Copyright sportskeeda
Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace recently shared his top pick for the Championship Four race between Denny Hamlin and William Byron. The season finale race is scheduled for November 2, 2025, at Phoenix Raceway.The Joe Gibbs Racing driver became the first driver this season to lock in a spot in the championship battle. He won the first race of the Round of Eight, the South Point 400, held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 12. Meanwhile, the Hendrick Motorsports driver advanced to the final race after he won his maiden fall Martinsville Speedway race on October 26.Both Denny Hamlin and William Byron secured pole positions and won the Las Vegas and Martinsville races. Hamlin crossed the finish line 1.533 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson. Meanwhile, Byron finished the race in P1, 0.717 seconds ahead of Ryan Blaney. Comparing the JGR and HMS drivers' performance, Kenny Wallace picked Denny Hamlin as his go-to choice and wrote:"My choice. @dennyhamlin vs @WilliamByron for the Championship Denny is my choice to win it all."Neither Denny Hamlin nor William Byron has won the NASCAR Cup Series championship title in their careers. The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver qualified six times for the Championship race but finished in second place, making his career-best finish. On the other hand, Byron has finished third twice.“Nothing would absolutely suck worse”: Denny Hamlin got candid about scenarios that could crush his championship dreamIn October 2025, on the episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin shared the scenarios that could affect his championship four run. During the podcast, Hamlin addressed the issues he has been facing this season with his #11 Toyota Camry XSE and aims to fix them before the Phoenix race.Hamlin has the chance to rewrite history this season and win the Cup Series championship title for the first time in his career. He has delivered consistent performance this season and secured six wins. However, achieving this feat might not be easy for the JGR driver.Denny Hamlin was caught with a power steering and a stuck throttle issue in his #11 Camry at the Kansas and Talladega races. He wrapped the spring Kansas Speedway event in P36 and the fall Talladega Superspeedway race in P24. Recalling these major issues, Hamlin aims to fix them before he sets foot in Phoenix and stated:“Yeah, it’s really, really frustrating because we want our results dictated by our performance on the racetrack. Nothing would absolutely suck worse than to go to Phoenix and have a mechanical (issue) or something happen that takes away (my) opportunity to achieve (my) dream."“We’ve had issues with batteries and starters and clutches, and lots, lots and lots this year. I’ve had all three, and how should I word this … What if we hadn’t won (Vegas) and that was my championship hopes, and that is where my frustration lies,” he added.Denny Hamlin will compete against his teammate Chase Briscoe and Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson for the championship title. Among the top four drivers, Larson is the only driver who has won the Cup Series title in 2021.
