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Kevin Harvick predicts NASCAR Cup Series Championship Four drivers ahead of Las Vegas

ProfilePhotoby: Nick Geddes10/08/25NickGeddesNews
NASCAR
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Eight drivers remain in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Four will head to Phoenix Raceway next month to race for a championship.

But to get there, they first have to advance through the Round of 8, which gets underway this Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick, 2014 champion and FOX Sports analyst, made his Championship 4 picks.

“My underlying names are [Denny] Hamlin, [Ryan] Blaney, [Kyle] Larson, and [Christopher] Bell,” Harvick said on Tuesday’s Happy Hour podcast.

Of those names, Blaney (2023) and Larson (2021) have already won a Cup championship. Bell has made it to the Championship 4 in two of the last three seasons, while Hamlin’s history of not being able to get it done in the postseason dates back much further.

Hamlin has 59 Cup victories, one shy of Harvick for 10th on the all-time wins list. He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer, even without a championship on his resume. At 44 years old, Hamlin knows he doesn’t have many shots left at it.

Hamlin has been as good as any driver in the series this season. His five wins are tied with Shane van Gisbergen for the most among drivers. Hamlin has led 804 laps and will go to Las Vegas No. 1 in the playoff standings, plus-eight above the cutline.

Which Round of 8 driver is favorite to win NASCAR Cup Series championship?

Of the drivers Harvick picked, only Bell will start the Round of 8 sitting below the cutline. He is minus-four to begin, obviously, something he can easily overcome.

Blaney might be considered the favorite once you look at the remaining racetracks. Las Vegas has been hit or miss, yes, but Blaney has three wins at Talladega Superspeedway and Team Penske has shown they can control those races. Martinsville Speedway might be Blaney’s best track. He’s won each of the last two fall races there to clinch a spot in the Championship 4. And as we know, Penske knows how to get it done at Phoenix.

It should be an entertaining finish to the 2025 season. The one thing we do know is the champion will come from either Penske, Hendrick Motorsports, or Joe Gibbs Racing.