The championship race is almost here, and the drivers, fans, experts, everyone’s starting to feel it. This fever’s going to keep rising till the race where it’ll finally explode. For the drivers, the distractions, the mind games, and the nervousness are all at their peak. They know that one day, that one race, has the power to change their lives forever. But with the anticipation running so high, how do you really deal with it?

Only someone who’s lived that life, gone through those same moments, has the answer to that. Like Kevin Karvick. He’s been a Cup champion before, and he knows exactly how these days leading up to the final feel. So, as Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Briscoe prepare for the most important race of their lives, Harvick has the most important piece of advice to help them swim through this sea of pressure.

Harvick’s finale speech

On his Happy Hour show, Harvick started off simply by cutting off all the external distractions for the drivers that are not going to help in any way. “The biggest thing is, don’t read Twitter or whatever it’s called. Don’t read the comments, don’t buy into all the garbage that goes with everybody’s opinion. Do your own thing.”

Social media, the negative comments, that chatter’s only going to make it tougher. That outside noise can easily mess with a driver’s focus. And the bigger the event, the louder that noise is. That six-worded “don’t buy into all the garbage” tip sums it up.

He then added, “You got to understand that it’s going to be a little different. I always felt like once you got to the race, it was almost a relief because of all the work that you put in during the week. The appearances, dinners and all the things that you have to do. You got to be prepared for an abnormal week.”

Harvick explains how the build-up to the race is actually tougher than the race itself. To try and survive those final stressful days and reach the point where you sit in your car successfully with a focused mind is half the battle won. Abnormal is the normal they have to be ready for.

But at the same time, it doesn’t mean that you get the liberty to just cut off from the world and prepare in your own cocoon. Being a championship driver means that you don’t just race on the track, but also learn how to drive the vanity around it.

Which is why Harvick says, “Buy into the moment, do the extra work, shake the extra hands, do the extra appearances, and all those things. It just has to be planned appropriately so that you can still eat lunch and still eat breakfast. Still have the right amount of sleep and do all those things. Do everything that you need to do, it’s just it’s a different schedule, different routine than normal.”

A race like this affects each one in a different way. “You can tell who’s nervous, pretty quick. Who’s uncomfortable being up there and being a part of all that. A lot of them get frustrated with having to do more than they normally do, cause they’ve never done it before. That’s the biggest thing for the Chase Briscoes and Byron, Hamlin and Larson have been at some pretty high-level stuff. It’s going to be interesting.”

Among the current four Cup finalists, Chase Briscoe is the underdog, having no experience with what a finale race feels like. But as Harvick pointed out, Hamlin and Larson have more experience in that regard. Nonetheless, when it comes to such big events, neither the stats nor the prior experience, it’s just the present performance that will matter for everyone.

And even Mamba Smith vouched for the No. 19’s humbleness, saying, “He’s always so, in practice it would be like, ‘Hey man! Car looks pretty good.’ He’d be like, ‘I don’t know how qualifying’s going to go. I’ll probably qualify 6th.’ Pole. He’s very nonchalant, so it’ll be interesting to see him in that environment.”

But as for the ones who’ve been there before, Harvick feels they could use those studies to understand what works for them and what doesn’t. There’s no one reason or one excuse that can be acceptable, as there are a lot of things that have to work right to go in your favor. “You’re not going to have more pressure than that do-or-die moment. That’s why that momentum and that experience for those guys is so important, leading into next week,” he said.

How the finale looks for each

Denny Hamlin, NASCAR’s anti-hero, is slowly turning into an actual hero as he becomes one of the favorites to win the title. The primary reason is his winless title drought, so even the ones who are neutral want Hamlin to taste what that special win feels like. But it’s not just empathy. Stat-wise, he’s the strongest, peaking with six wins, and reaching the 60 Cup win milestone this year, tying himself with Kevin Harvick. Though his recent engine issues in the past two races are a scare, let’s hope they stay away when it truly matters.

William Byron brings momentum on Sunday. He’s boosted by his Martinsville win, where his driving in the No. 24 gave many a shadow of the car’s legend, Jeff Gordon. His Phoenix record looks good with an average finish of 8, and his consecutive third Championship 4 appearance also gives him that added experienced edge.

Kyle Larson, another fan favorite, has finally started to gain momentum once again. His three top 5s in the last four races ignite that hope that was fading, as he was more dominant in the first half of the season. All his three wins came in that schedule. But the fact that he’s the only driver in the playoff bunch who’s reached here on points instead of a win in the Round of 8 shows his true potential, what he’s capable of.

Chase Briscoe is the final dark horse. The driver with seven poles this season, the most. Briscoe has enjoyed a breakout debut season at Joe Gibbs Racing, and his 2022 win at Phoenix with the Next Gen gives him a psychological and practical advantage over the rest. He could really upset the field if it’s his day.