NASCAR Cup Championship at Phoenix: Winner prediction, how to watch

NASCAR’s final race of the 2021 season is here. The NASCAR Cup Series Championship is Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC.

Two drivers who battled atop the points leaderboard for much of the regular season, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, are seeking their first championship. Larson is making his first appearance in the title race while Hamlin is making his fifth. The other two drivers vying for the trophy have won the championship once before. Martin Truex Jr. won it in 2017, while Chase Elliott is the defending title winner at the same track.

Larson, who has nine wins this year, including four wins in the postseason, is the favorite to win on Sunday, according to the sportsbooks. BetMGM has Larson at +175, Elliott at +325, Hamlin at +450 and Truex at +500 for the win. Larson, however, said that he doesn’t think there’s a clear favorite.

“A lot of the races I’ve won are on the 550 (horsepower) package, high downforce stuff,” Larson said. “Maybe that’s what would hinder me. But we’ve been good at the 750 races, too. I think it’s pretty equal, but I’m excited to compete with these three other guys.”

Larson posted the fastest speed at practice of the Championship 4 drivers (135.293 mph) and the second-best 10 consecutive lap average speed (131.935 mph). Qualifying on Saturday evening will determine the starting lineup for Sunday.

NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTIONS

There are clear arguments for each driver to win. Kyle Larson: Monster season and fast pretty much everywhere. Denny Hamlin: Strong 750 car and he’s a man on a mission after Martinsville. Chase Elliott: Won this race last year and performs under pressure. Martin Truex Jr.: Won at Phoenix in March and has championship experience. But who will come out on top? My unoriginal guess is Larson. He started from the back of the field in the spring at this track due to inspection failures, had two speeding penalties on pit road, and still finished seventh. Seventh! One more win would cap a phenomenal year.

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIP CUP RACE

• Race: NASCAR Cup Series Championship
• Distance: 312 miles (312 laps) with stages ending on laps 75, 190 and 312
• Where: Phoenix Raceway
• When: Sunday, Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. EST
• TV: NBC
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Purse: $10,053,801

This story was originally published November 7, 2021 at 12:28 PM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription