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With 35 races in the books and four more drivers ousted from the playoff field following the Round of 8 cutoff race at Martinsville, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 is set for battle. As teams head out west to the Arizona desert for the finale at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), here is how the four drivers competing for the title got to this point and why they can be the one hoisting the Bill France Cup. Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota With a series-best six wins to go along with the second-most top-fives (14) and 17 top-10 finishes, Hamlin has put together one of the best seasons of his career. He secured his spot in the Championship 4 with a thrilling drive in the closing laps to win the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas. Still in search of his first Cup Series title at the age of 44, this may be Hamlin's best shot at a championship before he hangs it up. It is his first time in the Championship 4 since the Next Gen Car's inception in 2022, but his two prior wins at Phoenix and a runner-up in the spring show he is more than capable of getting it done this time around. Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota Briscoe has put together a career year in his first season for JGR, leading the series in top-fives (15) and poles (seven). His overtime win at Talladega was his third of the season and locked up his first Championship 4 berth in the process. JGR is in the midst of a six-year title drought dating back to 2019, but with Hamlin and Briscoe making up half of the quartet, that streak could end on Sunday. After all, Briscoe picked up his first career Cup Series win at Phoenix in 2022. If he can put the No. 19 up front at the start and keep himself in position, a breakout season could culminate with a title. William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet Although Byron's walk-off at Martinsville was only his third win of the season, he won the regular-season championship and was as consistent as anyone entering the playoffs with wins in the Daytona 500 and at Iowa. It was a rocky road getting to Phoenix, though, with back-to-back heartbreaking outcomes at Las Vegas and Talladega. That did not stop a resilient Byron, who has one Phoenix win (2023) and led 83 laps in the spring before finishing sixth. If the momentum carries over, Byron could bookend the season with wins and add a first title for good measure. Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet Larson is the only one of the four who has won a Cup Series title (2021), but he enters Phoenix after beating out Christopher Bell by seven points to secure the final spot. Larson's 21 top-10s are second only to Bell this season, and he has three wins, although none have come since the Kansas race in May. It has been an uncharacteristic season for the 32-race winner, but the team has remained focused forward despite the ups and downs. Larson's title-clincher in 2021 is his only win at Phoenix, but with back-to-back top-fives and a knack for delivering in the biggest moments, Larson could end the winless streak in style with a second title.
