Keep an eye on Kyle Larson this weekend. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
The time is finally here, this week at Phoenix a champion will be crowned for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. It's been a long road with many twists and turns. There were 17 different winners, including three who captured their first career wins. The four drivers who will race for the title this week are Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Martin Truex Jr. Each of these drivers deserve to be here. This feels like one of the most competitive championship races we have had since NASCAR installed this format back in 2014.
For the second time, the season finale will be held at Phoenix Raceway. This will be the second time the Cup Series comes here this season. This track is a mile and a half in length with nine degrees of banking in the corners, which narrows out to about three degrees of banking in the front stretch. The race will feature a 750 horsepower package as we saw in the spring, so it will be a bit easier to pass. With this race being as important as it is, there will be qualifying and practice, to give the field and the championship drivers a chance at making their car better.
As I mentioned earlier four drivers will have a chance at the championship this week, the driver who comes in as the heavy favorite has to be Kyle Larson. It has been a dream season for the California driver. He has set numerous records, including most laps led in a single season. He has completely exceeded expectations and the craziest thing is that he probably should have at least two or three more victories. Larson has scored an incredible 402 stage points and because of this, he's had the easiest path to the championship race. Even when he hasn't needed to, this team has still gone out and won races. It would almost be unfair if they don't close it out and win the title. This five-team will easily be the driver to beat come Sunday, but he hasn't always had the best of luck at this track. While his numbers are good here, there has been a lot of heartbreak for him like when he was bulldozed out of the way by Ryan Newman in 2014 or when he received speeding penalty in pit-road here in the spring. If he's going to win this championship, Larson and his team will need to be perfect. He can't afford to have to drive through the field because of a bad pit-stop or a speeding penalty. Look for Larson to try and cap off a dream season with his first championship.
Larson's teammate and defending champion Chase Elliott will also be the fan favorite this week. This is a track that has been very good to him. Over the past three races, he has yet to finish outside the top ten, including his big win here last season. Elliott's path to the championship has been paved by consistency and wins on the road courses. While the consistency has been there, it seems as if he's kind of been the second fiddle to his teammate. Luckily though, they have been here before and can do it again. In the last race here, Elliott was in the top five but never really in contention to win. That's going to have to change come Sunday if he wants to win his second title.
Despite all the controversy, this has been an exceptional year for Denny Hamlin. While he's only won two races, he has been the model of consistency with an 8.8 average finish and 24 top ten's. That's better than anyone else in the field. The road to get here had plenty of bumps along the way including last week. In the closing laps, he tangled with Alex Bowman in turn four knocking him out of contention for a win and nearly out of the championship. But because of the number of points he accumulated, he was able to solider on and limp into the championship. He has also been really good at this racetrack, with back-to-back top-five finishes. This can finally be the year that he breaks through and wins that first championship.
Martin Truex Jr comes into the race as the fourth and final spot and what many would consider the underdog, but this is quite the contrary. Back in the spring, Truex went on to capture his first win of 2021 here. If anything, he should have the best chance, but in the past few weeks, the 19 has had plenty of close calls. Like at Kansas where he had a flat tire that he had to battle back from, or at Martinsville when he damaged his right front quarter panel after contact with Brad Keselowski. In both of these instances when it should have been over for him, he fought back and salvaged a good finish. If this team can keep up its tenacity as they have in the last round, it will be hard to count him out on Sunday.
The driver I am predicting will win the championship is Kyle Larson. This season he has simply been too good, he's been fast on every single type of racetrack on the schedule. Look for Kyle to complete the dream season and capture his first title.
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NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.