Seven drivers remain within striking distance after Phoenix, where Tyler Reddick’s victory and Kyle Larson’s late-race setback reshaped the championship battle. With Talladega, Martinsville, and Homestead still to come, Jordan Bianchi believes NASCAR’s new Chase format has created a title fight without a clear favorite.
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“I think NASCAR did a really good job when they constructed this,” Bianchi said on the Teardown podcast. “Yes, they went back to the old Chase. Okay. And where there was a concern about it being points racing, you know, oh, we’re going to have a good points day. We’re talking about winning every single week. Reddick today, Briscoe the last couple of weeks. Larson the first couple of weeks.”
The remaining races will test contenders in different ways. Talladega’s superspeedway racing can swing the standings, Martinsville demands precision on a tight short track, and Homestead rewards teams that manage changing conditions over a long run.
Bianchi believes the format has kept the championship open by making victories central while leaving several contenders with realistic paths to the title.
“It’s winning, winning, winning. Winning still matters in this sport as much if not more than, last year because of that. And then your second point about opening the door and the top seven guys now, like it’s not just that the door is open for some of these guys. But again, it’s how this sets up.”
Why the final three races could change everything
Phoenix showed how quickly the picture can shift. Tyler Reddick passed Chase Briscoe with 18 laps remaining to claim his first win in 23 races. Ryan Blaney finished second, while Briscoe came home eighth after losing ground on older tires.
Kyle Larson, meanwhile, suffered a costly setback. A tire failure with 31 laps remaining ended his afternoon early, leaving the No. 5 team with just three points from the race. The contrasting outcomes gave Reddick momentum and made the championship leader’s position more vulnerable.
Larson entered the final stretch five points ahead of Christopher Bell. Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, Blaney, Joey Logano, and Reddick also remained in contention, leaving little room for anyone to assume the title fight is settled.
Bianchi sees the upcoming schedule as a major reason no single contender stands out. Team Penske has reasons to be confident, while Bell’s versatility makes him dangerous across all three venues. Talladega, in particular, can reward drivers who find the right drafting partners and stay out of trouble.
“Let’s take Team Penske, for example, the next two weeks at Martinsville and at Talladega. You know they’re going to come to play. You know you know Christopher Bell at all three of these racetracks is going to be really good. Christopher Bell is really good in Speedway races.” Bianchi pointed out further.
Briscoe and Reddick face a different challenge. Martinsville could be less comfortable for them, but that does not erase their chances at the other two tracks. Talladega can scramble the running order, while Homestead gives teams another opportunity to gain ground through long-run speed and strategy.
“I think people tend to forget a little bit about Briscoe and Reddick. I think there’s a little bit of concern about how they’re going to do at Martinsville, but they’re still good at Talladega, and they’re still good at Homestead.”
Hamlin also remains a threat. Across three distinct track types, preparation and execution will matter as much as raw speed. A poorly timed caution, an incident in traffic, or a mistake on pit road could undo a competitive run and change the standings in a single afternoon.
“And then Denny’s like, there’s a case of all of these guys could theoretically go and just be lights out these next three weeks.”
That uncertainty is central to the format’s appeal. Rather than entering the final races with an obvious favorite, the series has several drivers whose title hopes depend on how they handle each track. Winning remains crucial, but avoiding a disastrous result could be just as important.
Teams must also adapt quickly from one week to the next, adjusting strategy to changing conditions and executing under championship pressure. One strong result could reorder the standings before the championship finale arrives.
Bianchi’s view is that no contender faces a track where the outcome is already predictable.
“And I think the big thing is like there really isn’t a track out there that like, oh man, this guy’s just terrible at. He’s going to, you know, he’s going to have his work cut out for him.”
“It’s all of these guys are good to great at these next three tracks, and that sets up very, very well. Three weeks, whoever wins the most, whoever does the best is going to be the champion.”
With Talladega, Martinsville, and Homestead still ahead, Larson’s Phoenix setback has opened the door for his rivals, while Reddick arrives with momentum. Bell, Briscoe, Hamlin, and the other contenders have their own routes to the championship. The final three NASCAR Cup Series races will determine who turns that opportunity into results when the pressure is highest.
