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With Jeff Gordon locked in for the Championship 4, former Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 crew chief Ray Evernham made his picks for the three other drivers who will be battling for the Sprint Cup title at Homestead.
Evernham likes Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick for the final four, making his picks on Sirius XM radio Tuesday with host Dave Moody.
"Martin Truex will be one of the guys going to Homestead. They have shown they can beat any of those other cars on any given day," Evernham said.
And a more mature Kyle Busch is in good shape, too. Evernham noted Busch's presence in Victory Lane the last few weeks congratulating another winning.
"He's matured and he has become a bit of a politician," Evernham said of Busch. "He's learning the ropes in more ways than one. I think he's being sincere. I think those guys called him when he was hurt, and he is now a mature race car driver who appreciates the sport and his position."
Though some equipment failures have shown a "chink in the armor," Evernham predicted the No. 4 Stewart-Haas team would be defending the 2014 title at Homestead.
Evernham noted two big problems for the teams he's not picking to advance from the Eliminator 8.
Both Team Penske drivers must win to advance. He said the biggest competition Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski face is not from other Chase drivers, but from those who could leave a spot open by denying a Chase driver a win this week.
"We've talked about several ways to play this game, and it's a lot like Survivor Island," Evernham said, naming another Hendrick driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. , among those who could be a threat. "The biggest thing that the No. 2 and the No. 22 have to fight this weekend is all the guys who are not in the Chase who are going full tilt to win at Phoenix."
As for the Joe Gibbs Racing team, which came into the Chase as a force, Evernham thinks that the issues JGR teams had with their splitters at Texas could carry over to Homestead.
RELATED: NASCAR will not penalize JGR for splitters
NASCAR officials announced Tuesday that no penalties would be levied on the Nos. 11, 18, and 19 teams after their splitters were confiscated during pre-race inspection. The teams were forced to replace the parts and go back through inspection before the start of Sunday's AAA Texas 500.
"As much as 30 thousandths of an inch or 40 thousandths of an inch make a big difference," Evernham explained. "It's not gonna turn the cars from blazing fast to junk, but it will change several things."
Evernham said the winning teams will be able to put aside the pressure throughout the whole team, from the driver through every over-the-wall team member and every person setting up the cars. He said relishing pressure is what made the No. 24 team so strong when he was Gordon's crew chief.