Denny Hamlin eyes elusive first Cup Series title at Phoenix

Five out of nine.

That's how many times Denny Hamlin has had mechanical problems in the playoffs, and if there is ever a time not to have problems under the hood, it is this Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.

The Championship 4 travels west, where the center of attention will remain Hamlin -- the outspoken, shoot-from-the hip driver out of the Joe Gibbs Racing stable of Toyotas, which also fields the No. 19 car for Chase Briscoe, a first-year driver in the organization and one of the four title seekers.

The key for both is this: Neither has a title and likely never will have another chance to get one in the Game 7-like showdown scenario that Sunday's race provides.

But more on the latter part regarding the format later.

The two JGR drivers have cause for concern because both had engines expire last Sunday at Martinsville. Briscoe finished last, while Hamlin was two spots better in 35th.

"Of course, there is concern," said Hamlin, a 60-time Cup winner who at 44 is the oldest driver in the field. "My first concern is will my car start. ... In driver intros (last week), William (Byron) and I were talking and he was like, ‘What happened, they had to push-start you?' And I was like, 'Yeah, we got it going.'

"We can't worry about it all week. ... We're going to cross our fingers and hope the car sees the finish line."

As for earning pole positions, no one has been better this season than Briscoe, who has a series-best seven.

Hamlin has four, while Byron and Kyle Larson -- the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet-driving duo who comprise the other half of the Championship 4 -- have three and one, respectively.

So starting up front will be key in the relatively short 312-lap, 312-mile race.

As for Phoenix victories, Hamlin has two, and Byron and Larson each have one, with the latter's coming in his 2021 title-winning campaign.

Byron rocketed around Martinsville last weekend in his No. 24 and led a career-high 304 laps while bearing down during win-to-get-in mode. Meanwhile, Larson has a six-month, 23-race drought that goes back to May 11 at Kansas, though his No. 5 Chevrolet has shown signs of life.

But if you are a fan of this one-race title showdown, enjoy it while you can because it is extremely unlikely to be returning in 2026.

If you follow along on social media, you know that JGR's Christopher Bell is on the brink of winning his second straight mythical Winston Cup championship, the former points system designed by Bob Latford.

All he needs is a 29th-place finish to beat Briscoe, all for proving a point (or points, in this case) -- no trophies handed out, by those who like to remind us of the old days of Cup racing and view the current lame-duck format as gimmicky.

The Latford 36 is a pipe-dream possibility, but it's doubtful NASCAR travels that far back in the time machine, though it has brought back Bowman Gray Stadium, North Wilkesboro and Rockingham to a new audience.

Likely, it will be some form of the Chase for the Nextel/Sprint Cup format that originated in 2004 and ran through 2013, undergoing many modifications during its stint.

Championship hardware probably gets hoisted Sunday at Phoenix one last time under this title format.

--Field Level Media