And then, there were three.That's right.Three races left in this 2026 NASCAR season.
I'd give you the usual, "Doesn't it feel like we were just at the Daytona 500?" line, but ...it doesn't.This is the longest season in all of sports.
It's a grind.Name another sport that starts its season in February, and ends it after Halloween.
You can't.It doesn't exist.CHASE ELLIOTT SAYS NASCAR'S GRUELING 10-MONTH SEASON CAN 'EAT YOU UP' WITHOUT AN ESCAPESo yes, it's a grind.
These guys are GRINDING right now.They have been for eight months now, and we only have three races left to crown a champion.After Phoenix, I'd say five guys have a legit shot at a title: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney.
None of those guys won yesterday, by the way.Nope.Tyler Reddick won yesterday at Phoenix for the first time since Kansas ...
back in APRIL.As I was saying (see, there's a point to all of it!), the NASCAR Cup Series season is the longest in all of sports.
I bet you forgot Tyler Reddick started the season with three straight wins, didn't you?Sunday's return to Victory Lane was probably too little, too late in terms of a title, but it does give him a puncher's chance.We'll see.Zane Smith talks with Carson Hocevar before qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 13.
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Speaking of punching ...wait till you see what Zane Smith did to Carson Hocevar after the race.
Do these two HATE each other, or what?Also, I've seen a lot of folks comparing modern day college football to peak NASCAR in terms of recent decision-making about playoff expansion.Some people believe college football is following the same ill-fated path NASCAR took way back in the day.THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF IS SACRIFICING ITS SOUL TO BE AN ATM FOR CONFERENCES WITH EXPANSION TO 24 TEAMSHonestly, it's not the worst comparison I've seen.
We'll dive in here in a bit.F...