After an intense battle at Martinsville Speedway, the 2023 Cup Series has finally got its Championship 4. While it was a memorable victory for Ryan Blaney, it was heartbreaking for Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and others. All said and done, the sport is ready for the finale at Phoenix. Without a doubt, not many would have expected Dale Earnhardt Jr’s prediction to come true.

Dale Jr, as always, has been quite vocal this year. In fact, he was criticized plenty for one of his predictions earlier this campaign. Now that the Championship 4 is finalized, his critics have been made to eat their own words.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s unbelievable prediction about the Championship 4 turns out to be spot on

With plenty of stake on Sunday, nothing was assured when it came to Championship 4. Eventually, Ryan Blaney and William Byron joined Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell for the finale. While they’ll battle it out at Phoenix Raceway next weekend, Dale Earnhardt Jr must be delighted with his prediction coming true.

Four months back, nothing was assured for any of the Cup Series drivers. Let alone the finale, no driver was quite guaranteed a place in the playoffs. It was a time when even Chase Elliott had a glimmer of hope to make it to the final 16 when he missed seven games because of injury and suspension.

Fast forward four months and here we are with Blaney and Byron with two first-timers in the Championship 4. Not only that, that finale has three organizations representing all three manufacturers. With only Larson among them being a title holder, it certainly makes it an interesting race.

While it will be worth witnessing, Dale Earnhardt Jr would be focusing more on one specific driver. Four months back when asked to make an uncommon prediction on his podcast The Dale Jr Download, Junior said, “My bold prediction is that Ryan Blaney has an incredible second half and emerges as a championship favorite.”

It was indeed quite bold of him to show so much faith in Blaney then. Obviously, since not many thought it was a likely scenario, Dale Jr faced a lot of criticism. It was in literal terms that he admitted that he got a lot of s**t for his predictions. However, he stuck through his selections and maintained how he believed in Blaney.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Bold Cup Series Champion Prediction Get’s Tony Stewart’s Seal of Approval

 

Amazingly, the former Hendrick Motorsports driver was proven right after the Team Penske driver’s Martinsville victory on Sunday. Without a doubt, Blaney looked ecstatic after the win.

Ryan Blaney waited a long time to win at Martinsville Speedway

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Coming into the race on Sunday, Blaney remained winless at Martinsville Speedway despite an impressive record in 15 races. However, with his third win of the 2023 Cup Series season, he not only ensured a place in the Championship 4 but also finished the Round of 8 in the perfect fashion.

With a sixth-place finish in Las Vegas, a second-place finish at Homestead, and a victory at Martinsville, Blaney exceeded expectations in the last three races. Speaking about his form after the race, he said, “Well, I mean, felt like we put together really strong especially the Round of 8… we had a good run in the whole Round of 8.”

He continued, “Yeah, just overall really proud of the whole effort. RP (Team Penske owner Roger Penske) couldn’t be here, unfortunately, but I know he’s watching. This is awesome. Can’t wait to get to Phoenix next week.” Certainly, his performance merited plenty of praise.

Now, can he go against the odds and go all the way at Phoenix Raceway? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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