Kyle Petty predicts Martin Truex Jr. will make it to Phoenix in NASCAR playoffs

And then there were 12. Following last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series playoff field dwindled down to just a dozen drivers in the chase for a championship. And though he didn’t believe Martin Truex Jr. would make the cut past the Round of 16, analyst and former driver Kyle Petty is changing his tune.

Petty recently talked about which drivers he believes have the best chance to get to Phoenix as part of the Round of 4, the final race of the season to determine the Cup Series champion. After seeing how Truex found a way to creep into the Round of 12, the analyst is a believer.

“Martin Truex Jr., I had him out. I thought there’s no way that this guy is gonna survive. Bristol has not been one of his best places, but they grind it out, they grind it out and they make something out of nothing,” Petty said on NASCAR’s YouTube channel.

“That means two things: No. 1, that means that team is prepared to run for a championship. No. 2, I think it takes a lot of pressure off Martin Truex. He was out, he gets his bonus points back, he moves to the top of the list again. He has two more rounds make it to Phoenix, and I think he makes it to Phoenix.”

Truex returned to the top of the playoff standings this week after making the cut at Bristol. And after a strong season on the track, there’s a lot of belief he’ll be in the mix when that final race arrives in November.

Petty named three of the four drivers he’s most confident will have a chance to win a championship at Phoenix. But, he admitted, he has been dead wrong about making so many of these predictions this season.

“So, I’ve got Denny Hamlin in Phoenix, I’ve got Martin Truex and I’ve got Kyle Larson in Phoenix,” Petty said. “I don’t know who my next one is, but listen, if I’m anything like my other predictions, don’t count on any of those guys being there.”

Before the Round of 4, the NASCAR Cup Series dwindles to the Round of 8. Three races stand between now and the next cut, with drivers heading to Texas, Talladega and Charlotte before the next round of cuts.

This weekend’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 24. The green flag waves at 3:30 p.m. ET and the race airs on USA Network.