It’s Championship Sunday. The day of the championship. The day the champion gets championed. In Phoenix. The Phoenix in Arizona. (Did you know there’s a Phoenix in Illinois? But none in California? I would’ve bet a few dollars on the opposite.)
Where It Is:
Well, we’ve covered this to an extent, but it’s at Phoenix. One mile. Low banking. Tri-oval. Not too fast, but think it gets a lot of three-wide? I might be remembering that wrongly.
When It Is:
I’m seeing green flag at 2:14 PM Texas Time. 1:14 PM local? Or wait. 12:14. Because Arizona doesn’t do daylight savings, right? So it’s Pacific for…wait, Googling.
*typing noises*
Ok it’s at 1:14 local. Arizona doesn’t do daylight savings (don’t get me going on the donut up in the northeast corner—matter for another time) which means they’re Mountain Time in the winter and Pacific Time in the summer. Lit.
3:14 on the East Coast.
How to Watch:
NBC. *Sigh*
Who to Watch:
Rather than run through the standings, which have been wiped, we’ll just talk through the Championship 4. But first, acknowledgment that this is Jimmie Johnson’s last NASCAR race. Expend some emotion on that.
The Villain
Joey Logano, driving the 22 Ford for Team Penske, is an ass. He’ll have you think he isn’t, but everyone on that track does not like Joey Logano (if they appear to, they’ve hidden their dislike for the man). He’s won a championship before. Two years ago. He’s 30 years old, so you could say he’s in the midst of a long prime.
Odds to win the championship (finish first among these four drivers)? Bovada has him at +260, or 13-to-5 if I did my math right.
The Veteran
Brad Keselowski, driving the 2 Ford for Team Penske, used to be a villain. But if you google “Brad Keselowski villain” because you think he was a villain but you haven’t heard that recently, you don’t get much after 2015. Logano’s rise in assery has probably helped the 36-year-old, who won the championship in 2012. It also helps that NASCAR loves to highlight how Keselowski remembers every reporter’s name and calls them by their name in interviews, something that, combined with his dorkiness, makes him harder to hate than Logano.
Odds to win the championship: Bovada has him at +300, or 3-to-1.
The Wanderer
Denny Hamlin, driving the 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, is one of the best in the business. The 39-year-old’s won three Daytona 500’s, and he’s only missed the playoffs once in his 15-year career. He was Kevin Harvick’s clearest rival throughout the regular season, and with Harvick bowing out last week at Martinsville, he’s been the best this year of the remaining four. But he’s still looking for a championship. Will today be the day?
Odds to win the championship: Bovada has him at +240, or 12-to-5.
The Future
Chase Elliott is 24 years old. He’s handsome. He’s charismatic. He’s neither saccharine nor a douchebag. He can’t stand Joey Logano. He’s from Dawsonville, Georgia, the fans love him, and NASCAR should be paying every sponsor in the world to put him in those commercials where they mash up a great athlete from every sport. Serena Williams. LeBron James. Tom Brady. Chase Elliott. The sport needs a face, and he’s a good face.
If Elliott can win a title in his fifth full season, it’ll be a turning point for the sport, and a big comeback for Hendrick Motorsports, which has only won two of the last nine titles after winning five straight from 2006-2010. Elliott drives the number 9 Chevrolet.
Odds to win the championship: Bovada has him at +240, or 12-to-5, but it was just announced he failed pre-race inspection twice and will be starting from the back of the field.
How NASCAR Should Script It
At some point, Denny Hamlin should win a championship, but he’s got four or five years of driving left, I’d assume. Elliott should vanquish Logano. That’s how this should go. And NASCAR should pour enough gasoline on that rivalry over the months ahead to power the entire 2021 Daytona 500. Today’s the day.
