The stage was set. Four drivers, one last shot at NASCAR Cup glory. But instead of roaring into Phoenix for the Championship 4, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and the once-favorite Christopher Bell ended up watching their championship dreams turn to dust in their rearview mirrors Sunday at Martinsville. Let’s dig into how these four big dogs managed to miss the party, each in their own spectacularly frustrating way.
Kyle Larson: The Wild Talent Meets the Wild Misfortune
Kyle Larson—the golden boy of raw talent. This is the man who can make a race car dance. He’s got the finesse, the aggression, the relentless drive. But NASCAR doesn’t give titles out for style points, and Larson learned this the hard way. He was quick, but he was also wildly unlucky. Over the season, it seemed that every time he’d build some momentum, Lady Luck came along to throw a wrench into his wheels. Whether it was a pit crew error, a wreck, or a mechanical issue, Larson’s luck ran as cold as an Alaskan winter. By the time he reached the last stretch before Phoenix, there was simply too much ground to cover, and even his talent couldn’t bridge the gap.
Chase Elliott: The Crown Prince with a Missing Crown
Now, if NASCAR has a prince, it’s Chase Elliott. He’s got the fanbase, the pedigree, and, when he’s at his best, the skill to back it up. But this year? Let’s just say Chase’s season was like a bad country song. He showed flashes of brilliance, but inconsistency was his Achilles’ heel. One race, he’d be battling up front, reminding everyone why he’s one of the sport’s biggest names. The next, he’d be lost in the midfield, wondering what went wrong. And, in the playoffs, inconsistency is fatal. Elliott just couldn’t string together the kind of performances needed to keep his Championship 4 hopes alive. The talent’s there, no question, but in 2024 he simply couldn’t find the rhythm.
Denny Hamlin: So Close, Yet So Far… Again
Ah, Denny Hamlin. The perpetual bridesmaid of NASCAR, the nearly-man who somehow always finds a way to *not* seal the deal. Hamlin was, as usual, fast and consistent throughout the season. He was right there, once again, sniffing at the chance to finally break his curse and grab that elusive championship. But in classic Hamlin style, when it mattered most, something just didn’t click. Maybe it was the weight of expectations. Maybe it was an invisible barrier that’s been plaguing his career for over a decade. Whatever it was, Hamlin couldn’t overcome it. Once again, Denny fans are left wondering if he’ll ever add “champion” to his name, and Hamlin himself is left with nothing but another “almost” to his legacy.
Christopher Bell: The Favorite Who Fizzled Out
And now we get to Christopher Bell, the man who was, for a good part of the season, pegged as the favorite to win it all. The 29-year-old racer seemed to have everything going his way—speed, strategy, and confidence. Bell was the buzz of the garages, the guy to watch, the one you’d bet your paycheck on. But the problem with being the favorite? Everyone’s gunning for you. And that pressure seemed to get to Bell. Instead of rising to the occasion, he cracked. A series of poor finishes and strategic missteps took him from frontrunner to frustrated. For a guy who had the championship practically written in his stars, this crash back to earth must have been gut-wrenching.
Final Verdict
So, there you have it. Larson, Elliott, Hamlin, and Bell—all hugely talented, all capable of winning, and all felled by their own unique brands of bad luck, inconsistency, pressure, and untimely mistakes. In the high-stakes game of NASCAR, only the toughest make it to the end. And in 2024, these four simply didn’t have what it took to reach the final showdown in Phoenix.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- Chase Elliott Reigns Supreme as NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver - November 22, 2024
- Greg Biffle Honored for Hurricane Relief Efforts - November 22, 2024
- NASCAR Honors Toyota’s Wilson with France Award of Excellence - November 22, 2024