Only two races remain before the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race takes place next month. One driver has already booked his ticket to Phoenix. One of the seven playoff drivers will try to secure a place in Sunday’s championship race.400 in the Hollywood CasinoKansas Speedway in Kansas City. The battle will commence at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, NBC Sports App.
Kyle Larson, who won last week at Texas Motor Speedway, secured a place in the Championship 4 finale. Larson has had a great year after being suspended for most of the 2020 season. This year, he has won eight Cup Series races including three of his last five. Larson was earlier asked by Twitter which retired driver would he like to face.
“There’s a handful of guys I’ve gotten to race with that are now retired that I wish I could have raced with in their prime. Tony Stewart. Jeff Gordon. I got to be in the same race with Mark Martin maybe once or twice, Larson said. “It was my first Cup race, and I am proud to say that I won it. Mark Martin would be another. He’s one of the most talented racecar drivers I’ve ever met. Mark would also be on that list.”
Larson can just drive on Sunday since he’s in the championship. But who has the best chance of joining him? Denny Hamlin, who won his first Cup Series race of the year last month, is sitting in third place in the standings behind Larson and Ryan Blaney. And when it comes to Sunday’s race, Hamlin said he’s confident he will have a performance that will get him in the final four.
“It was a great setup for me. Although I don’t know what it is that has worked, the last four races were really great for us.” Hamlin said. “That race track is great. It’s flat, wide, and you can use the lanes whenever you want. It’s an enjoyable race track that we know we could win.