NASCAR Playoffs: Predicting winners and losers in the Round of 8

Las Vegas is the beginning of the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 8. There will be four more drivers eliminated in just a few weeks. As we get down to the last month of the season, these drivers are going to leave it all out on the track.

A year ago, Las Vegas was the key for Joey Logano on his way to winning at Phoenix. Getting a victory early and securing that spot in the championship is really important. It allowed Logano to focus three weeks’ worth of simulator time and film study to Phoenix instead of just a single week.

This year, I expect a few drivers to try and replicate that. Championship favorites will be looking for any advantage that they can get in the Championship 4. However, there are others hoping to pull off an upset, or perhaps non-playoff drivers looking to end their season on a high note will steal this win from our playoff drivers.

Last week wasn’t so exciting. However, the NASCAR Playoffs should heat up as the show moves on to Sin City.

NASCAR Playoffs Round of 8 – Las Vegas

We have just a couple of days until the race at Las Vegas. The city knows how to host the NASCAR Playoffs. A year ago, we had a wild race that ended with Logano winning and a fiery battle between Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson after wrecking.

Heading into Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the South Point 400, Larson is the favorite. This was the round he was looking forward to the most. The thing is, if he can’t get it done at Vegas, I expect him to steal the show at Homestead. He’s always so good there while riding the high line on the wall.

Denny Hamlin and the Toyotas will be really strong here. It might be a Hendrick and JGR battle with Tyler Reddick thrown in from 23XI Racing. Ryan Blaney can make a lot of noise here as well.

Prediction: We’re going to see a Hendrick vs. JGR race here. I think Hamlin is going to ease into this race and come on hot late. Larson might lead a lot of laps early and find himself in trouble. Then again, it might be William Byron once again winning at Vegas just as he did earlier this season.

Round of 8 – Homestead-Miami

The 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway is the second race in the Round of 8. These NASCAR Playoffs wouldn’t be the same without Homestead. Honestly, we should get it as the championship race again, in my opinion.

While we don’t get to make that choice around here, we can preview the race. Once again, Kyle Larson will be a favorite. He loves this track. Tyler Reddick is another driver with an art for running the wall, I expect him to be in contention in this race, too. Given that the race is named after him, what about Kevin Harvick?

While I don’t think Harvick will win, I think that there will be a Ford or two in the mix late in this one. I’m not sure if that is Blaney or Chris Buescher at this point. However, the last four races at Homestead-Miami have been won by JGR or Hendrick.

Prediction: Sorry to be a little basic, but this is Larson’s race to lose, right? There is no one else that can run the well like him in the Cup Series, and barring any kind of mistake, which is likely given his history this season, Larson is going to make his way to Phoenix through Miami.

Round of 8 Elimination Race – Martinsville

The Paperclip. Martinsville. A legendary track and a perfect elimination race venue for the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 8. A year ago, Christopher Bell earned the walk-off win while Ross Chastain bulldozed his way around the wall to the Championship 4.

This year, we don’t know what kind of elimination line battles we will get. Yet. This is a track where I could see Martin Truex Jr. coming out of nowhere to take the final spot in the Phoenix race. He’s been quiet up to this point and Martinsville would be the perfect place to step up and get another win.

Bell won the Xfinity 500 a year ago and Alex Bowman won it in 2021. Let’s not count out Chase Elliott, either who has won at Martinsville and is in the Owner’s Championship right now.

Prediction: Martinsville was won by Kyle Larson earlier this year. That was at a time when he looked like the best short-track racer in the Cup Series. He still might be, but it isn’t as cut and dry as it was back then. He doesn’t have the same speed at times. It’s hard to predict what will happen, but I feel good about my Truex prediction. It could just as easily be Hamlin or Larson or Byron, too.

Championship 4 Prediction: Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick