Chipper Jones names Kyle Larson as his favorite to win NASCAR Cup Series championship

Chipper Jones made a surprising pick when it comes to the driver who will win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship. Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports recently asked the Atlanta Braves legend who he thinks will win the title and he chose Kyle Larson over his friend Chase Elliott.

“I definitely like the guys in the Hendrick stable. I think somebody’s gonna come through, obviously up to this point Larson has been the guy, but William Byron can win any race on the circuit as well as anybody else in that stable,” Jones said. “I think most of us who follow the sport would probably put Larson in the driver’s seat up to this point.”

It’s a fair assessment from Jones as Larson has been the best driver this season. He leads all drivers in regular season points and playoff points and is the only driver to win four Cup Series races. Elliott, who won the title in 2020, has one victory but is third in the Cup Series standings and only six points behind Larson for the regular season title.

Jones was talking about NASCAR because he was recently at Bristol Motor Speedway to promote the MLB game between the Braves and the Cincinnati Reds. The MLB Speedway Classic will take place on Aug. 2, 2025, and it will be the first MLB game played in Tennessee.

Chipper Jones reacts to visiting Bristol Motor Speedway

“I think if you had a camera on me, my mouth would have been wide open,” Jones said of his initial reaction to Bristol, per NASCAR.com. “I think seeing these stands full — being from the South and knowing what NASCAR means to everybody in the South, seeing all these butts in the seats and how loud it gets and just the bumping for four hours.

“Like I said, my pucker factor was a 9.5, and it was just me and him (Elliott) out there, you know? I mean, can you imagine 38, 39 other cars in such close proximity? All professional athletes stand in awe of professional athletes in other sports, and like no other, I stand in amazement at what these guys do.”

Jones played his entire career with the Braves (1993, 1995-2012) and is one of the best third basemen in MLB history. He was named to the All-Star team eight times, won the NL MVP award in 1999 and helped the team win the World Series in 1995. Jones ended his career with a .303 batting average, 468 home runs and 1,623 RBIs. The 52-year-old is the only switch-hitter in MLB history to have a career batting average of at least .300 and 400 or more home runs.

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