Sunday, November 10, at 3 pm EST, all eyes will be on the four drivers who narrowly made it through the round of 8. The lineup includes Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney, who will duke it out at the 312-lap race at Phoenix Raceway to determine who will become the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. During yesterday’s qualifying session, the heat was on as each driver tried to overpower the other to clinch the spot that put them into the pole position for the season’s last race. Each driver brings equal talent to the track, but which will bring the title home?
All Eyes on Ryan Blaney
According to the takeaways from Friday’s practice session, the driver to watch on Sunday is Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Blaney overpowered Team Hendrick’s William Byron to secure the top spot with an impressive lap average of 132.480 mph, making him the fastest out of the 40-car field at 27.174 seconds.
Perhaps his fastest single-lap practice time, the driver remains optimistic about what he’ll bring to the table during tomorrow’s race. He knows he’s one of the fastest. He has proven this many times over the last several races in the Cup Series, already winning three out of the thirty-six. The most recent was the Xfinity 500 on November 3, where he started 14th on the grid and earned 55 points, but can he do it again on Sunday?
Long-time crew chief Johnathan Hessler believes so and is confident Blaney will bring the same heat to Sunday’s race as he did in Martinsville last weekend because their numbers have consistently remained in the top standings. Ryan Blaney is no stranger to the oval Phoenix Raceway, having won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship there last season, where he beat out six-time Xfinity Series champ Aric Almirola.
Where Others Stand
Other top contenders are William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Joey Logano, who may have their work cut out for the race as Blaney continues to prove himself as the top dog. Nonetheless, William Byron is confident he’ll be able to push Ryan Blaney out of a victory on Sunday as he’s won three of the season’s first eight races. His post-season performance was miraculous, earning him six top-six finishes in the No.24 car. Byron feels like he’s the glue holding Hendrick Motorsports afloat right now, and he’s ignoring the criticism.
He now focuses on increasing his speed on the track and learning from previous race hiccups as an opportunity to grow. Similarly, Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 45 car for 23XL Racing, has earned three wins and is third overall in the standings. He finished Friday’s practice session in a little over ten consecutive laps. Though Reddick is in an excellent spot to set himself up for a potential win, he ranked 21st in speed at 130. 795. he’ll have to be faster on Sunday if he wants to maintain his stamina early on in the race.
Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 car for Team Penske and the No. 15 for AM Racing in NASCAR Xfinity, may have cost himself a third championship as the season closer at Phoenix Raceway approaches. He and Team Penske are in a sticky situation after the Mustang Dark Horse, which he is famously known for driving, failed two technical inspections on Friday. He was penalized for losing pit stall selection, the primary ingredient in strategizing the overall race and pitstops. Logano registered a speed of 134.389 mph on Friday, just four points shy of Reddick’s average, and hopes he can make a comeback on Sunday.
Final Thoughts
Going into tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series race, Ryan Blaney or top contender William Byron, the fourth quickest on the track at Friday’s practice session at Phoenix Speedway, registering an average speed of 132.004 mph, will likely become the 2024 Cup series champion. However, don’t ignore the force that is three-time winner Tyler Reddick. Even though he had a slow start to the practice session on Friday, he still had quite a 2024 season.
Reddick earned a win on Sunday, October 27, at Homestead Miami Speedway in the Straight Talk Wireless 400, holding off Blaney, who came in second, William Byron in sixth, and Joey Logano in Twenty-Eighth. Let’s see if he can do it again. Fans can tune into the final NASCAR Cup Series Race of the Season on NBC Sports Television, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, and MRN Radio as the final four face off to become the next champ.
