a deal to drive for Roush Fenway Racing starting in 2006. McMurray was released from his contract at CGR. Despite this, this could be a new beginning for Jamie McMurray.

Roush Fenway Racing (2006-2009):

Initially, McMurray was slated to drive the #6 car at Roush to take over for Mark Martin. Originally, Martin announced that he was going to retire after the 2005 season but decided to return for the 2006 season. Instead, McMurray took over the #26 car, which was switched from the #97 by the departing Kurt Busch. Jack Roush had high expectations for McMurray. Unfortunately, the 2006 season was the worst in his Cup Series career. At Dover in early June, McMurray had the best car of the day and was in prime position to win. With three laps to go, McMurray was passed for the lead and the eventual win by his Roush teammate, Matt Kenseth. Despite a disappointing second-place finish, McMurray held his head high with a smile on his face. 2006 was a disappointing season for McMurray as he finished 25th in the points.

2007 was a better year for McMurray compared to 2006. At Daytona in July, McMurray beat Kyle Busch back to the line in a drag race to get his second Cup Series victory. He would go on to finish 17th in the point standings. 2008 started sour for McMurray with a string of poor finishes that found him 36th in the points early in the standings. Throughout the remainder of the season, McMurray steadily climbed back into the top 20 in the points. McMurray would finish 16th in the points in 2008. 2009 ended up being the final season for McMurray at Roush. Early in the season, he was in a prime position to win the Daytona 500 but that slipped through his fingers. Later that season, McMurray would win at Talladega, his final win for Roush. He finished 22nd in the points in 2009.

A Career Year (2010):

After 2009, Jamie McMurray didn’t know if he was going to be racing in 2010. Roush released McMurray at the end of 2009 due to NASCAR limiting teams to four full-time cars instead of five. Before the start of the 2010 season, an old friend reached out to McMurray offering him a ride for 2010. That was Chip Ganassi.  McMurray had his home for 2010 and he was going to make the most out of this opportunity. He started the 2010 season off right when, in his first start with CGR since 2005, winning the sport’s biggest race. The Daytona 500. Daytona is the world’s center of racing; it is the Super Bowl for NASCAR. Eight races later, McMurray would be in a prime position to win at Talladega, but Kevin Harvick beat him back to the line by 0.011 seconds to the line.

In July, McMurray won his second race of the season at the Brickyard 400. Currently, McMurray is one of three drivers to win the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same year. No driver has done it since McMurray. Currently, Chip Ganassi Racing is the only team to win the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500, and the Brickyard 400 in the same year. McMurray helped team owner, Chip Ganassi, achieve motorsports immortality. Ultimately, McMurray failed to make The Chase. He would finish the 2010 season 14th in points with 3 wins, 9 Top-5 finishes, and 12 Top-10 finishes. This was undoubtedly McMurray’s best season to date. It was only a matter of time to see if he could have another season like 2010.

The Return to Chip Ganassi Racing (2011-2014):

Entering 2011, Chip Ganassi had high expectations for McMurray. On January 19th, 2011, McMurray signed a multi-year contract extension with CGR. The 2011 season started on a sour note for McMurray with four consecutive finishes outside the Top 20 after Daytona. In July, at Indianapolis, McMurray’s best chance of winning slipped through his fingers. With nine laps to go, McMurray passed Paul Menard for the lead. But Menard passed McMurray back for the lead, and the eventual win with four laps to go. It was a tough season for McMurray and finishing 27th in the points did not help at all. 2012 was a rough season for McMurray as well. With a crash in the Daytona 500, that was the tone of his season. He would go on to finish 21st in the points standings.

2013 was an odd year for McMurray and NASCAR in general. With a new car for the Cup Series, it was a fresh start for everybody. Throughout the year, McMurray had very solid runs, more than he had throughout his entire career. But he failed to qualify for The Chase once again. In October of that year, McMurray won at Talladega for his first win in three years. 2014 was looking to be a better season for CGR as they brought up young rookie, Kyle Larson. In May of that season, McMurray won the All-Star Race at his best track, Charlotte. With The Chase expanding to 16 drivers starting this season, McMurray eyed 2014 as his best opportunity to make The Chase. Unfortunately, this was not the case for McMurray.

End of the Road (2015-2018):

It seems that nowadays, most athletes lose their touch. But in the curious case of Jamie McMurray, it seemed that in the final years of his career, he became more consistent with his finishing results. 2015 started solidly for McMurray. Throughout 2015, McMurray continued to post consistent results and qualified for The Chase for the first time in his career. Despite being eliminated in the Round of 16, McMurray finished 13th in the points standings. The time was ticking for McMurray to put on a show, and 2016 wasn’t his season. He would qualify for The Chase but once again, was eliminated in the Round of 16. The beginning of 2017 was a solid run for McMurray, he was fifth in the points standings after Dover. He managed to clinch a spot in The Playoffs, formally known as The Chase.

Ultimately, McMurray would be eliminated from the 2017 Playoffs in The Round of 12. 2018 would be McMurray’s worst season since 2013 due to poor finishes and poor luck. His highlight of 2018 was unfortunately barrel rolling down the back straightaway at Talladega in a practice crash. McMurray was unharmed from this crash. Whether it was the new aero package in 2018 or the Camaro being used for Chevy in 2018, McMurray couldn’t catch a break. Unfortunately, McMurray would miss The Playoffs in 2018. At the end of the season, it was announced that Kurt Busch would replace McMurray in the #1 Car starting in 2019. 2018 would be McMurray’s last full-time season in the Cup Series. McMurray would eventually announce his retirement from the Cup Series in 2018.

What is McMurray Doing Now?

After he retired from full-time Cup Series Racing in 2018, McMurray has run the Daytona 500 in years past for CGR. But outside of the Daytona 500, McMurray has not run in any other races. Currently, McMurray is an analyst for NASCAR on FOX. Specifically, McMurray is an analyst for NASCAR RaceHub. Jamie McMurray had an interesting career in the NASCAR Cup Series. For years, he was always a mid-pack runner, but people knew that if he got into the right equipment, he could contend for Championships. McMurray finished his NASCAR Career with Seven Cup Series wins, Eight Xfinity Series wins, and One Truck Series Win.

Next Week on Untapped Potential: Baseball! We hope that you enjoyed this piece and that you come back next Tuesday at 3PMEST for the next edition of Untapped Potential!

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Zane Smith will win Rookie of the Year:

If you have paid attention to the Craftsman Trucks Series closely over the last three years or so, you will know that Zane Smith is a young man with a lot of talent. He earned his first career Truck Series win in 2020 and placed second in the Championship to Sheldon Creed that season. This made the desire for Smith to win all the much greater. In 2021, Smith would once again come up short of the Championship that season, to Ben Rhodes. Finally, in 2022, Smith had the year he was hoping for with four wins and the Truck Series Championship. Coming into 2023, Smith and Front Row Motorsports had high expectations for themselves. Unfortunately, they fell short of the Championship this season.

On September 16^th, 2023, it was announced that Spire Motorsports had bought the charter of Live Fast Motorsports and would be using that charter as a third car for Zane Smith. This third car will also be in a partnership with Trackhouse Racing next season. If Smith is to win Rookie of the Year in 2024, he will have to overcome his Spire Motorsports teammate, Carson Hocevar. Hocevar had the season of his life in 2023 with four wins in the Truck Series in what looked to be a Championship winning season. Smith and Hocevar head the 2024 Cup Series Rookie field and will be the two drivers to beat for Rookie of the Year. But it will be Zane Smith coming out on top with Rookie of the Year honors in 2024.

Alex Bowman will be the Dominant Driver in 2024:

This one is easily the boldest out of the three predictions I have lined up for today. Alex Bowman has been what some would call the oddball over the years in his career at Hendrick Motorsports. Ever since his full-time Hendrick debut in 2018, his seasons have been pretty solid. Unfortunately, the 2023 season was Bowman’s worst season at Hendrick Motorsports to date. Early in the season, Bowman was the points leader for some races. After Talladega, the 10^th event of the season, Bowman was sidelined due to a fractured vertebra in his back after a Sprint Car crash on April 26^th, 2023. He was out until late May and returned to racing in the Coca-Cola 600. People expected Bowman to return to form before his injury, but that was not the case.

Bowman had a terrible second half of the season and failed to make the Playoffs for the first time since joining Hendrick Motorsports. Recently, fans and analysts have been calling for Bowman to be released from his Hendrick Motorsports seat after not living up to expectations the past few years. His most recent win was in Las Vegas in March of 2022. If Bowman is to keep his seat at Hendrick Motorsports, he needs a breakthrough year. In 2021 he earned four wins, but it wasn’t a dominating year. Alex Bowman has a chip on his shoulder. There are many drivers that are coming up through the ranks that could easily take his seat. But next season, Alex Bowman is going to have a dominating season. It will be interesting to see what Bowman can do next season.

Ross Chastain will be the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Champion:

It has been well documented in the last few years that Ross Chastain is a driver with a never-back-down attitude. From the wall ride at Martinsville to defending himself against Noah Gragson at Kansas, Chastain is a driver not to mess with. From 2018 to 2020, Chastain has made a name for himself in the Trucks and Xfinity Series. He won several races in that time span and finally made his way up to the Cup Series in 2021 for Chip Ganassi Racing. In the summer of 2020, Leavine Family Racing announced the sale of its assets to former Cup Series driver, Justin Marks. This was the start of Trackhouse Racing. Eventually, on June 30^th, 2021, Marks announced the purchase of the NASCAR operations of Chip Ganassi Racing. This expanded Trackhouse to a two-car team starting in 2022.

In March of 2022, Chastain earned his first Cup Series win at Circuit of the Americas. He and his teammate, Daniel Suarez, had great years in 2022. However, the same can’t be said for 2023. It was still a solid year for Chastain after winning two races, but it was inconsistent. Marks has said that this team is ready to win the Championship. Their time is eventually coming. That is why I predict Ross Chastain will be the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Trackhouse has the speed to get Chastain to the Championship Four, but do they have the consistency to do so? Chastain can win the races to make it back to Phoenix. In 2022, Chastain reached the Championship Four after a video-game-like move at Martinsville on the final lap. If Chastain can make it back to Phoenix, he will be tough to beat.

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#5: Quaker State 400 (Atlanta, 7/9/23):

When it was announced that Atlanta Motor Speedway was being repaved and reconfigured at the end of 2021, nobody knew what to expect. It was reconfigured into a hybrid of a mile-and-a-half intermediate track and a superspeedway track. For the first few races on the new Atlanta configuration starting in 2022, it was not great. This was due to the unknowns of the new Atlanta configuration and the Next-Gen car.  For this race in July, people were expecting it to be another lackluster Atlanta race. But this was quite the opposite. To begin with, rain was on the way to Atlanta. This added to the urgency of the drivers to get to the end of Stage Two to make the race official.

The racing was intense, some of the most intense that we have seen on a superspeedway track with the Next-Gen Car. Right from the drop of the green flag, the bumps from drivers were intense. The end of the Stages was insane to watch with the intense racing. Eventually, Mother Nature arrived in Atlanta, and NASCAR called the race official with William Byron scoring the victory. This was Byron’s fourth victory of the season and his second at Atlanta. Thankfully, there were no big, messy crashes throughout this race that are accustomed to Daytona and Talladega. Dale Jr called Atlanta the hottest ticket in NASCAR. If the racing at Atlanta was this intense in July, fans can only imagine what it’ll be like once February rolls around.

#4: AdventHealth 400 (Kansas, 5/7/23):

For years, Kansas has been the best intermediate track on the NASCAR circuit. From great racing to tempers flaring, fans have always looked forward to race day in Kansas. But what if a Cup Series race at Kansas had both great racing and tempers flaring? That’s exactly what happened in May. Right from the start, it was obvious that Kyle Larson had a fast car. But on lap five, Larson was spun around off the nose of Tyler Reddick with no damage to Larson’s car. It was going to be one of those races. There were several cautions throughout the day, specifically, 11. Denny Hamlin would win stage one, and Joey Logano would win stage two. The race would come down to a battle between Hamlin and Larson. On the last lap, Hamlin pushed Larson into the wall on the back straightaway en route to the win.

