NASCAR insider points to Denny Hamlin’s mechanical woes amid a ‘wide-open’ Championship 4 race

NASCAR insider Jordan Bianchi commented on the 'wide open' title battle after William Byron and Kyle Larson advanced into the Cup Series Championship 4.

Hamlin got his spot in the Championship 4 with a win during the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But Sunday's elimination race at Martinsville Speedway saw another mechanical woe. Smoke poured from his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota while he was running second and finished in 24th place. He said that the engine shut off without warning after the race.

During the latest episode of The Teardown podcast, Banchi reflected on the uncertainty of the NASCAR finale and Hamlin's main vulnerability.

"This is the most wide open I have felt this championship four field has been in a long time. You can make a case for any of the four. Legitimately, all four of these teams come in running very very well. There's maybe a little bit of concern with the 11 right now, the mechanical gremlins that seem to be popping up. You know, I don't know how you interpret that a little bit," Bianchi said.

Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup drivers with the most wins this season. But he has also faced multiple mechanical problems. For instance, he had a throttle issue at Talladega and power-steering problems in Kansas.

"All four of these drivers are legit. They arguably are the four best drivers on the season. If you look at some of the stats in terms of laps led, average finish, points, you know, whatever metric you want to use, they're all in the discussion for this," Bianchi added.

Bianchi had also pointed out earlier that the usual pattern of one dominant team is missing this year, ahead of the Martinsville race.

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NASCAR Cup Championship 4 drivers' odds at Phoenix

William Byron has led the most laps (1,278) this season. He also has the best average finish of 8.0 (over 7 races) among playoff drivers. Kyle Larson ties with Briscoe and Byron with three wins so far this year, but he has yet to win a race in 23 races since his Kansas win in May.

Meanwhile, Hamlin enters the finale after six wins, 14 top-5 finishes, and led 816 laps. However, his average finish at Phoenix is below Hendrick Motorsports' Byron and Larson in the last seven starts. His JGR teammate Briscoe also had a breakout season with three wins and 15 top-5 finishes, and 7 pole positions. The No. 19 Toyota driver collected his first Cup at Phoenix in 2022 but is ranked last in average finish among all Championship 4 contenders.

The final race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Season is scheduled for this Sunday (November 2) at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar