Every now and then, the Internet gets one right.
Back in February-which feels like ages ago-we asked you to call your shot and predict the Championship 4. Hundreds of you sent in your guesses.
#NASCAR.com time capsule, to be unearthed November 5, 2021:
Which four drivers will make up the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4?
— Steve Luvender (@steveluvender) February 10, 2021
But did anyone correctly predict all four championship finalists?
So much happened in a single season, and so much changed from 2020. Kevin Harvick went from winning nine races last year to laying an egg in the wins column in 2021. Kyle Larson joined Hendrick Motorsports and won pretty much everything. Three drivers won their first races, and even part-timer AJ Allmendinger snagged a victory.
All that to say, 2021 was a tough year to predict.
Even the only person who predicted last year’s Championship 4 stumbled this time around.
No way I get this correct two straight years, but here it goes:
4, 5, 18, 2
— MarkRH (@MarkRH) February 10, 2021
One out of four-not so great!
The 2021 Hall of Shame
Plenty of Twitter titans sent in their guesses, only to fail to make one single correct prediction. It’s tough out there.
Sorry to do this, but, in the spirit of tradition, we’ve got no choice but to make fun of those lousy 0-for-4 picks. You know what you signed up for.
oh no
— alyssa (@sephilav) October 31, 2021
Harvick, Keselowski, Blaney, Busch https://t.co/cHwIPNxqT6
— marks and rec (@blaneyfanMark) February 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/Dcarterace21/status/1359695563151802368
Reddick, Harvick, Keselowski, Blaney
— Brian Phillips (@Wildfast88) February 11, 2021
Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Kevin Harvick
— Aiden Orth (@aiden_orth) February 10, 2021
Kurt Busch, Matt DiBenedetto, Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon 🤷♂️ fun to think about something other than all basic picks. https://t.co/r0JVeEiOnD
— Jeremy Waterbury (@Lvingrmwarwagon) February 11, 2021
Even NASCAR.com’s own power ranker Pat DeCola whiffed.
Kevin Harvick
Kyle Busch
Joey Logano
Alex Bowman— Pat DeCola (@Pat_DeCola) February 12, 2021
Better luck next year.
One person picked correctly
If you shoot enough arrows at a target, one’s bound to hit the bullseye.
Out of the hundreds and hundreds of failed predictions, we’ve found only one containing this year’s Championship 4 lineup of Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr.
Well done, @RadiKyleOpinion. Back on Feb. 10, you peered 263 days into the future.
Elliott, Hamlin, Larson, Truex
— Kyle #1ØVĒ (@RadiKyleOpinion) February 11, 2021
Somehow, you knew that Chase Elliott would compete to defend his 2020 title. That Denny Hamlin would give it another go. That fellow Kyle, Kyle Larson, would have an outstanding season. That Martin Truex Jr. would fight to become Martin 2x, Jr.
We’re thoroughly impressed by your skills. Or your wild, uninformed guesses; we don’t know.
For reference, one person picked perfectly in 2020, two got ’em right in 2019, and nobody predicted the 2018 Championship 4. You’re in elite company, @RadiKyleOpinion.
Although, technically speaking, this one’s not wrong.
1st in points, 2nd in points, 3rd in points, and 4th in points
— Dusty (@DWC_78) February 10, 2021
Thanks to all this year’s participants who put their pride on the line. Let’s do it again in 2022.