I could go on and on about some other things that make the NASCAR playoffs the most exciting, the pressure that continues to build, the variety of different tracks on the playoff schedule, the awesome format that emphasizes winning, but also emphasizes taking chances. It's great. Anybody who does not like this system is a grump.
Yesterday, the field of playoff drivers was whittled from 16 down to 12. The next three races at Dover, Talladega and Kansas will separate the men from the boys and determine the "elite" eight.
The 12 drivers; Martin Truex. Jr, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson are all unique in their own ways. This field of 12 consists of many different backgrounds, personalities, racing styles and fan reactions.
The majority of NASCAR fans already know who they're rooting for to claim the gold at Homestead. But, if you are still undecided, I have you covered.
Ryan Blaney
Blaney has quietly become one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR. His approachable personality and willingness to promote the sport by doing virtually and PR event presented to him has led to that. But, don't underestimate his abilities to wheel a car either. Blaney is the only Penske driver to not have a win this season, but it's not for lack of good showings. Blaney has had a consistent top 10 car, but just hasn't caught the right breaks at the right time. He's out Ryan Newman'd Ryan Newman this season and has found his way into the Round of 12. Can he find a way to finally get a win is the big question.
Alex Bowman
Everyone loves Matt DiBenedetto and his rise to a top-ride. Well, Alex Bowman did it first. The Tucson, Arizona native began his career with middle-of-the-pack in 2013 with RAB Racing in the Xfinity Series. Bowman then toiled with backmarker Cup teams, BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing before being fired after 2015. Bowman's big break came in 2016 when he was tabbed to replace an injured Dale Earnhardt. Jr in the 88 car. Bowman showed enough during his stint at Hendrick Motorsports to earn the ride full-time when Dale. Jr retired after 2017. Bowman has broke through in 2019, with four runner-up finishes and one win. His championship would be a remarkable rise given that you would not have pegged him as a championship contender four years ago.
Clint Bowyer
There are lots of reasons to root for Clint Bowyer. The Kansan is a fun-loving, energetic personality that is throwback to some of the personalities that originally made this sport so awesome. The vision of Bowyer celebrating a championship is all you need to root for him. But there's other reasons, too. Bowyer has had a solid career, but nothing spectacular. His 10 career wins have come at races that you tend to forget about (New Hampshire, Michigan, the fall Charlotte race) and he had a five-year drought. But Bowyer has shown spurts of contending for a championship throughout his career (2007, 2012, 2017). You could even make a point that he would already have a championship if Jeff Gordon did not intentionally wreck him at Phoenix. Bowyer's future for 2020 remains in peril, so a championship run should guarantee that his awesome personality stays in NASCAR for the years to come.
Kyle Busch
This is undoubtedly the toughest driver to lobby for. Kyle Busch is the most polarizing driver in NASCAR, and perhaps the most polarizing athlete (they are athletes) in professional sports. Fans of Busch will root for him and people that aren't fans of him will root against him and there's very few people, other than myself, that are neutral on Busch. While many people might dislike him, nobody can devalue his raw talent and ability to wheel a race-car. However championships Busch finishes his career with will not be as many as it should have been. He currently has just one championship (2015) and that one has an asterisk by it because he missed the first 11 races of the season with a broken leg. If Busch were to claim a second title, it would detract the haters from the stupid narrative that he didn't earn his first championship.
William Byron
William Byron was just six years when NASCAR developed "The Chase" in 2004. He is also the only driver in the playoff field that is younger than me. That's a first. Byron has been touted for the past few years as the next big thing. He should have won a Truck title in 2016 and did win an Xfinity Title in 2017 before moving up to the legendary 24 car. Byron struggled last season but shown signs of improvement this season. He's shown short-run speed and has qualified well, winning five poles. I don't think he's too far away from his first career win. Byron would also become the youngest champion in NASCAR history at just 21 years old. A championship for Byron would also mean an eighth championship for his crew chief, Chad Knaus, which would undoubtedly cement Knaus as the greatest crew-chief of all-time, if there was any debate to begin with. Which there shouldn't be.
Chase Elliott
This is the easiest driver to make a case for. Elliott has been the most popular driver in NASCAR since Dale Jr retired. It took Elliott a long time to pick up his first career win, but they've piling up since he finally got the first win at Watkins Glen in 2018. Elliott could be the favorite in this upcoming round because three of his six wins in the past two years have come at Dover, Talladega and Kansas. The three tracks in the Round of 12. A championship for Elliott would mean that the two dominant teams this season, Joe Gibbs Racing and Penske Racing, did not win it. Elliott's title would match his father, Bill's 1988 championship and would make the Elliotts the third set of father-son to claim titles. Wouldn't that be cool?
