Kevin Harvick, Bob Pockrass predict 2026 NASCAR Cup Champion

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series action is about to get underway, with the Daytona 500 kicking things off this weekend. But who will be this year’s champion?

That’s a topic that the crew of the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast tackled in a recent episode. Joining Harvick, Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith was FOX Sports analyst Bob Pockrass.

That foursome made its picks for this year’s Cup Series champion. Surprisingly, perhaps, nobody picked Kyle Larson, the defending champ.

“I’m going to take (William) Byron,” Harvick said. “It’s just that maturity and the things that go with a team. I think him and (crew chief) Rudy (Fugle) have a great relationship and they have worked through a lot of hard moments together, and that’s what it takes to be the champ.”

It should be noted that in last year’s Cup Series picks, only one of the four involved picked the right champion. That was Vincie, who nailed it with her Larson pick.

Pockrass took Ryan Blaney a year ago. And he sees nothing this year that would change his mind, even with the championship format switching up.

“Cup champion?” Pockrass said. “Blaney.”

That drew him some instant praise from Smith. That said, Smith had a different pick for the Cup Series champion this year.

“Man, I love that, you know I love that pick,” Smith said. “You know I love that pick. Last year I went Byron and I feel like the fire is still there. But I’m going Christopher Bell. I think Bell, I don’t know man, it’s something about it. [Harvick] picked him last year, and I just think that it’s his time.”

The final pick for Cup Series champion in the group? Vincie looked to defend her win last year with a new pick this season.

“I’m going with (Chase) Briscoe,” Vincie said. “I’m sticking with this. He made the Champ 4 a year ago, who’s to say he can’t do that again and claim the top prize?”

That’s a stacked field of picks for this year’s Cup Series champion. In order, Briscoe, Byron, Bell and Blaney finished from third to sixth in last year’s NASCAR year-end standings.

Could one take the leap and make it to the top this season? We’ll start to find out come Sunday.