This weekend will see the conclusion of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series as the champion will be crowned at the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.
After a tense final race of the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Playoffs at Martinsville, defending champion Ryan Blaney secured his spot in the Championship Four with his third win of the season.
The No. 12 Team Penske driver secured automatic qualification for the title decider alongside teammate Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick, with the former winning at Las Vegas and the latter at Homestead-Miami.
The final spot for the Championship Four was secured by William Byron on points. Christopher Bell had got through but was penalised after the race for wall riding, eliminating him from the playoffs.
Byron expressed his ‘hate’ for the playoff format due to the situation of other drivers being knocked out around him. And the Hendrick Motorsports driver is not alone in his dislike for the system as Alexander Rossi was left fuming over the NASCAR drivers that qualified.
Alexander Rossi left furious over the NASCAR Playoffs after Kyle Larson missed out on the Championship Four
The most notable absentee from the title decider at Pheonix is Kyle Larson. Despite finishing third at Martinsville, the No. 5 driver ultimately fell seven points short of Byron and was eliminated alongside Bell, Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin.
Larson’s absence from the Championship Four has brought the playoffs system under scrutiny, given that the 32-year-old has won six races in 2024, which is double the numbers of wins of the next highest tally achieved by Blaney, Byron and Bell with three.
Speaking on his Off Track Podcast with James Hinchcliffe, Rossi – who will drive with Ed Carpenter Racing in IndyCar next season – discussed Bell’s penalty that saw Byron get into the playoffs.
And the 33-year-old fumed over the fact the conversation was about those two drivers batting for the final spot for the Championship Four over Larson.
“But the fact that these two are the people fighting for this is insane to me,” he said.
“Kyle Larson has six wins on the year, double that of anyone else. This conversation shouldn’t even be about these two, yes they both won some races this year, that’s great. They had a good year.
“It doesn’t f—ing matter, they shouldn’t be in the conversation!”
Who is the favourite to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series?
Rossi is not the only one who is unimpressed with the playoff format. Denny Hamlin has warned about a ‘wrath’ on social media if Joey Logano wins the Cup Series, given that fact that he only registered eight top 10 finishes in the regular season.
While the debate about the system will certainly continue long after the race at Phoenix, this year’s finale will provide another intense conclusion to a NASCAR season.
READ MORE: Christopher Bell reveals what his ‘options’ were before losing NASCAR playoffs spot in Martinsville
Blaney will be the favourite off the back of his win at Martinsville and his performance at Phoenix last year that saw him win the 2023 Cup Series title.
Kevin Harvick has backed Blaney to win his second title, but he will face fierce competition. His teammate Logano has won twice before, while Reddick will be eager to grab his maiden title.
Byron comes into Phoenix as the form driver, having registered top 10 finishes in the last six races, four of which being in the top five. The No. 24 driver, like Reddick, is searching for his first Cup Series title.