Predicting The 2021 Cup Series Playoff Drivers and How They Get There.



   


 The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season is fast approaching, and its predictions season. With the Daytona 500 almost a week away I went week by week, race by race, and I predicted the winner of every single points paying race of the 2021 Cup Series Schedule.

Daytona 500- Denny Hamlin....Could  anybody else really win this race? 

Daytona Road Course- Chase Elliott...DUH!

Homestead-  Denny Hamlin... As long as this race isn't the championship race Denny Hamlin has a good shot of winning here. 

Las Vegas 1- Joey Logano... Logano has won this race two years in a row, so I wanna gamble on Logano making it three in a row.

Phoenix 1- Kevin Harvick... The Desert King gets his crown back, Harvick eventually has to win another at Phoenix.

Atlanta 1- Kevin Harvick... 20 Years after the passing of Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick is the perfect driver to win this race.

Bristol Dirt- Christopher Bell... HOT TAKE ALERT... Christopher Bell is the best sprint car racer in the world, sorry Larson fans, but Bell won't lose another dirt race to Larson this year. 

Martinsville- Chase Elliott... Chase will pickup his dominance from last fall from Martinsville. 

Richmond 1- Brad Keselowski... Brad, and Team Penske were the best on the flatish short tracks, and I think this dominance will happen again.

Talladega 1- Ryan Blaney... If he wins a third race here in the last three years we're renaming it Tallablaney.

Kansas 1- Joey Logano... Joey Logano goes back to back at Kansas. Admittedly this race was one of the hardest to predict. Kansas is very wide open this year.

Darlington 1- Denny Hamlin...Dennis is one of the best of this era at Darlington surely if NASCAR goes there twice a year he can snag one.

Dover- Alex Bowman... We've seen Bowman do well here, as well as the famed 48, and I think he's a favorite to win here.

Circuit Of The Americas- Chase Elliott... If the track has left AND right turns its the place for Chase.  

Charlotte- Alex Bowman... He was the best early on in last years 600, and I think Alex Bowman could very easily win that race.

Sonoma- Martin Truex Jr.... For his sake I hope we can finally go back to Sonoma.

Nashville-  Kyle Busch... A new track to the Cup Series, but in its hay day Kyle Busch dominated this track.

Pocono 1- Denny Hamlin ... He's arguably the best to ever do it here, and if he wins one of the two races he's the all time Pocono wins leader.

Pocono 2- Denny Hamlin... Read the line above.

Road America- Chase Elliott... He's gonna win over half of these road course race, its just predicting which ones. 

Atlanta 2- Brad Keselowksi... When it was the second race of the season Brad traditionally dominated here, and I expect him to win one of these two races. 

New Hampshire- Brad Keselowski... Bad Brad goes back to back this time in the 750 HP package proving he's a title threat.

Watkins Glen- Chase Elliott... Fun fact after Chase wins here Watkins Glen is deemed the Dawsonville of the north.

Indianapolis Road Course- Chase Briscoe... He will probably have the  most laps here of any driver in the field. The winner of the inaugural Xfinity Series race here Chase wins at home.

Michigan- Kevin Harvick... He swept Michigan last year, and I expect him to be trimmed out and fit to win again.

Daytona 2- Erik Jones... This race should be crazy so why not make a crazy pick.

Playoff Drivers In On Wins:

Chase Elliott- 5 Wins (Daytona RC, Martinsville 1, COTA, Road America, and Watkins Glen) 

Denny Hamlin- 5 Wins (Daytona 500, Homestead, Darlington 1, Pocono 1 &2) 

Kevin Harvick- 3 Wins (Phoenix 1, Atlanta 1, Michigan)

Brad Keselowski- 3 Wins (Richmond 1, Atlanta 2, New Hampshire) 

Joey Logano- 2 Wins (Las Vegas 1, Kansas 1)

Alex Bowman- 2 Wins (Dover, Charlotte)

Martin Truex Jr.- 1 Win (Sonoma) 

Kyle Busch- 1 Win (Nashville)

Ryan Blaney- 1 Win (Talladega 1)

Christopher Bell- 1 Win (Bristol Dirt) 

Chase Briscoe- 1 Win (Indianapolis Road Course) 

Erik Jones- 1 Win (Daytona 2) 

Playoff Drivers In On Points:

Kyle Larson 

William Byron 

Kurt Busch 

Aric Almirola 

Playoff Races 

Round 1

Darlington 2- Denny Hamlin... Break out the brooms here comes the sweep. 

Richmond 2- Brad Keselowski... Another sweep... if Brad gets to Phoenix he's gotta be the favorite right?

Bristol- Kurt Busch... Might as well make his yearly win a big one at his best track.

Round 2

Las Vegas 2- Kyle Busch... Back to back Busch brothers win at home... neither have dominated this track, but it changes here.

Talladega 2- Alex Bowman... An underrated superspeedway racer Bowman uses the improved Chevrolet engines to win a wild one at Talladega.

Charlotte Roval- Chase Elliott... Luke Combs said best, "Some things just go better together together, and probably always will," okay okay he didn't write it about Chase and the Roval, but he could've.

Round 3 

Texas- Christopher Bell... He comes back with a significantly better car this time, and he dominates his "home" track.

Kansas 2- Denny Hamlin... Denny has won a race at Kansas each of the last two seasons, and he keeps the streak alive.

Martinsville 2- Chase Elliott... Tick tock tick tock Chase gets another Grandfather Clock. 

Championship 4

Chase Elliott 

Alex Bowman 

Denny Hamlin 

Christopher Bell 

Phoenix 2- Alex Bowman... He wins a title at his hometrack... someone call Hollywood here's your movie script. 

Champion: Alex Bowman... He uses the spirit of Jimmie, and an improved Chevrolet engine package to dominate the playoffs and win the Cup championship. 


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