This win was Hamlin’s first win of the season and the 48^th of his career. But Hamlin versus Larson was not the big story of the race. That belonged to Ross Chastain versus Noah Gragson. Chastain, a seventh-generation watermelon farmer, is known to have a never-back-down attitude on and off the track. That attitude also applies to the young Noah Gragson. Gragson was upset at Chastain for how he was being raced on the track and went to confront Chastain on pit road after the race. The talking lasted for about 15 seconds before fists flew between the two drivers. Chastain defended himself when he connected with a punch to the face of Gragson. This great racing that has taken place in Kansas recently is thanks to the Next-Gen Car. Fans are already looking forward to both Kansas races next year.

#3: Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Daytona, 8/26/23)

After Atlanta, fans had the Daytona night race circled on their calendar, even if it was over a month away. What fans saw in Atlanta proved that there could be good superspeedway racing with the Next-Gen car. The big headlines going into Daytona were that there was only one Playoff spot left for grabs for a driver. The 16^th and final Playoff spot was held by Bubba Wallace on points over Ty Gibbs. But if there was a new winner on the season at Daytona, that driver would get the final Playoff spot. Right from the drop of the green flag, the racing was intense. It only took the field six laps to start racing three-wide throughout the field. This three-wide racing lasted almost the entire race. With superspeedway racing, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when the big crash will happen.

Coming to the end of stage two, Ty Gibbs was turned off the front nose of his JGR teammate, Christopher Bell, and chaos unfolded. This took Gibbs out of Playoff contention. Would the drivers calm down after this incident? Not at all. With five laps to go, Ryan Preece was turned off the nose of Erik Jones. This sent Preece flipping down the back straightaway 11 times. Thankfully, Preece climbed out under his own power. Chris Buescher would go on to win the race in a 1-2 finish for RFK Racing. This was Buescher’s third win of the season and his first at Daytona. The future of Superspeedway racing is in good hands. If the Daytona 500 will be as intense as this race, then February can’t come soon enough.

#2: Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte, 5/29/23)

Last season, the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 was hands down the best race of the season. With intense racing and 18 caution flags last season, the 2023 Coca-Cola 600 had high expectations from fans. This race was almost as good as the 2022 Coca-Cola 600. The start of the race was delayed from 5 PM Sunday evening to 3 PM Monday afternoon due to rain. This delay just made the drivers even more antsy to get started. Early in the race, Ryan Blaney made it apparent that he had a fast racecar and possibly the car to beat. This was intense racing to start the race, even in the first half. The racing was so intense that drivers were getting frustrated with each other. Specifically, Chase Elliott hooked Denny Hamlin into the front straightaway wall in a massive hit for Hamlin. Elliott was suspended for the next event at Gateway.

William Byron won stage one while Chris Buescher would go on to win stage two. Stage three is when Blaney’s car started to come alive. Blaney would win the third stage and then came the chaotic final stage. After several cautions taking out contenders such as Kyle Larson and Ty Gibbs, this just added fuel to the fire. After overcoming several late race restarts, the eventual 2023 Cup Series Champion broke the longest winless drought of his career. Much like his IndyCar Penske Racing teammate, Blaney celebrated this victory in the grandstands with the fans. This was a fantastic race; this is what the Next-Gen car excels at. The 2023 Coca-Cola 600 was almost a perfect race, with great racing and a fan-favorite driver snapping his winless streak. But there’s one 2023 Cup Series race that’s better than the 2023 Coca-Cola 600.

#1: Grant Park 220 (Chicago, 7/2/23)

When it was announced that Chicago would host the first street race in NASCAR, nobody knew what to expect. It was either going to be a fantastic race or a complete failure. Thankfully, it was a fantastic race. But Mother Nature tried her best to derail NASCAR’s plans of running the race on Sunday. It was already a rainy weekend to begin with, but with three inches of rain alone on Sunday, it was going to be a challenge to get the race in. With a delayed start and sunset drawing closer, NASCAR decided to cut the race short from 100 laps to 75 laps. Earlier this year, Trackhouse Racing announced Shane Van Gisbergen as the driver of the #91 Car for Chicago. SVG would get caught back in traffic but late in the race, Gisbergen found his way at the front of the field and never looked back.

The now-former two-time Australian V8 Supercar Champion won the inaugural street race in NASCAR and won his first career start. The last driver to win their first Cup Series start was Johhny Rutherford in 1963. This was the definition of a perfect race. A first-time winner on the inaugural street circuit in NASCAR, this was fitting for NASCAR’s 75^th anniversary. Earlier this year, Trackhouse Racing also announced that they were signing SVG to a developmental deal for 2024. This deal includes races in the Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup Series, as well as the CARS Tour next year. Chicago was the best Cup Series race in the last five years. Fans are already wondering what SVG can produce behind the wheel next season. Only time will tell but one thing is for certain, the Chicago Street Race was easily the best NASCAR Cup Series Race of 2023.

The post The Five Best NASCAR Cup Series Races of 2023 appeared first on Back Sports Page.

A Champion is Crowned in the Desert:

Coming into the 2023 Season, Ryan Blaney was riding a career-long winless streak. That winless streak ended with a win at the Coca-Cola 600. After that win, Blaney went somewhat quiet until The Playoffs. With a clutch win at Talladega in a photo finish, this is when the #12 team started to come alive. After the win in Talladega, Blaney only finished outside of the Top-10 once. Entering Martinsville, the cutoff race before Phoenix, Blaney was in a solid position to make it to Phoenix. Blaney didn’t have to worry about points due to him winning at Martinsville. This gave him and the #12 team a huge momentum boost heading into Phoenix. That win put the Championship odds in Blaney’s favor.

