Dale Earnhardt Jr predicts the 16 NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers

First off, Earnhardt is predicting Corey LaJoie will make it to the playoffs for the first time in his career, representing a major win for Spire Motorsports. Additionally, Bubba Wallace returns to the dance, but Earnhardt doesn’t have him advancing beyond the Round of 16.

Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski are both former champions who would love to add another title to their resume, but Earnhardt doesn’t see it. While he believes they’ll make the playoffs, he doesn’t think they’ll go far, eliminating them at the first opportunity to do so.

12-9: Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs

In the Round of 12, Earnhardt prefaced his prediction by stating that he believes Christopher Bell will either be eliminated, or win the championship outright. Evidently, Earnhardt believes it’s a huge boom-or-bust season for the driver that’s made back-to-back Championship 4s.

As for the rest of the drivers Earnhardt believes won’t make it out of the Round of 12, Ross Chastain has to be the biggest surprise, as he’s carrying some renewed momentum into 2024. As for Alex Bowman and Ty Gibbs, they just might be happy to be in the playoffs after missing last season’s iteration.

8-5: Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, William Byron

Similar to LaJoie, Bowman and Gibbs, Earnhardt has Chase Elliott crashing the party in 2024. After a disaster-filled 2023, Elliott would be a welcome addition back to the playoffs, even if Earnhardt has the former champion just missing the Championship 4.

Additionally, Tyler Reddick, William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. come up short in Earnhardt’s predictions for 2024. It’d be the same fate as last season for Reddick and Truex Jr., while Byron would be disappointed not to make it back to Phoenix.

4) Joey Logano

After winning the Cup Series title in 2022, last season was a major disappointment for Joey Logano. He was eliminated in the Round of 16, and never could recapture the magic he drove with the year prior, it seemed.

Evidently, Earnhardt believes the Team Penske wheelman can get back to par this season, predicting he’ll make it to Phoenix. He’s not his championship pick, but anything can happen when you make it to the dance, and that’s what Logano could hang his hat on.

3) Kyle Larson

One of the most popular picks year-in and year-out has become Kyle Larson, who’s searching for his second NASCAR Cup Series title. He came close last season, but fell to Ryan Blaney when it was all said and done, finishing P2 in the standings.

Can he rebound and finish the job next season? Earnhardt has him making it all the way to the end, but coming up short again. We’ll see if things go differently with Larson holding the pen.

2) Denny Hamlin

One of the biggest storylines throughout the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series campaign will be whether or not Denny Hamlin can capture his first NASCAR Cup Series title. It’s the only thing missing from his historic resume, filled with wins in some of the biggest races the sport has to offer.

In a painful prediction, Earnhardt has Hamlin coming up just short, which would be excruciating for the Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman. He’ll do whatever it takes for a title if he gets his shot, but he’s not who the NASCAR Hall of Famer is riding with in 2024.

1) Ryan Blaney

In a somewhat unprecedented prediction, Earnhardt has Ryan Blaney going back-to-back after winning the NASCAR Cup Series title last season. Blaney’s driving was incredible throughout the last month of the season, and it seems as if he’s broken on through to become an elite driver in the sport.

Still, we haven’t seen a back-to-back champion in this new playoff format, and with the element of randomness the sport provides, it’s incredibly difficult. If Blaney could make Earnhardt’s prediction come true, it’d be a legendary turn of events. Time will tell if he’s able to get the job done.

An exhilarating couple of months are on the horizon in the NASCAR Cup Series. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has locked in his prediction for the campaign, but anything can happen on the track. It all begins this weekend, with the Daytona 500 taking center stage on Sunday afternoon.