Chase Elliott and other big names snubbed by NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick to qualify for championship 4 showdown 

Former NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick left Chase Elliott out of his Championship 4 predictions ahead of the Round of 8 playoffs. Harvick also snubbed reigning champion Ryan Blaney and was left in a dilemma about Denny Hamlin.

In his latest Happy Hour podcast episode, the 2014 NASCAR Cup champion declared Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick as his Championship 4 picks. Harvick chose all four drivers currently above the cut-line, leaving out Elliott, Blaney, Hamlin, and Joey Logano.

With Larson, Bell, and Byron being in form, Harvick elaborated on the rest of his picks. He suggested that Reddick would excel on intermediate ovals but doesn't expect the Team Penske drivers to perform well on those same tracks. Regarding Elliott, Harvick remarked that while the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver has been consistent, he lacks the dominant performances needed to win races.

"I think Reddick is going to be able to get it done on one of these two race tracks. I don't see [Joey] Logano and [Ryan] Blaney having the speed. Chase Elliott has been very consistent and had quality good finishes. But I just haven't seen that dominant performance out of those three guys. And Denny Hamlin, I think he is the wild card." he said.

Before the playoffs began, Harvick selected Hamlin to win the championship. However, he expressed concern over the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver's playoff troubles. Ultimately, he swapped Reddick with Hamlin in his final four picks but did so with a lack of confidence.

"I know he's [Hamlin] my championship pick, But I think it's going to be tough for him... I can't go against my pick. So I'm going to take Reddick out, I'm going to put Denny Hamlin in because he's my pick. But I'm not a 100% confident."

The Round of 8 kicks off at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, before heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway and the cut-off race at Martinsville Speedway. Last year, Larson, Bell, and Blaney won the respective races in the penultimate round to clinch their playoff spots.

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Chase Elliott aims to win and advance to Championship 4

Chase Elliott is the only Round of 8 playoff driver with just one victory, while the other drivers all have multiple wins. Despite having an average finish of 11.5 after 32 races this season, Elliott acknowledged the importance of securing a race win in the Round of 8.

During his post-race interview at Charlotte, Elliott expressed his desire to win his way into the Championship Four. He believes Las Vegas Motor Speedway offers a great opportunity to clinch his second victory of the season, having already won at an intermediate oval earlier this year.

"Well, I think you can be really, really solid and probably get through. But I would like to go win our way in. I think we're very capable of that. I look at Vegas next week as a great opportunity. And same for Homestead, Martinsville. I always say, you get to this round and it really is game on. I think anybody has a shot, so I'm ready to get going," Chase Elliott told SiriusXM Radio.

The South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled for this Sunday, October 20, at 2:30 PM ET. Catch Chase Elliott and the rest of the championship contenders live in action on NBC, PRN, and SiriusXM.