Ross Chastain is the driver to watch this week. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
The time has come, the final race of the 2022 season. Over the past 35 weeks, we have seen literally everything from first time winners, flipped race cars, hard hits and short tempers. It has truly been one of the most memorable seasons in recent memory and now it all comes down to Sunday as four drivers will battle at Phoenix Raceway for the crown. Those four drivers have all had different paths to get to this point not just this season but in their careers as it’s one of the most diverse final fours we have ever seen. When you look at the average finish amongst the four, they are only separated by one position. Consistency has been the key this year with this brand-new car, and these final four prove it. This is shaping up to be a season finale to remember for a season to remember
The first driver to punch his ticket to the championship race was Joey Logano. After a victory at Las Vegas, the 2018 champion established himself as the pre-race favorite to win this year, and it makes sense considering the season he has had. 2022 started out a bit slow after a disappointing 21st finish at Daytona, but in the next five races he would record 3 top tens and a top five at Fontana. He would really begin to shine after his first win at Darlington, as he would follow up his victory with a win two weeks later at Gateway. Logano has had a pretty solid playoffs this year with an average finish of 13.3, so he has been a contender. What makes Joey stand out amongst the other three is how fast he has been at Phoenix. Of all active drivers, Logano has the second-highest average finish at this racetrack since 2019. He’s scored 1 win here and has led over 19 percent of the laps here. Back in 2020, Logano was well on his way to a second title, but an ill-handling race car cost him his chance. Could 2022 be his redemption arc? Look for Joey Logano to be strong on the track come Sunday.
Chase Elliott has easily had the best season of his career, he’s scored 5 victories, 12 top fives, 20 top tens, and has led 857 laps. If there is anyone who deserves the championship the most it has to be him. Arguably he’s had the best season but as we all know in this system, it all comes down to one race. After Martinsville, Chase had to fight and claw to get into the championship race after an abysmal playoff. He currently has the lowest average finish amongst the four (16.5). It’s important to note that these results have not been indicative of how fast he has been in these races. For example, he easily had the fastest car at Texas but a flat tire derailed his day. At the Roval he led the most laps but was taken out by Tyler Reddick on the final restart. Luckily, Elliott had those five victories in the regular season to fall back on, and it saved him from missing the championship race. Overall, Phoenix is an average track for him, the finishes haven’t been there, but he has been strong overall as he’s led over 17 percent of the laps run at this track since 2019. Of course, he has a victory here back in 2020 when he clinched the championship.
Christopher Bell has had quite the resurgence in the playoffs this season. He was solid in the regular season with a win at New Hampshire but not many would think he would go on the run that he has. In the first round, his average finish was 4th with two victories. Whenever Bell’s back was against the wall, he and his crew-chief Adam Stevens always found a way to bounce back to move on to the next round with a win. Bell is by far the driver that is on the hottest streak going into Phoenix. While he has plenty of momentum, he has struggled here at Phoenix. In his previous five starts here, Bell has only finished in the top ten twice. He will need to do much better than that if he wants to win his first championship.
It has truly been a Cinderella season for Ross Chastain. No one could have seen Chastain’s ascent to the top happening this year. While he had put together some good races last season in the #42 for Chip Ganassi, he was never considered a title contender by any means. The same could be said about the team he drives for with Trackhouse racing. They were another team that was solid and putting together top ten finishes with Daniel Suarez but weren’t close to competing for a title. They made a huge leap by purchasing Ganassi Racing and were instantly competitive. Chastain would score the team's first win in dramatic fashion at COTA in May and instantly become a title contender. In the first two rounds, he was able to run consistently and advance because of the points he accumulated but at Martinsville, he appeared to be on the outside looking in, that was until he made quite possibly the greatest move in racing history. He would ride the wall through the corner and hold down the throttle on a prayer and it worked perfectly. Ross will be the sentimental favorite to win the title this week by fans and racers all over the world. Phoenix isn’t a track where Ross has had the results he’d want but it’s important to note that the car he is in this week is much better than what he has had over the last two seasons. Plus, he was fast here in the spring after a second-place finish.
Overall, after the dust settles, the driver that I have winning the championship this year is Ross Chastain. Over the course of the last 9 races, no one has a higher average finish than he does (10.5) not to mention how good his car was here in the spring. He has proven that he will do anything necessary to win the title, with that drive and determination to win, it will be hard to stop him, and what a story it would be. This was a driver that had to fight and claw to get to this point, he would drive for teams who were operating on a shoestring budget and would make the best of it. He was given a chance by Ganassi and has made the best of it as Trackhouse owner Justin Marks kept him on the team. Come Sunday, look for Ross Chastain to fulfill a dream and win the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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