NASCAR insider makes surprising dark-horse pick for Cup Series championship

The nature of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff format lends itself to unpredictability, and that allows dark-horse contenders to emerge each season.

While many would agree the best eight have made it to the Round of 8 in 2024, FOX’s Bob Pockrass tried to make sense of who would be this season’s unheralded contender, and his choice, Joey Logano, may seem odd at first, given he’s a two-time champion, the No. 22 wheelman standing tall at the end of it all would certainly be a surprise.

“I would say it’s Logano, because you know, he was out, right? And now he got in. He’s a two-time champ. He knows how to — he’s been used to these pressure situations,” Pockrass said, regarding which overlooked driver could win the title, via Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “Certainly they ran well at the Roval, but I still — here’s the thing, I always doubt Logano, and he always proves me wrong.

“So, I still think, to me, he’s the dark-horse. He’s the guy who wasn’t in the top seven in regular season points who’s still alive.”

Of course, Logano almost didn’t make the Round of 8, and he was only elevated after Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team was disqualified. That’s not taking anything away from the two-time champion, but if he does win his third this season, it would certainly come in surprising fashion.

As Bob Pockrass stated, you can never count out Joey Logano, and many NASCAR fans learned that earlier this season, as his team looked far from championship caliber at the midway point in 2024. Motivated and looking to prove his doubters wrong, the No. 22 wheelman will be as dangerous as any over the Round of 8.

Kevin Harvick predicts winner at Las Vegas in NASCAR Playoffs Round of 8 opener

In other news, Kevin Harvick is locking in his prediction for this weekend’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which will kickoff the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Cup Series. 

While Harvick isn’t necessarily going out on a limb, as he’s rocking with Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson, it’s borderline impossible to pick against the No. 5 Chevrolet at the moment. Las Vegas has been one of Larson’s best tracks in the Cup Series, as he’s won the past two races in Sin City, and a third victory in a row would lock him in the Championship 4.

“It’s hard to go against Kyle Larson,” Harvick explained, via Harvick’s Happy Hour. “He won the first race there, dominated this last week, so I’m going to stick with that Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels train as they head back to Las Vegas.”

There’s no argument from Harvick’s co-host Kaitlyn Vincie on the pick, as she’s also riding with Larson to lock himself into a chance for his second Cup Series title at Phoenix later this season. As for Mamba Smith, he tried to be a little different at least, choosing Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing to upend Larson and slay the beat in Las Vegas.

Time will tell who gets the win in Sin City, but the South Point 400 should bring a ton of drama regardless, as the best in the NASCAR Cup Series face off. Kyle Larson is the prohibitive favorite, and Kevin Harvick’s pick. He’ll be tough to beat, that’s for sure.