Yahoo Autos Where to Watch NASCAR This Weekend (October 16, 2022)
NASCAR - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, October 16th - 2:30 p.m. ET - NBC
As the NASCAR Playoffs turn to the Round of Eight, expected contenders finally enter the four-race stretch that decides Cup Series champions. A chaotic Round of Twelve, however, left reigning champion Kyle Larson on the outside looking in. With Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick already eliminated, that leaves just Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Chase Elliott among the pre-season favorites still in contention for a spot in the Championship Four. Will a year with 19 winners over 32 races produce a surprise champion?
All of Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Chase Briscoe still have their shot. Bell, Blaney, and Byron have an uphill climb, entering as junior teammates at a manufacturer’s top team with a lead driver still in the playoffs with them. Each will be in a very real competition with a more senior teammate that has been to more than their share of Championship Fours since this format was introduced.
Chastain and Briscoe, the lone drivers left from Trackhouse Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing respectively, face a different kind of challenge. Both are also young and relatively inexperienced, but there is no risk of either bumping out a teammate with a more sure shot at a title and, at this point, both are guaranteed to finish their season with a championship finish better than any reasonable expectation they could have had. For Briscoe, a Championship Four appearance would establish him as a leader at SHR. For Chastain, a Championship Four appearance would establish the entire Trackhouse operation as real contenders.
Heading into the three-race round, only Chase Elliott is more than 11 points ahead of the cut line at 31 points clear. No driver is more than nine points behind the line. With half of this field set to be eliminated on points and race winners alive in the round advancing no matter what, expect a stressful race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday.
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