Jimmie Johnson’s championship-winning crew chief ditches Chase Elliott, names his 2024 title winner 

With the first race of the Round of 16 just around the corner, several NASCAR veterans have been sharing their predictions for the 2024 Cup Series champion. Among them, Todd Gordon, the championship-winning crew chief of Jimmie Johnson, has weighed in on his top picks.

Gordon last served as the crew chief for Johnson's part-time Cup Series stint with Legacy Motor Club. Before working for the seven-time Cup Series champion, Gordon worked full-time under the Team Penske shed with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney.

In a recent video posted by SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on X, Gordon, who won the 2018 Cup Series title with Logano, revealed his picks for the Championship 4 contenders. Ditching Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott and other championship-winning drivers, the 54-year-old picked Christopher Bell as the 2024 Cup Series champion. He said,

"My championship four contenders for this year. Kyle Larson leading the points, put himself in a great position. Christopher Bell, I think he's going to get Adam Stevens back to the racetrack this weekend. I think they're in a great position to move forward. Tyler Redick has been the best car overall since the All-Star break. He's got to make it as well. And I think Ryan Blaney comes back to the championship four for a second run. They put a great last couple months together. I think those are going to be our four people there," he said. [0:42]

"I'm going to put Christopher Bell, our Phoenix winner from the spring, in victory lane," he added.

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"I think they're a real championship-caliber team" - Jeff Gordon picks Chase Elliott on the run for 2024 Cup Series title

Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman and former driver Jeff Gordon has backed Chase Elliott's #9 team to lift the Cup Series championship ahead of the first Round of 16 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Four-time Cup Series champion Gordon ditched Elliott's teammate Kyle Larson, who secured four wins and led the most laps during the regular season.

While elaborating on the reason for backing Elliott, the 53-year-old Gordon pointed at Elliott's consistent performance throughout the season. He said (via Hendrick Motorsports),

"It’s the way he[Chase Elliott] thinks and the way he races and the way he executes. I think right now, if I just look at who’s the most solid championship-caliber team, I think it’s them because, OK, they might not have the laps led and the number of wins but they also don’t have the DNFs. They’re always in this third-to-seventh range almost every weekend and that’s strong."

"Remember, last year he was out of it on the driver side because of injury but that team was in that top four. I think they’re a real championship-caliber team this year," Gordon added.

Elliott has had only one DNF this season and has finished outside the top-20 only twice. Additionally, in his 26 starts, Elliott has amassed one win, seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.