Entering Phoenix, Blaney had fantastic finishes at Phoenix in the past. In the past four Phoenix races, not including the 2023 Championship Race, Blaney posted an average finish of 3.0. Even with his win in Martinsville, the odds were in his favor. Despite qualifying the worst out of the Championship Four drivers, it did not take long for Blaney to make his way to the front of the field. With the final restart with 31 laps to go, it was a duel for the Championship between Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson. Blaney would make his way around Larson with 20 laps to go. He would go on to finish second to Ross Chastain and would win his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship. But with that being said, did Blaney deserve to win the 2023 Cup Series Championship?

Did Blaney Deserve the Championship?

There could be some arguments that Blaney deserved the Championship. But there also could be some arguments that Blaney doesn’t deserve the Championship. After the last two months of the season, Blaney deserved to win the Championship because of how well the #12 team was running. Throughout the last six races of the season, Blaney posted an average finish of 4.0. Yes, they were the best team in the last two months of the season, but they were not the most consistent throughout the season. The most consistent driver of 2023 was William Byron. Byron led twice as many laps as Blaney and had twice as many wins in 2023. This shows the flaws in the current points system. But nothing can change the fact that Ryan Blaney is the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

What’s Next Heading into 2024?

The offseason is the worst time of year for drivers, fans, and owners. But drivers can also do other races in the offseason. For example, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell will return to their roots of racing by returning to race on dirt throughout December and January. The NASCAR offseason headlines a few different crown jewel races for different motorsports. In December, the Snowball Derby is a Super Late Model race that is held in Florida which many NASCAR drivers compete in. January is headlined by the Chili Bowl and The Rolex 24. The Chili Bowl is the crown jewel of dirt racing while the Rolex 24 is the start of the IMSA Season. No matter what, there will always be constant racing throughout the offseason.

One thing that NASCAR needs to look into during the offseason is possibly making changes to the Next-Gen car. Some could argue that the Next-Gen raced better this season compared to 2022. The racing was great on some racetracks, but once again, the Next-Gen car struggled on short tracks. Earlier this year, NASCAR debuted a new aero package for the Next-Gen car on short tracks and road courses. The racing was better on short tracks and road courses throughout the year, but it does need work. Whether it be increasing the horsepower or the removal of the diffuser, the car needs to be worked on regardless.

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#5 Kyle Larson:

After his 2021 Cup Series Championship win, Kyle Larson and the #5 Hendrick Motorsports team expected themselves to be dominant in 2022. 2022 was quite the opposite of 2021 for Larson with a ton of bad luck throughout the season. Larson was eliminated in the Round of 12 in the Playoffs last season. Now, Larson has a chance to become a multi-time Cup Series champion. With wins early in the season at Richmond and Martinsville, it looked like Larson was going to be dominant throughout the Summer. That was not the case. After his win at Martinsville in April, his luck went downhill very fast. In the 10 races after Martinsville in April, Larson DNF’d in five of those races. Once the Playoffs began, his luck was on the upward trend. Larson began the Playoffs with a bang with a win in the Southern 500 at Darlington.

Three weeks ago, he clinched his Championship Four spot with a win in Las Vegas. In the Spring, Larson led over 200 laps at Phoenix but came up short of the win. Despite his eight DNF’s throughout the season, Larson has been very fast almost every week. He is the first driver in the history of the Next-Gen car to lead over 1000 laps in a single season. If Larson can win this Championship, he will become one of only three active multi-time Champions in the Cup Series. No matter what, it will be a difficult task for the other Championship Four drivers to overcome Larson this coming Sunday.

#12 Ryan Blaney:

Coming into 2023, Ryan Blaney was riding the longest winless streak of his Cup Series career. He broke that winless streak with a win at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, in late May. Blaney was extremely fast throughout the first portions of the season, but after his win in Charlotte, he kind of fell off a cliff. It was a tough Summer for Blaney registering no Top-5 finishes and no wins. But he and his team have come alive in the last month and a half of the season. With a poor result at Texas to begin the Round of 12, Blaney was in danger of not making the Round of Eight. A win at Talladega got rid of all those worries for Blaney as he was locked into the Round of Eight.

Last week, Blaney won his way into the Championship Four in dominating fashion at Martinsville. So, what does Blaney have over the other Championship Four drivers when heading into Phoenix? Momentum. He has momentum on his side and knows that he has been fast at Phoenix the last two times the Cup Series went there. Both times, Blaney finished second and should have won the Fall race last season. If Blaney were to win the Championship on Sunday, it would be thanks to the momentum he and his team have built over the last two months.

#20 Christopher Bell:

Last season, Christopher Bell made the Championship Four after a walk-off win at Martinsville, in a must-win situation. Unfortunately, Bell came up short of claiming the title on a late race pit stop after one of his Tire Changer’s fingers got caught in the tire itself. After that disappointing loss, Bell and Joe Gibbs Racing held their head high for 2023. Even with his win at Bristol in April, it was a slow start to the season for Bell. Bell registered three DNF’s in the first 12 races of the season. The good news about that is that Bell hasn’t registered a DNF since Kansas in May. With his win at Homestead two weeks ago, Bell clinched himself a Championship Four spot. No matter what, Bell won’t go down in the Championship battle without a fight.

#24 William Byron:

Last season, William Byron had a career year. With his two wins at Atlanta and Martinsville, he established himself as the Championship favorite. Although he did have a career year last year, he came up short of the Championship. Byron was eliminated in the Round of Eight of the 2022 Playoffs, failing to bring home a Championship for Hendrick Motorsports. After that, Byron committed himself to have a better 2023 than his 2022 season. And that’s exactly what he has done so far. Throughout the season, William Byron has been extremely fast. Byron made it obvious very quickly that he was going to be a contender for the Championship early in the season. With back-to-back wins at Las Vegas and Phoenix, it was obvious he was going to be fast in every race. After his third win of the season, Darlington, Byron established himself as the Championship favorite.

Currently, Byron leads the Cup Series with six wins in 2023. Throughout the Playoffs, Byron has not finished outside the Top-15. His lowest finish in the Playoffs so far, is 15^th at Kansas, almost two months ago. The one thing that Byron has above the other Championship Four drivers heading into Phoenix, is that he won at Phoenix in the Spring. The last time that the Hendrick Motorsports #24 won a Championship was 22 years ago with Jeff Gordon. If Byron can win this Championship in Phoenix, it’ll be bittersweet for not only himself but for Hendrick Motorsports.

Who can win the Championship?

Much like the Xfinity Series Championship Four, this is a tough decision to make because of how equal each driver is. Larson is arguably the most talented driver in the Cup Series field today with what he does within the Cup Series and out of the Cup Series. Blaney is riding momentum with how good he and his team have been the last two months. Bell has had speed after a tough summer. Byron has been the best all season long. There is a case for each Championship Four driver to win the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. So, who has the best chance of hoisting the Bill France Cup on Sunday evening in Phoenix? That would be Kyle Larson.

As previously said, Larson has recorded eight DNF’s on the season so far. But he has also been very fast throughout the season while putting up consistent finishes throughout the season. In the 2021 Championship Race, Larson was the final Championship Four driver with 30 laps to go. A caution came out late and changed everything. His pit crew got him off of pit road first and scored the Cup in Phoenix. There’s a case for each of the Championship Four drivers, but don’t be shocked if Kyle Larson becomes a two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion on Sunday.

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Early Career:

Originally from Bakersfield, California, Kevin Harvick was a part of Richard Childress Racing’s Busch Series team in 2000 before his debut in the Winston Cup Series. It would be a great rookie season for Harvick in the Busch Series with three wins and Rookie of the Year honors. For 2001, Harvick was slated to run the #2 in the Busch Series again, but that all changed on February 18^th, 2001. Kevin Harvick was thrust into the spotlight suddenly after the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. The black #3 was switched to the white #29 for Harvick for his debut race at Rockingham. Just three weeks later, Harvick would win his first Winston Cup Series race at Atlanta, edging out Jeff Gordon. If anyone had doubts about the talent of Kevin Harvick, those doubts were out the window now.

In August of 2003, Harvick went on to win the Brickyard 400, the first of three in his career. This would be the biggest win for Harvick until 2007. In 2007, Harvick started the season by winning the biggest race in NASCAR. In a photo finish, edging out Mark Martin to the finish, Harvick would win the 2007 running of the Daytona 500. This is when the dry spell would start for Harvick. From the 2007 Daytona 500 to the Spring of 2010, Harvick wouldn’t win any races. 2011 and 2012 were better seasons for Harvick, but 2013 was the decisive year in his Richard Childress Racing career.

From RCR to SHR:

On January 22^nd, 2013, it was officially announced that Kevin Harvick would part ways with Richard Childress Racing at the end of the 2013 season. It was also announced that Harvick would join Stewart-Hass Racing starting in 2014, but the sponsors or car number weren’t officially confirmed. On July 12^th, 2013, it was officially announced that Harvick would replace Ryan Newman at SHR with the #39 switching to the #4. It was a mutual agreement between Harvick and Childress that it was time for Harvick to move on a different path for his career. With RCR, Harvick had been in a position to win a championship several times but fell short every time. This was the beginning of a new era for Kevin Harvick.

The Early Portions of the Season:

Even in pre-season testing, Harvick could tell that the 2014 season was going to be special. In the 2014 Daytona 500, Harvick was in a prime position to win the event but got caught up in a last-lap wreck. He would finish in 13th position at Daytona. The following week in Phoenix, Harvick and the #4 team would be flat-out dominant. With 224 laps led on the day, Harvick had his first win of the season, and his first with SHR. After his win in Phoenix, this began a very weird stretch for Harvick. Starting at Fontana and ending at Texas, Harvick would have finished 36^th or worse in that five-race stretch.  In each of those races, Harvick would not only have one of the fastest cars but would lead the most laps. It was very apparent to the whole field that Harvick and the #4 team were very fast.

At Darlington, Harvick dominated the Southern 500 for his second win of the season after a last-lap pass on Dale Jr. Later in May, Harvick had the chance to win his third Coca-Cola 600 in four years, but a poor pit stop with 250 laps left cost Harvick a shot to win. Over the summer, Harvick went relatively quiet. That in no way means that Harvick wasn’t fast. If Harvick was finishing in the Top-5, he was finishing in the Top-2. From Dover in June to Richmond in September, Harvick finished in the Top-5 four times, three of which were in the Top-2. None of the Top-2 finishes were wins. From Dover to Richmond, Harvick posted an average finish of 12.57. By the time The Chase rolled around, Harvick was the #6 seed. Soon, Harvick would show them not to count them out.

The Chase:

Formally known as The Chase, now known as The Playoffs, the 2014 season was the debut of the new knockout-style points system throughout the 10 races of The Chase. For the first round of The Chase, Harvick posted a very strong average finish of 7.0. Heading into Kansas, the first race of the second round, Harvick easily had the dominant car. He was poised to get an automatic advancement into round Three of The Chase. That was until Harvick made an unscheduled pit stop with 53 laps to go, which handed control of the race to Joey Logano. Another win had slipped through the hands of the #4 team. The team looked at the next race, Charlotte, as another great chance to win. Once again, Harvick would have the dominant car leading 162 laps on the night.

This was Harvick’s third win of the season and an automatic advancement into the third Round of The Chase. With a rough start to the third Round for Harvick, he looked at Texas and Phoenix for good points days. After a fifth-place finish at Texas, Harvick was still below the cutline entering Phoenix. Harvick was going to have to win at Phoenix if he were to make it into the Championship Four. That’s exactly what Harvick did. Harvick once again dominated at Phoenix, much like he did in the Spring. He led 264 of the 312 laps on the day. The stage for the Championship Race was set. November 16^th, 2014, at Homestead Miami Speedway. The Championship Four for 2014 was set. Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, and Kevin Harvick.

