It’s a simple question:
Why should fans root for you?
As the four NASCAR Cup Series finalists prepare to battle for the title Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, FOX Sports asked each of the drivers Tuesday that question. The answers varied.
Kyle Larson
“Why should fans root for me this weekend? I don’t know. Because I’m their favorite. Because you’d rather see me win than Denny, right?”
At this time, Denny Hamlin popped his head in the room. And Larson said: “He asked, ‘Why should fans root for me?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know, because you’d rather see me win than Denny.’ …. To which Hamlin replied: “True.”
Denny Hamlin
“Because if you root for the other drivers, they’re going to have a lot more opportunities to win a championship in the future than what I will. So if you want to see it happen, you’re probably going to have to root for me this year.
FOX Sports: But they’re likely going to change the system starting next year?
“I like the opportunity that’s straight in front of us and not the what-ifs of next year. So you just never know. All you know right now, and what I know, is that the opportunity is one week away.”
Chase Briscoe
“Fans should root for me because I’m really just one of them, if we’re being honest. I still get starstruck racing against Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin and all these guys. Literally, I was a fan less than 10 years ago, just watching on TV and just trying to work on the cars myself. So I think that fans drew for me because essentially I’m just one of them.”
How are you going to win a title if you’re starstruck?
“I don’t know. It’s cool that I’m racing against them. Just because you’re starstruck doesn’t mean that you still can’t go race with them. I’ve done it my whole career where I’m still like, ‘Man, I’m racing against this guy right now’ and still have been able to beat him or race around him. So I don’t think it’ll be any different this week either.”
William Byron
“I think if they’re already fans, I really appreciate it. We have a lot of 24 fans and also fans of myself. But I think I just would get on the bandwagon while you can.”
Why should they get on the bandwagon? What is the ride going to be like?
“It’s going to be good. It’s been a good year, and I feel like we’re ready to go.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
