The 4EVER 400 had Joe Gibbs fielding three strong championship contenders, one of whom sat in the pole position. By the end of the playoff race in Homestead, Gibbs was left with one unexpected Championship 4 ticket and two promising racers 17 points below the cut-off line. 

These paradoxical circumstances of Joe Gibbs Racing did not deter Kenny Wallace from standing by the championship favorites at the end of the regular season. 

Kenny Wallace is confident of a Joe Gibbs Racing victory in Martinsville

The regular season champion Martin Truex Jr flipped the script for the #19 team in the playoffs. Cruising with the aid of his earlier points, Truex remained two points above the cut-off line after the round of 8 race in Las Vegas. A pole position at the Homestead-Miami Speedway renewed hopes for an MTJ comeback in this season’s championship run. Entering the playoffs with the second-highest regular season points, his teammate Denny Hamlin also envisioned the championship trophy.

But Joe Gibbs could never have imagined his brightest stars limping back together at the same time, both let down by their respective Chevrolets. This unforeseeable situation paved the way for Gibbs’ #20 driver Christopher Bell to grab the checkered with Ryan Blaney and William Byron finishing in the Top 5. Byron’s 30-point lead at the end of the race made the Hendrick Motorsports driver an ideal candidate for a point-based qualification in Martinsville this weekend. 

On the other hand, Ryan Blaney with his runner-up finish and 10-point lead might be on his way to bring Dale Earnhardt Jr’s championship prediction to light. Despite the advantage held by the Team Penske driver, veteran racer Kenny Wallace felt the stumbling JGR racers could still accomplish a surprising triumph. Laying down his four choices for the final race in Phoenix, Wallace proclaimed, 

“I’m going to go with Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, William Byron. I’m not going to try to win it all here. I’m going to say Denny Hamlin or Martin Truex win to get in, that’s what I’m gonna say. Even though Ryan Blaney’s got 10 points to the good and Reddick’s there, I’m just going to call it. I’m going to say the fourth position will be rounded out by Denny Hamlin or Martin Truex.”  

But does Dale Jr’s Ryan Blaney prediction still hold merit?

Ryan Blaney might overpower the popular prediction of a Gibbs-Hendrick showdown 

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Dale Earnhardt Jr held out immense hope for Ryan Blaney at the beginning of this season. He reiterated that stance in mid-Jule when the Top 16 were being finalized with each race. This was the time when Daniel Suarez was battling against Bubba Wallace for a spot and the racing community still anticipated Chase Elliott to qualify for the playoffs. Contrary to popular sentiment, Dale Jr continued to see hidden potential in the #12 driver. In an episode of Dale Jr Download, the Xfinity champion said,

“I picked Ryan Blaney to win the championship and still I’m not ready to change my mind just yet. When we go to Phoenix, Penske’s been good there and I think if a Penske car can get to the Final Four, I’m feeling good about my pick earlier in this year about Blaney.”

Well, a Penske car might just find its way over to the Championship 4 race if Blaney maintained his current form. Martinsville Speedway is the only remaining roadblock and the #13 driver happens to have the best average finish of 9.5 on the racetrack. But with ten extra races on their hand and multiple Martinsville wins, both Joe Gibbs drivers could crawl their way above the cut line in the coming race. 

Whether Dale Jr’s epiphany would come to fruition or the regular season conquerors would once again prove their might, the short-track oval would answer soon enough.