It’s fun to see who’s right and who’s wrong.
In what’s now become a NASCAR-Twitter tradition reaching its fifth season, we’ve again prompted you, the fans, to boldly and blindly tweet your Championship 4 picks before the season begins — only for us to file them away and unearth them during November’s Championship Weekend.
https://twitter.com/steveluvender/status/1493232690837004294
Last year, out of the whole darn internet, only one person, @RadiKyleOpinion, correctly guessed the 2021 Championship 4: Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott.
Hundreds of you have already tweeted your predictions for what the 2022 championship picture will look like — even before the green flag drops in the season-opening Daytona 500. Never mind the fact that this year the Cup Series races with the brand-new Next Gen car, there’s been no shortage of driver and team changes over the winter, and the 2022 schedule received a bit of a shakeup.
The NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 is, in a word, unpredictable. Yet, here you are, posting your predictions with nothing to gain and everything to lose.
https://twitter.com/jul13_48/status/1493300741309550594
https://twitter.com/AveryHage/status/1493245999485276166
https://twitter.com/feliperacing81/status/1493268012526288897
https://twitter.com/ladyaubernon/status/1493262281219715086
https://twitter.com/realbrianmullin/status/1493234105051488266
https://twitter.com/ClutchandCoast/status/1493283297664905222
The theme from this year’s picks? A whole lot of defending champ Kyle Larson, and plenty of Kyle Busch, too. Fan faves Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney were among your most popular picks as well, but several people seem to think Tyler Reddick might have something to say. And who knows?
And, as is tradition on Twitter, some of you wisecrackers and smart alecks chimed in and made a mockery of our totally serious game. Sigh.
https://twitter.com/dwest___/status/1493236371804282880
https://twitter.com/BraydenAustin/status/1493266663285964801
https://twitter.com/BobNASCAR2/status/1493435740381978630
https://twitter.com/andrewcox92/status/1493403064631533572
https://twitter.com/eRacr_gg/status/1493239744792252420
Oh, and we’ve got some NASCAR.com team members participating. You’re encouraged to taunt them if they blow it; they’re the experts, after all. They’re supposed to know everything, including what happens in the future.
https://twitter.com/nascarcasm/status/1493264559288823811
https://twitter.com/Chase_Wilhelm/status/1493249660886175746
https://twitter.com/Pat_DeCola/status/1493250306993528839
https://twitter.com/kraftdaddy85/status/1493233966521925636
Fair warning: we’re not afraid to shame you if you’re wrong. Each year, we do a whole Hall of Shame and everything. It’s fun (for us, at least).
For those who put their necks — and egos — on the line by making public guesses with no points-paying races for the Next Gen race car yet in the books, we applaud you.
And if you don’t participate in our little game, well … you’re probably pretty smart. It’s going to be a season unlike any other. Making predictions nine months in advance is a dangerous game.
We’ll check in with everybody in November. Feel free to join in and hit that reply button with your 2022 Championship 4 picks before the Daytona 500, too.