With the NASCAR season kicking off this weekend, it’s time to take a look at predictions from our team here at JBJ Sports.

Playoff Predictions

Brett

This year’s playoff race could be one of the closest since its installment. Kyle Larson missed out on the regular season championship last year by a single point. Larson missed the Coca-Cola 600 due to the rain-delayed Indy 500, which resulted in him getting 0 points from that race and ultimately missing out on the five bonus points that comes with the regular season championship. Larson will be back with revenge this year after missing the Championship 4 and will win the regular season championship. This year I have five new playoff drivers who either were not in the playoffs last year or were not full time Cup Series drivers. Those drivers are Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Shane Van Gisbergen, and Bubba Wallace. Buescher and Chastain picked up wins last year but both came in the playoffs after failing to make them. Kyle Busch saw his win streak end at 19 consecutive seasons but will bounce back and find victory lane this year. With the influx of road courses on the schedule, Shane Van Gisbergen will win a race this year and lock himself into the playoffs. Bubba Wallace has been improving each year of the next gen car and will lock himself into the playoffs on points but has a very good chance to win a race to lock himself in. Bubba’s average finish in the three years of the next gen car have been 18.4(2022), 15.9(2023), and 15.3(2024). The true wild card this year is Ty Gibbs. Having yet to win a race, he is knocking on the door of a win in what will be his 3rd full time season in the Cup Series and 4th overall. He ended the season with five straight 30th or worse finishes after making the playoffs for the first time. With new crew chief Tyler Allen, I believe Ty Gibbs finds victory lane to lock himself into the playoffs.

James

The Playoff 16 should look pretty uniform plus/minus 1 or 2 drivers. Coming off The Clash, it feels like the 11 team got their package right this off season. I foresee them in a tight race with 5 all the way to the end of the regular season. Barring another missed race this season, I don’t see anyone topping Larson. It feels like a “prove it” year and that team will be racing with a vengeance. Also, I fully expect to see Kyle Busch get back to victory lane this season.

Championship Four Predictions

Brett

The nine playoff races leading up to the Championship race in Phoenix favors Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and Chase Elliott. Being able to stack points in the first two rounds will be key this season more than ever with Talladega now in the Round of 8. Ryan Blaney has won his way into the Championship 4 the past two seasons both via wins at Martinsville speedway and he will do it again this season. Kyle Larson is one of the best at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and will open the Round of 8 with a win there. As for Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott, both drivers are more than capable of winning any of the three races in the Round of 8. They will have stacked as many playoff points as possible throughout the season that they will point their way into the Championship race. After last year’s drama with race manipulation and wall riding, Christopher Bell will not be denied a spot in the Championship 4.

Until one of the other manufacturers or teams catches up to Penske’s speed and handling at short flat tracks, they will continue to win there and Ryan Blaney will win his second Cup Series championship and the fourth straight for Team Penske. If it was not for burning up his tires passing Kyle Larson last year, he would have won his second straight championship.

James

The driver who scares me the most of ruining my Final 4 will be Ryan Blaney. The 12 team, if they get to this round, will score a 2nd championship in 3 years. However, I think these 4 teams will just be too strong in the Round of 8. The Roval helps a ton and will put Reddick and Larson in a great position to move on. Ultimately, I think this is the year Christopher Bell notches his first championship. He has had the speed and car to do so, they will find their x-factor this time around. Of these four in Phoenix, no team comes close to the 20.

Hot Takes

Brett

1. Mother nature just hates Nascar. There is no hiding it. This is the year though where mother nature makes it right. This year there will be no races held on a Monday due to weather postponements.
2. This group of 36 full time drivers are as close as they have ever been in terms of talent and equipment. Between road course aces in Shane Van Gisbergen and Superspeedway masters like Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, I believe the 16 drivers who make the playoffs will all be via wins in the regular season.
3. The first 10 races of the season include three super speedway/drafting tracks, three intermediate tracks, three short tracks, and one road course. This creates the potential for a lot of wacky races and some unexpected winners. With all the different types of tracks comes different packages and tire compounds which will open up the door for many different winners. I believe we will see 10 different winners in the first 10 races because of the diverse tracks we see.

James

1. Hear me out: SVG will win 2 of regular season street/road courses. We saw his talent on display this past season and now he is actually point racing. He’ll use his bumper when needed. He’ll point his way to the Round of 12, where the Roval happens to be the final race. A win there cements his path to the Round of 8.
2. If not for magical fuel savings at Nashville, Logano misses the playoffs last season. I guess better lucky than good.
3. I have a gut feeling Larson and Hamlin dominate the schedule this season. The points battle will come down the final week of the season – creating one of the best regular season finales we’ve ever seen.