A Magical Night in Homestead:

From 2002 to 2019, Homestead played host as the last race for the NASCAR season. Currently, Phoenix serves as the Championship Race. For most of the 2014 Championship Race, it was dominated by Jeff Gordon. For the drivers who were in Championship contention, it was a fight between Harvick and Hamlin. As the laps started winding down to 30 laps to go, Hamlin was in control of the Championship. With a late race caution for a hard crash for AJ Allmendinger, this is when things started to shift in Harvick’s favor. There’s a saying in racing, “Cautions breed Cautions.” After several late race restarts, a caution would fly with 15 laps to go with Hamlin in the lead and Harvick back in seventh. For the restart with nine laps to go, it would be Hamlin and Newman on the front row with Harvick in fifth.

Hamlin would clear the pack out of turn two, but Harvick shot out of a cannon on the restart, and he made his way up to second. Finally, Harvick would take the lead back with seven laps to go. Then, another caution came out. This set up a restart with Harvick and Newman for the final restart. Harvick would get a great restart and never looked back. Kevin Harvick would go on to win the 2014 Cup Series Championship in walk-off fashion. Harvick celebrated this win and Championship like it was his last, that’s because it was. The 2014 Cup Series Championship would be the only of Harvick’s career. Kevin Harvick wrapped up the 2014 season with 5 Wins, 20 Top-10 Finishes, 14 Top-5 Finishes, an average finish of 12.92, 2,137 Total laps led, and 2 DNFs on the season. An absolutely dominating season for Harvick.

4EVER A Champion:

Earlier this year, Kevin Harvick announced that he would be retiring from full-time racing in the Cup Series after the 2023 season. Currently, Harvick has one race left in his career, that being Phoenix. The same racetrack where he has won at the most. Harvick has not had the farewell season he was hoping he would have. With an average finish of 14.91 and being eliminated from the Round of 16 in the Playoffs, it has been a rough few months for Harvick and the #4 team. But there is one thing that is not deniable, that is Kevin Harvick has always played a huge role in the sport of NASCAR. He will be remembered for not being afraid to speak his mind or never backing down from a challenge. At Richmond in 2003, Harvick made it known that he would never back down from a fight.

That was because Harvick and the man they called “The Rooster,” Ricky Rudd, got into a confrontation after the race. That was the reputation that Harvick would carry for years of his career. But after his 2014 Championship Season, something changed within Harvick. He became more competitive than ever. Even with just the one Cup Series Championship, Harvick is one of the most successful drivers in history. With 60 Cup Series wins, the 2014 Cup Championship, two Xfinity Championships, and 47 wins, as well as 14 Truck Series wins, he has made his legacy for a hall-of-fame career. However, Harvick is not stepping away from the sport entirely. He will join the FOX broadcasts for the sport starting in 2024. It has been a legendary career for Harvick, he will forever be a Champion.

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#00 Cole Custer:

The past few years for Cole Custer have been rough. He made his Cup Series debut in 2020 for Stewart-Hass Racing and pulled off a huge win at Kentucky that same year. Despite that win in 2020 and winning Rookie of the Year, he did absolutely nothing in the Cup Series. Towards the end of 2022, it was announced that Custer would be replaced in the #41 by Ryan Preece. It was also announced that Custer would return to the Xfinity Series in 2023 in the #00 for Stewart-Hass Racing. Fans and analysts were expecting Custer to dominate the Xfinity Series this year. That has not been the case, but he has been extremely competitive. Both of his wins this season came on Road Courses, not where people would think that Custer would earn his wins.

Those wins came specifically at Portland and at Chicago. As previously said, he has been very competitive throughout the season with multiple chances to win more races. In 2019, Custer had a shot at the Xfinity Series title after winning seven races throughout the season but came up short to Tyler Reddick at Homestead. Now, four years later, Custer has an opportunity to reclaim the Championship that he should have won. He may not have had the dominant season that he was hoping for, but it has been enough for Custer to get to the Championship Four.

#1 Sam Mayer:

After the 2022 Xfinity Series season, fans and analysts were questioning if Sam Mayer was deserving of his JR Motorsports ride. In the last three months, he has proven that he does deserve his ride. Earlier this season, at Road America, Mayer earned his first career Xfinity Series win at his home track. Before that, Mayer was in a must-win situation to make the Playoffs. He answered the call to win. But Mayer has also had a lot of bad luck this season. He currently has a whopping seven DNF’s on the season. To begin the Playoffs, he was in a must-win situation at the Charlotte Roval to advance to the Round of Eight. That is exactly what Mayer did. Two weeks ago, Mayer locked himself into the Championship Four with his win at Homestead.

This has been the tempo of Mayer and the #1 JR Motorsports team. Persevere even when in a corner. Even if Mayer doesn’t walk away with the hardware in Phoenix, his head should still be held high. Despite the seven DNF’s throughout the year, it has been a fantastic season for Mayer and the #1 team. With how the end of 2023 has been going so far for Mayer, he should be looking forward to 2024. The telltale signs of Mayer having a great season next year are already showing. If there’s one thing that is certain, Mayer will drive his guts out to win the 2023 Xfinity Series Championship.

#7 Justin Allgaier:

Another year, another Xfinity Series Championship Four appearance for Justin Allgaier. This will be the sixth Championship Four appearance for Justin Allgaier in the Xfinity Series. Allgaier has only missed the Championship Four twice since the Playoffs became a concept in the Xfinity Series in 2016, those were in 2018 and 2021. Ever since his move to JR Motorsports in 2016, he has arguably been the most consistent full-time Xfinity Series driver in the last eight years. It seems that every time that Allgaier has a shot at the Championship, he comes up excruciatingly close. This time, it could be different at the end of the day for Allgaier. It was a slow start to the year for Allgaier and JR Motorsports, but in the last few months, they have been very fast. Three of his four wins this season have come in the last few months, since late August.

When the laps were winding down last weekend at Martinsville, Allgaier was in a must-win situation to make the Championship Four. RCR teammates Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed started racing each other extremely hard on the last lap. Coming out of turn four on the last lap at Martinsville, Allgaier stole the win in a photo finish from Creed. Allgaier is the one Championship Four driver who is riding momentum heading into Phoenix. If Allgaier does win this Championship, he can point to his win from Martinsville as the defining moment of the season.

#20 John Hunter Nemechek:

In late 2022, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Nemechek would pilot the #20 full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2023. A lot of people thought that he would win three, maybe four races throughout the season. Up to this point of the season, he has won seven races and has been very competitive every week. In the second race of the season, Fontana, Nemechek got the first win of the season for both JGR and him. This consistency would last all season long. He has been in contention to win every single week. Earlier this year, Legacy Motor Club announced that Nemechek would drive the #42 in the Cup Series starting in 2024 full-time. If Nemechek can win the Championship on Saturday night, it will be a proper send-off for him to the Cup Series.

Who is the Favorite to win the Championship?

This is a tough one to decide on. There’s a case for each driver to win this year’s Xfinity Series Championship. Custer has been very consistent throughout the season despite only having two wins. Mayer has been extremely fast throughout the late Summer with each of his four wins coming in the last 13 races. Allgaier has been the fastest JR Motorsports car in the last few months with three of his four wins coming in the last nine races. Nemechek has been the most successful driver all season long with his seven wins. So, who has the best potential to win the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship? That would be John Hunter Nemechek.

As previously said, Nemechek has been lights out fast all season long. Joe Gibbs Racing has been bringing fast cars to the track every single week for Nemechek to win races with. There’s potential that if Nemechek hadn’t DNF’d from any races this season, he could have easily won at least 10 races up to this point of the season. If Nemechek can pull this off on Saturday night, this will be the third consecutive Xfinity Series Championship for Joe Gibbs Racing. They have won the previous two Xfinity Series Championships with former driver, Daniel Hemric, and current Cup Series driver, Ty Gibbs. No matter who the Xfinity Series Champion is, it will be a great battle and a great race for the title on Saturday night.

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#11 Corey Heim:

Throughout the year, there has been one driver that has been flat-out dominant. That is the driver of the #11 for TRICON, Corey Heim. So far to this point of the season, Heim has led almost 300 laps more than any of the other Championship Four drivers. The kicker about this is that Heim missed one start throughout the year, and that was due to illness at Gateway. The rest of the Championship Four drivers have started all 22 races up to this point of the season. If it says how dominant Heim has been, he has an average finish of 6.23 throughout the year. In addition to his three race wins, Heim won the Regular Season Championship. He has been the Championship favorite all season long.

Even if Heim doesn’t lift the heavy hardware in Phoenix, he should not be ashamed of coming up short. It has been a fantastic season for him, and TRICON. The team formally known as David Gilliland Racing, announced on October 27^th, 2022, that they would be switching from Ford to Toyota for the 2023 season. No one expected that Heim and TRICON would have this great of a season. If they can win the Championship in Phoenix, they will be contenders for the Truck Championship for years to come.

#23 Grant Enfinger:

Grant Enfinger is the one Championship Four driver with the most experience. He has been in contention for a Championship several times throughout his Truck Series career. 2023 has arguably been Enfinger’s best season to date. With three wins and an average finish of 9.09, it has been a great season for him and GMS Racing. Earlier this year, GMS Racing announced that they would be closing their doors at the end of the 2023 season. Over the years, GMS has been a very successful Truck Series team, which includes the 2020 Truck Series Championship. This is the best chance that Enfinger will have at a Truck Series Championship so far. Currently, Enfinger has not announced his plans for 2024. This would be a bittersweet ending for GMS Racing if Enfinger were to win the Truck Series Championship in Phoenix.

#42 Carson Hocevar:

Carson Hocevar is a young man with a bright future in NASCAR. Last season, he made mistakes that were expected out of the young driver but was on the brink of victory lane. This made Hocevar even hungrier to win for the first time. The Niece Motorsports driver got his first taste of victory lane earlier this year at Texas Motor Speedway. This win came in somewhat controversial fashion as Hocevar unintentionally spun out race leader Nick Sanchez from behind on the final lap, creating a massive wreck. This is the controversy that has followed Hocevar his entire NASCAR career. In the past, Hocevar has let his temper get the better of him. But all that controversy from Texas was washed away by Hocevar at Nashville with his second win of the season in dominating fashion.

Hocevar’s season started taking an upward turn after his third win of the season, at Richmond, before the Playoffs. He would carry this momentum throughout the Playoffs to the Championship Four. On October 10^th, 2023, Hocevar announced that he would drive for Spire Motorsports full-time in the Cup Series starting next year. If Hocevar were to prove himself that he belongs in the Cup Series, he needs to win this Truck Series Championship.

#99 Ben Rhodes:

2023 has been an interesting year for Ben Rhodes to say the least. Coming into the season, he was one of the Championship favorites. He still is, but it hasn’t been the season that he and ThorSport Racing were hoping for. Rhodes only has one win on the season, that being Charlotte in late May. The 2021 Truck Series Champion is what some would call the dark horse of the 2023 Truck Series Champion Four. He has been in contention for multiple race wins throughout the season but has had bad luck strike at the worst time to take those wins away. It is unlikely that Rhodes will come out of Phoenix with the Championship, but it’s not impossible.

Who is the Favorite to win the Championship?

Each driver has an equal shot for the Championship. As previously said, Corey Heim has been the most consistent throughout the year in comparison to the rest of the Championship Four drivers. But there is one driver that stands out above the rest for the Truck Series Championship. That is Carson Hocevar. With his win at Homestead, Hocevar is riding huge momentum heading into Phoenix. Throughout the Playoffs, Hocevar has had an average finish of 4.66. He has the equipment to outrun the other Championship Four drivers. If he can win this Championship, it will be a great sendoff for Hocevar as he heads for the Cup Series in 2024.

The post Analyzing the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Four appeared first on Back Sports Page.

Blaney Advances to Phoenix:

Throughout the past few years, there has been one driver that has been sneakily good at Martinsville, but never won. That was Ryan Blaney. Coming into the day, Blaney was 10 points to the cutline above Tyler Reddick. A solid gap above the cutline, but nothing is safe with this points system. Right away from the start of the race, it was made apparent that it was going to be difficult for the field to go through Denny Hamlin. Hamlin came into the race not necessarily in a “must win” situation, but Hamlin did call it a “must win” situation. He was 17 points below the cutline entering Sunday. With a fairly clean stage one, Hamlin would get the stage win after flat-out dominating the stage, gaining maximum points. For the second stage, is when Martinsville started to come alive.

