Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports seem to be the two teams most likely to clinch the championships this year! Many will also say that HMS drivers, Kyle Larson and William Byron have fared better than their archenemies at JGR.

With the cup season reaching its pinnacle soon, the most notable takeaway from the playoffs was the momentum drop for the previous round’s ace driver, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin had a contrasting experience in the last three races, although he still gathered enough points to move forward. However, this slump might have forced former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty to change his championship favorite.

Kyle Petty names his favorite in the round of 8

William Byron has been feeling it for the past three weeks. With consecutive top two finishes in the round of 12, he ended up with an average finish of 1.67, making him a formidable opponent to beat. The streak of top podium finishes also propelled him to the #1 seed for the next round, trouncing regular season champ Martin Truex Jr. by five points. He sits comfortably on the top with #11 Denny Hamlin at third.

Looking at Byron’s momentum going into the next round, Kyle Petty felt hesitant to not bet on him. From what he has shown this season, it would be outrageous not to consider him a favorite. Speaking on the popular talk show Motorsports on NBC, Petty said,

The quintessential challenger of the championship race is staying ahead of the curve and finishing ahead of the three other fan favorite competitors. Momentum and form can be a big factor in such scenarios. Petty emphasizes exactly that, as he added, ” It’s not about stage points. It’s about who’s there at the end of the race. “

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Well, NASCAR is certainly a dog-eat-dog sport. To leave behind someone is to succeed in the sport and Byron looks locked in to do exactly that. Hamlin on the other hand must buckle up if he wishes to break his long curse.

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Petty believes Denny Hamlin needs to step up

Hamlin had a completely different round of 12. In all of the three races, he led a mere 3 laps, all of which came in Talladega. This came as a surprise especially after comparing it to his numbers in the previous round where Hamlin had led 382 laps. But all is currently good as the veteran managed to clinch P5 and P3 finishes to stay above the cutoff line. Though impressive, it still hasn’t impressed Petty!

“The guy whose momentum has slown for me is Denny Hamlin. I’m gonna say that because I don’t know where he’s been the last couple of races because he was the hottest guy on the face of the earth. He was playing on the sun, that’s how hot he was. But for me, it’s William Byron.” stated the 63-year-old.

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With teammate and regular season champion Martin Truex Jr struggling in every round, the onus is on Hamlin to deliver. Some experts have also backed Hamlin to win it this year, claiming that he has looked a bit different than the previous editions of himself and is less distracted than before.

Another competitor will be #5 driver Kyle Larson. Larson broke his winless streak at Darlington in the first playoff race and has showed no signs of stopping. With prior experience in winning a championship, he could also be one to watch out for. With so many options to choose, Byron must have portrayed something that has caught the attention of Kyle Petty.