Final prediction on the winner of the 2023 Cup Series championship
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season is nearing an end and a champion will be crowned at Phoenix Raceway this weekend. Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and William Byron will all fight it out for a chance at the title. It has been a playoff stretch; however, the sun is setting on the 2023 season and someone needs to achieve the highest honor in NASCAR.
It is now time to predict who will be the 2023 Cup Series champion. First, the previous experience at Phoenix will be an important factor to look at because the results are heavy across the board. All four drivers have been in the Cup Series for multiple years and have competed in all three races at Phoenix in the NextGen car.
Starting with Larson, he has been very good at the venue in the past but the race in March 2023 was his best yet. Larson led 201 laps and was on pace for a second or third-place finish. The driver of the No. 5 car has been a top-10 car every time since the beginning of 2022 so there are no doubts that it will continue on Sunday afternoon.
As for Blaney, there couldn’t be a better track for the championship. Blaney has three straight top-4 finishes in the NextGen car while leading over 100 laps and winning a stage in two of those races. The driver of the No. 12 car is electric at Phoenix and with his momentum from a strong Round of 8, he could be the one to beat.
Next, Bell has slowly improved at Phoenix with a best finish of sixth place in March. If not for a late yellow, Bell would have caught Larson for second place and may have passed him. The driver of the No. 20 car hasn’t won a race, a stage, or finished in the top-5 spots but he is getting better by the race at the track. If that trend continues, Bell could be at the front this weekend.
Finally, Byron was in a similar situation as Bell at Phoenix before March. Byron never finished in the top 5 spots but finally broke through for a victory. The driver of the No. 24 car was likely finishing in fourth place if not for the late-race yellow but he showed great pace and finished off the event. Byron has won at Phoenix in 2023 so why can’t he sweep the season?
Ultimately, the prediction is that Blaney will secure his first Cup Series championship at Phoenix this weekend. The Team Penske driver has been on a tear over the last month and could have won the last two races. Blaney is going to one of his best tracks at Phoenix where Team Penske won the title with Logano last year. Quite frankly, this could be Blaney’s championship to lose.
NASCAR has put on a show during the 2023 season and these four drivers have raced with respect all year. This Championship 4 represents a changing of the guard and one of them will cement or further establish their legacy at Phoenix on Sunday afternoon.