Throughout the second stage, there was classic racing at Martinsville with Blaney winning the stage. After a few cautions early in the final stage, this set up the strategy game for some drivers. Aric Almirola and Chase Elliott stayed out under the final caution with 172 laps to go, in hopes that there would be another caution. There was not a caution, and Blaney finally caught and passed Almirola for the lead with 23 laps to go. Ryan Blaney would play the fuel game to perfection and win at Martinsville for the first time in his career, as well as advance to the Championship Four. But the question was, who got the final transfer spot on points?

Who Advanced to the Championship Four:

So, who’s in and who’s out of the Championship Four? The three drivers who punched their tickets to Phoenix on wins were Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney. The one driver that made it in on points was William Byron. But it wasn’t an easy path for Byron. As previously said, Hamlin won stage one, and finished second in stage two, while Byron didn’t score any stage points. This made the situation all the more difficult for Byron. The situation was simple for Hamlin, win and get in. Even if Hamlin finished in second place, it wasn’t enough to get into the Championship Four. It was a very up-and-down day for Byron. Throughout the early portions of the race, he ran in the back half of the field.

But with a few adjustments from Crew Chief, Rudy Fugle, Byron made his way back through the field up to the 13^th position. After a long 186-lap green flag run to the finish, the Championship Four was official. Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron will fight for the title in Phoenix next Sunday. This was a Championship drive by Byron. On a hot afternoon, Byron and the team never gave up and earned enough points over Hamlin to advance. Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, Tyler Reddick, and Chris Buescher are the four drivers who were eliminated from Championship contention.

What to Expect from Phoenix:

The entire season has led up to this. 35 races up to this point of the season from mid-February all the way to early November. Four drivers with an equal opportunity to win the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Last season, it was Joey Logano flat-out dominating Phoenix to win his second Cup Championship. This year, who knows what’ll happen? Tony Stewart famously said that he would wreck his own mother if it meant winning a Championship. These drivers will do anything to raise the Bill France Cup in Phoenix. There is a case for each of the Championship Four drivers as to why they could win the Cup in Phoenix. But it would not be a shocker if Ryan Blaney hoists the Cup on Sunday. Blaney has been very fast at Phoenix the last few races, and he is riding momentum from his win at Martinsville.

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A Clutch Win for Bell:

Last weekend in Las Vegas, it was Kyle Larson over Christopher Bell in a close finish on the last lap. In his post-race interview, Bell beat himself up for not trying hard enough to get by Larson. With this determination by Bell to get to victory lane again, he held his head high going into Homestead. Right from the start, it seemed that it was going to be another Kyle Larson-dominated race. Larson would win the first stage in dominating fashion. For the second stage, it would be won by Ryan Blaney after Larson struggled to get around lapped traffic. At the end of the second stage, Bell was on the verge of becoming a lap-down. With good strategy, and maybe a lucky break with a caution, Bell was finally in contention for the win with around 40 laps to go.

After a restart with 38 laps to go, Bell would make a three-wide move going into turn three on Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney to gain the lead of the race. With another restart with 25 laps to go, William Byron would take the lead from Blaney. Eventually, Bell would hunt Byron down for the lead and took it away from Byron with 15 laps to go. After that, Bell never looked back. Christopher Bell locked himself into the Championship Four for the second straight year, and this is his first win at Homestead. This is also his second win of the season and the sixth of his career. But what happened to Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin who were in contention for the win throughout the race?

Trouble for Playoff Drivers:

Last week in Las Vegas, it was a calm day for all the Playoff Drivers. This weekend, it was quite the opposite. As previously said, it was looking like it was going to be a battle between Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney for the race win. As the green flag pit cycle began with 55 laps to go, Blaney led Larson onto pit road with a slight lead. When they were coming onto pit road, Larson tried to close the gap between him and Blaney and overstepped the limits. Larson would end up hitting the sand barrels on the end of pit road, resulting in a DNF for Larson. Lucky for Larson, he is already into the Championship Four at Phoenix in two weeks with his win in Las Vegas. This is when the chaos started to unravel.

With 32 laps to go, going into turn one, Denny Hamlin would have a flat right front tire, which resulted in Hamlin slamming into the wall. This resulted in a DNF for Hamlin. Exactly one minute after Hamlin had his issues, his JGR teammate, Martin Truex Jr, had issues of his own. Before the caution came out for Hamlin, Truex reported to his crew that the car was acting weird. Under the caution for Hamlin, the engine expired on the Truex machine. Now heading into the cutoff race for the Round of Eight, both Hamlin and Truex are facing elimination. While both Hamlin and Truex both have multiple wins at the next stop on the schedule, they are both facing elimination from the Playoffs.

What to Expect from Martinsville:

Martinsville is a fan-favorite track on the NASCAR Circuit. For the past few years, there has not been great racing at Martinsville thanks to the Next-Gen car. The Spring Martinsville race earlier this year was better than both Martinsville races last season, but not by much. As previously said, both Martin Truex Jr and Denny Hamlin have multiple wins at Martinsville. They will have a good shot at getting into the Championship Four this coming Sunday. But it will be a tough task for both to get in on points, one of them will have to win on Sunday. In that case, keep an eye on Denny Hamlin on Sunday. In recent years, Hamlin has been known to stir up conflict at Martinsville. It would not be a shocker to see Hamlin in victory lane on Sunday, with the possibility of getting into some conflict as well.

Current Playoff Standings:

1^st: Christopher Bell: Advanced to the Championship Four.

2^nd: Kyle Larson: Advanced to the Championship Four.

3^rd: William Byron: +30 points above the cutline.

4^th: Ryan Blaney: +10 points above the cutline.

5^th: Tyler Reddick: -10 points below the cutline.

6^th:  Martin Truex Jr: -17 points below the cutline.

7^th: Denny Hamlin: -17 points below the cutline.

8^th:  Chris Buescher: -43 points below the cutline.

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