CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR’s Championship Weekend is upon us and champions will be crowned in all three national touring series.
Despite the constant social media chatter regarding the playoff format and speculation that NASCAR will make significant changes prior to next season, this year’s three title races each have a bit of intrigue involved.
With the Craftsman Truck Series champion being crowned tonight, followed by the Xfinity Series title race on Saturday and Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series finale, multiple questions loom.
Will Denny Hamlin finally win the NASCAR Cup Series championship?
Yes. Racing in the Championship 4 for the fifth time, Hamlin, who has won 60 NASCAR Cup Series races during his career, has yet to win the sport’s biggest prize — the Cup Series title.
It’s been a different Denny Hamlin this season, and it has shown on the track. He’s enjoyed riling up his detractors and displayed an unusual calmness on and off the track. He’s the leading winner in the series and he appears poised to finally stand alone at the end of Championship Weekend.
Will the head-to-head battle between Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports for the Cup Series title provide any unusual twists?
With only two teams (and four drivers) fighting for the championship, will there be team orders employed in any way during the course of Sunday’s finale at Phoenix Raceway? Maybe, maybe not. It will all depend on the situations that arise. It’s Hamlin and Chase Briscoe for JGR and Kyle Larson and William Byron for Hendrick. There are a lot of advantages on each side, but with 36 other cars on the track anything can happen.
And don’t forget that among those cars are the two other JGR entries wheeled by Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell and the two extra Hendrick machines with Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman aboard.
Do Connor Zilisch (Xfinity Series) and Corey Heim (Truck Series) deserve to win championships more than their counterpoints?
This is where the discourse about the playoff format comes in, as these two have enjoyed dominant campaigns in their respective series, but have had to fight their way through the playoffs to have a chance at the title. Now, each has to best three other drivers to lay their hands on the championship trophy.
Zilisch won 10 races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in his first full season, while driving the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet. His three challengers are reigning champion Justin Allgaier, Carson Kvapil and Jesse Love. Those three have won four races combined.
In the Truck Series, Heim has driven his TRICON Garage Toyota to a record 11 victories in 24 races. He could have easily won more than that. Reigning champion Ty Majeski, Kaden Honeycutt and Tyler Ankrum will be his competitors at Phoenix, and that trio owns a single victory combined.
This writer believes winning should matter, and it would certainly be appropriate if Heim and Zilisch secure championships in the desert.
Which non-playoff driver is worth watching at Phoenix?
Christopher Bell has been the most consistent Cup Series driver during the playoffs, but came up short of qualifying for the Championship 4. He’ll play a significant role in Sunday’s season finale.
Will off-track news overshadow the three champions who are crowned on the race track?
There appears to be a good chance that NASCAR will reach a settlement with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports regarding the pending antitrust lawsuit the two teams have filed against the sanctioning body. At this point, very few folks want to see a trial, which would begin in December, but announcing this news over Championship Weekend takes away from what the 12 teams racing for a title have accomplished this season.
Will such a settlement, change NASCAR Cup Series racing for years to come?
No. Any changes will come in the way money is distributed or the way power is yielded by the sanctioning body or the teams. It won’t make the racing more — or less — interesting.
When does the new season start?
The Clash At North Carolina’s Bowman Gray Stadium is Feb. 1.