Denny Hamlin
Many people, like myself, wrote Denny Hamlin off after a winless 2018 campaign. He has proved the doubters wrong in 2019 with four wins, including the Daytona 500, his second victory in the Great American Race. If Hamlin's career ended today he would go down as one of the greatest drivers to never win a title. His 35 career wins is the second most among drivers without a championship. Hamlin has won essentially everything else there is to win except a championship. His candidacy for the NASCAR Hall of Fame is ignorantly debated by many. His statistics show that he should be a first ballot inductee, but not all see it that way. A championship for Hamlin should quiet the stupid argument of whether or not he's hall of fame worthy and cement his spot in Charlotte.
Kevin Harvick already has won championship under his belt thanks to a magnificent run in 2014, the first year of the playoffs. Moving to Stewart-Haas Racing saved Harvick's career. His stint at RCR showed promise, but also lacked consistency. Harvick has been the most consistent driver over the course of the past five seasons. Harvick won eight races in 2018 and was the championship favorite coming into 2019. He struggled to find victory lane early, but has found some stride and has won three races this season. Harvick is a lock for the Hall of Fame, but many guys have won just one title (18 to be exact). A second title for Harvick would elevate him to a driver that should be regarded as one of the all-time greats. He's top 10-15 in my book.
Brad Keselowski
Like his rival, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski is a polarizing NASCAR driver. Many people don't like him, but he's honestly one of my favorites. If you listen to Keselowski talk, he is actually an incredibly articulate and intellectual human-being. But on the track, he has a no-damn's given attitude and will do whatever it takes to win regardless of who he upsets in the process. Kyle Busch might be the closest thing to Dale Earnhardt in terms of talent, but Keselowski, in my opinion, more resembles Dale Sr's attitude and you have to appreciate that. Keselowski is also a former champion, but I feel like his 2012 championship is the most forgotten about title in the history of the playoffs. It was nothing flashy or dominant, just consistent. Keselowski's 2019 title would not be that. He dominated the early part of the season, but struggled from June until the playoffs began. He's since shown strong performances in the three playoff races and is putting himself in line for a clutch-like run through the playoffs.
Joey Logano
"Sliced Bread" Joey Logano is another polarizing driver that I enjoy. Last year, Logano showed the world why the NASCAR Playoffs are so intense. He also showed them that he was willing to do whatever it takes. Which meant bumping Martin Truex. Jr out of the way in the final lap at Martinsville to win the race and secure his spot in the championship race at Homestead. Many people ignorantly didn't like Logano's tactics, but you cannot argue that it ultimately won him the championship. Logano shined in the early stage of 2019, but has struggled to stay consistent in the latter half of the season. However, Logano's 2019 season to this point extremely resembles his 2018 season, so you can't count him out. Plus, he's shown that he'll do whatever it takes to win and you have to appreciate that. A second title for Logano would also make him the first repeat champion since the inception of the knockout-style playoffs and would make him the first to repeat since Jimmie Johnson won five straight from 2006-2010.
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson is sadly trending towards becoming one of the biggest busts in NASCAR history. Expectations were high for Larson when he made his cup debut in 2014. Larson does have five career wins, but he has not won in two seasons. We keep waiting for Larson to break through and show the world the raw talent that he has. Larson is extremely entertaining to watch, but unfortunately, he keeps getting derailed by untimely wrecks and costly pit road miscues. A championship for Larson would mean that he finally broke through and met the expectations that were put upon him when he made his cup debut.
Martin Truex. Jr
Martin Truex Jr's 2017 championship campaign was one of the most unlikely championships in recent memory. If somebody would have said in 2009 that Truex was a future Cup champion, they might have been institutionalized. Truex has been the most dominant driver in NASCAR the past four seasons. Which is impressive when you consider that he spent the majority of it with underfunded Furniture Row Racing before they closed doors and he moved to Joe Gibbs Racing this season. Truex also has a reputation for racing guys clean, in a Mark Martin-like way. He is well-liked by the majority of his peers and is a driver that many fans have grown to like because of his unlikely rise from journeyman to championship contender.
These next seven races should be a ton of fun, who will you be rooting for?
