The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are in full swing, with Bristol the final race before the Round of 12. A winner there could cement his way into the next round.
So who are some of the NASCAR experts picking to win? Kevin Harvick and his crew on the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast made their picks for this weekend. There was good variety in the picks.
Trailing in the points standings on the podcast’s picks, co-host Kaitlyn Vincie announced her pick first. It’s someone likely already going through to the next round.
“It’s Joey Logano,” Vincie said. “I would love to be right just once.”
Logano is currently +21 over the cut line, so while he’s not 100% safe, he’s in a good position heading into the final race prior to the Round of 12. But if he could become a winner, the math gets a whole lot easier. He’d be in.
So who did Mamba Smith, another co-host on the podcast, pick as his winner? Well, that one might surprise you.
“I think we’re going to get our first winner from outside of the playoffs,” Smith said. “I think he is going to get his first win of his Cup Series career. Give me 54, Ty Gibbs.”
Gibbs has had the occasional good race at Bristol, though he has not yet been a winner. He finished P5 two years ago in 2023, then finished P15 in 2024.
A win would certainly take some folks by surprise. That said, it wouldn’t necessarily add to the drama in the Cup Series playoffs.
Harvick’s winner would. The veteran driver turned broadcaster made his pick on the show.
“I think you guys left all the winners on the table there,” Harvick sasid. “(Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin) or (Christopher) Bell. The 5 popped up last week with some speed that I haven’t seen and Bristol has always been his place. So I’m going to go with Larson.”