NASCAR defends drama-free final four and vows to do a better job promoting its young stars

AVONDALE, Ariz. — NASCAR on Friday dismissed the sentiment that this weekend’s championship finale lacks the pizzazz and star power of a major event.

The final four — Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney and William Byron — is the youngest since the winner-take-all format began in 2019 and Larson is the only previous Cup Series champion among the contenders.

Larson and Bell are longtime dirt track rivals but have settled any simmering disputes while Byron dates Blaney’s younger sister. The drivers have acknowledged Sunday’s showdown at Phoenix Raceway lacks the hype of years past, but NASCAR pushed back as the weekend arrived.

“We have a playoff system that I believe is the toughest in sports,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said. “Think about the style of racing that we have, and the incredible competition that we have on the racetrack and the variety that our drivers had to go through.

“They raced on dirt. They raced on concrete. They raced on asphalt. They raced on short tracks, street courses, road courses, superspeedways,” Phelps continued. “Is there another racing series on the planet that can say that? I don’t think there is. We’ve got the best racing in the world, and I think it’s the most competitive racing in the world and when we crown that champion on Sunday, that champion is going to be very deserving.”

Nobody is questioning the versatility required over NASCAR’s 38-race season, which began this year at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in February.

Still, Blaney unprompted lamented that the final four had “no bad blood, no rivalry, no one’s mad at each other in this one.” Retired driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., part of NBC’s broadcast team for the race, even said the final four were “just not very dynamic or aggressive.”

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