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MARTINSVILLE, VA. — In a dramatic, must-win showdown at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, William Byron executed a gloves-off, 500-lap drive to secure his place in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4.
Byron, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet, dominated much of the Xfinity 500 elimination race, leading three times for a career-best 304 laps. The decisive moment came on Lap 457 during a long green-flag run against race-long rival Ryan Blaney. Needing the win to advance, Byron drove hard to the inside of Blaney’s Ford, moving Blaney up the track and taking the top spot for good. He ultimately beat Blaney to the finish line by 0.717 seconds following a final restart with 11 laps left.
“Things have a way of working out,” a relieved Byron said after the race. “God really tests your resilience a lot of times. We’ve been tested. Just unbelievable. We obviously go to Phoenix. Just go try to kick ass there.”
Blaney, who led 177 laps, had no issue with Byron’s aggressive pass. “That’s just two guys going for it. I don’t blame him for taking that,” said Blaney, whose strong run ended his bid to join the Championship 4. Blaney had won the previous two fall Playoff races at Martinsville, but his elimination means his organization, Team Penske, will not have a driver in the season finale for the first time since the Gen 7 car was introduced in 2022.
Byron’s victory saved the final Championship 4 spot for his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson, who finished fifth. Larson outscored seventh-place finisher Christopher Bell (who started the day one point ahead of Larson) to claim the last berth by a seven-point margin.
The final Championship 4 field heading to Phoenix Raceway will feature William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports), Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports), Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing).
Byron dominated the day from the pole position, sweeping both Stage 1 and Stage 2 before Blaney took control. But in the end, Byron’s late-race pass gave him the victory, the Championship 4 berth, and the chance to compete for the Cup Series title.
