All the Numbers You Need to Pick a Winner at NASCAR's Championship 4

• A Martinsville victory put Christopher Bell in the Championship 4 with Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Ross Chastain.

• Elliott (2020) and Logano (2018) are past champions looking to add another trophy to their impressive trophy cases.

• Longshots Bell and Chastain have have combined for just one top-five finish (zero wins) in 13 career starts at Phoenix.

It can be argued that only three drivers looking to race their way into next weekend’s Championship 4 in Phoenix were household names when they arrived at Martinsville Speedway last weekend. (Former champion Joey Logano was already in, so he doesn’t count). The others were:

• Former Cup Series champion, multi-time Most Popular Driver, and five-time 2022 winner Chase Elliott was probably the best-known of the group on the Championship 4 bubble.

• Three-time Daytona 500 winner, 60-time Cup race winner, and consistent Championship 4 driver Denny Hamlin must be considered in that group.

• Popular Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney—although winless this season—is better-known than any winless driver should be.

The other Championship 4 contenders went into the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville a combined 11 wins in 507 Cup career starts and 8-for-136 this year. Household names? Hardly! Maybe in some NASCAR-obsessed households, but certainly not in many.

They were Ross Chastain (two victories this year), Chase Briscoe (one), William Byron (two), and Christopher Bell (three, including last weekend’s 500-lapper that qualified him for the Championship 4).

Twice during the 10-race Playoff series Bell has faced a win-or-go home challenge, and he won both times. He won the Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Roval to get to the Round of 8, then won the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville to advance to Phoenix.

The Martinsville victory put Bell in the Championship 4 with Logano, Elliott, and Chastain, the latter suddenly a household name across America. His sensational, oft-replayed, last-lap, wall-riding, all-or-nothing, never-seen-before charge got him to fifth (later, advanced to fourth) and into the Phoenix finale 4 by four points over Hamlin.

Here's a look at this year's Playoff survivors with a chance at a championship on Sunday at Phoenix:

The Championship 4:

Chase Elliott

Team: Hendrick Motorsports

Car: No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro

Owner: Rick Hendrick

Primary sponsors: NAPA/Hooters

Crew chief: Alan Gustafson

How qualified: won four regular-season races and was first in regular-season points

Season recap: 35 starts, victories at Dover, Nashville, first Atlanta, Pocono, and second Talladega; 5 victories, 12 top-5 finishes, 20 top-10 finishes, 4 DNFs

Round of 16: 36th at Darlington, 11th at Kansas City, and 2nd at Bristol

Round of 12: 32nd at Texas, 1st at Talladega, and 20th at Charlotte Roval

Round of 8: 21st at Las Vegas, 14th at Homestead, and 10th at Martinsville

Most recent Phoenix results: 11th, 5th, 5th, 1st (2020 fall) and 7th

Lifetime at Phoenix: 13 starts, 1 victory, 5 top-5 finishes, 8 top-10 finishes, and 4 DNFs

Comment: One of two former champions to make it through to the Championship 4. Only time will tell if that experience handling the pressure from two years ago will help him become a two-time champion.

Joey Logano

Team: Team Penske

Car: No. 22 Ford Mustang

Owner: Roger Penske

Primary sponsors: Pennzoil/Shell

Crew chief: Paul Wolfe

How qualified: won two regular-season races and was second in regular-season points