NASCAR icon Richard Petty shares his prediction for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion

With the playoffs due to start soon, several members of the NASCAR community have shared their predictions for the Cup Series champion, and among them are two legends of NASCAR, Richard Petty and Dale Inman.

NASCAR is currently gearing up for the first round of the playoff at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Out of thd 16 drivers who have qualified for the playoffs, 14 claimed their spot with a win, while the other two qualified on the basis of points.

Ahead of the playoffs, seven-time Cup Series champion Petty and his veteran crew chief Inman shared their picks for the 2024 Cup Series title. While their final choices differed, both legends agreed on three drivers to make it to the championship four. As for the Champion, they chose two different Joe Gibbs Racing drivers as their champions.

Before announcing their championship picks, Petty and Inman gradually eliminated potential contenders as the playoffs progressed. They predicted that Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, Chase Briscoe, and Harrison Burton would be the first to exit the Round of 16.

Ultimately, Inman selected Christopher Bell, the #20 Toyota driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, as his championship pick. Meanwhile, 'The King' Petty chose Bell's teammate, #11 Denny Hamlin, to win the 2024 Cup Series title.

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"I can make a living for my family" - Richard Petty recalled Lee Petty's tenacity in racing as a profession

Richard Petty, a second-generation NASCAR driver, is one of the most legendary figures in the sport's history. He is the son of Lee Petty, a three-time champion, who also won the inaugural Daytona 500 race winner.

During the recent Daytona weekend, NASCAR on FOX celebrated the Petty family's 75th year of racing, honoring them as pioneers of the sport.

In the video, seven-time Daytona 500 champion Richard reflected on his father Lee's early racing days and the moment he realized the potential for earning a living through racing. Richard said,

"My dad got to looking at it and I think they paid $1,500 to win the race, and so he went out said, 'Okay, I can, I can make a living doing this.' So he went out and bought a '49 Plymouth business coupe for $990 or something like that." (2:32)

"So he figured that, you know, if I can win races or run good, then we can pay for the car and we can make a living in it. So basically, he was the first professional that looked at racing and said, I can make a living for my family by driving a race car." he added.