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Power Rankings: Does Chase Elliott line up as a Championship 4 favorite?
By Pat DeCola | Published: September 1, 2020 17
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the 16 drivers who comprise the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field after the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway and before the postseason opener at Darlington Raceway.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
16. Cole Custer (+3)
Comment: It might be easy to dismiss the rookie's first attempt at the playoffs, but he's certainly no fluke. How many back-of-the-grid drivers entered the playoffs with a win and with Stewart-Haas Racing prepping their cars? The list is extremely short. Custer might not be a full-fledged title contender, but he's no easy-out.
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15. Matt DiBenedetto (--)
Comment: It's a great story for DiBenedetto to make the playoffs after his long road to a quality Cup Series ride, but in a book that isn't very thick. The No. 21 driver has just two top 10s since Kentucky but has led more laps the last three weeks than the rest of the season combined.
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14. Clint Bowyer (-3)
Comment: Does Bowyer have a title run in him at long last? With his equipment and experience, it's possible, of course, but not likely given his 2020 resume. The SHR driver has just two top 10s since Pocono -- with just seven total for the season -- though they have each come in the last three weeks.
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13. Austin Dillon (+4)
Comment: Dillon appeared to be pretty confident when talking about his postseason chances, noting his team's performance on varied different track layouts. He has three top 10s and a win in the last eight races -- he'll need to keep that up and possibly more to stay alive.
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12. Alex Bowman (--)
Comment: Are things finally starting to turn around for Bowman, who has been predominantly quiet since an early-season win? The Hendrick Motorsports driver has two top-seven finishes in the last two races after just one top 10 in the previous eight.
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11. Kurt Busch (-1)
Comment: Busch has been a playoffs mainstay for years now, but it's not looking too good for the former champion to advance. The No. 1 driver has an average finish of 19.7 over the last seven races and has led more than a lap in just two races this year.
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10. William Byron (+4)
Comment: Byron enters the playoffs about as well as one could hope -- with a victory at Daytona -- but it wasn't a one-off showing. In two of the other three most recent 2020 races, he has finishes of fourth and eighth, as well. His breakout could be here, and we already know he has the right crew chief calling the shots.
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9. Aric Almirola (-1)
Comment: Perhaps the biggest dark horse in the entire playoff field, Almirola is certainly SHR's second-best shot at a title in 2020. The veteran has been among the most consistent drivers since Miami, putting together an impressive stretch of finishes that would imply a deep postseason run if he keeps it up.
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8. Kyle Busch (+1)
Comment: It's wild, but at this point, it's totally conceivable Busch could be winless in 2020 ... or win the title for the second straight year. We get the feeling one win would be enough to spark the 18 group into championship form, it just feels like a big if at times. Still, the defending champ has three top fives in six races.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
7. Ryan Blaney (--)
Comment: Blaney enters the playoffs coming off a top 10 -- his first since notching just one in the previous seven races. Speed hasn't been a problem for the 12 camp all year, so if it can keep things clean for 10 races, Blaney could be a title contender.
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6. Joey Logano (--)
Comment: Logano has exactly zero wins since NASCAR returned to action in May, and while that's a slight concern, it's nothing to lose sleep over. The 2018 champ had seven top 10s in eight races before wrecking out at Daytona and has been a consistent presence at the front of the field throughout the year, despite the lack of trips to Victory Lane.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
5. Brad Keselowski (-1)
Comment: At times, Keselowski has looked like a sure-thing title contender, and I'm certainly not going to close the book on him until he's eliminated, whether at Phoenix or before. My concern comes with how that team performed in the playoffs last year, which saw Keselowski wrap things up with finishes of 10th or worse in six of the final seven races.
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4. Chase Elliott (-1)
Comment: Elliott rolls into the playoffs on a hot streak, despite crashing out in the second Dover race. The Hendrick Motorsports driver had top 10s and a win in the other six most recent races, and he just seems built for big moments like the playoffs offers. If I were forced to make a pick right now, he's in my Championship 4.
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3. Martin Truex Jr. (--)
Comment: It's somehow true Truex has just one win in 2020, one of his most consistently excellent campaigns. He's the clear next-in-line driver behind the two top dogs, averaging a 2.875 finish over the past eight races.
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2. Denny Hamlin (--)
Comment: Hamlin not making the Championship 4 would be an absolute shock -- one that doesn't seem likely to happen without significant catastrophe. This year's playoff schedule seems built exclusively for him, with the Virginia native and Martinsville master having the option to still win his way into the finals should the No. 11 driver be on the outside looking in come the cutoff at the "Paperclip."
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1. Kevin Harvick (--)
Comment: Speaking of schedules built specifically for a driver, a finale at Phoenix almost seems unfair to the rest of the field given how strong Harvick has been this year and his track history. The so-called "Cactus King" has a whopping nine wins in the desert and should kick off the playoffs on a good note at Darlington, where also he won earlier this year.