William Byron Wins at Martinsville and Secures a Spot in the Championship 4
In an exciting race at Martinsville Speedway, William Byron took the victory, securing his place in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4.
Byron, driving the Chevrolet No. 24, demonstrated his skill by overtaking Ryan Blaney in a key maneuver in turn 1 with 43 laps to go. This move allowed him to take the lead and maintain it until the end of the race.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver led 304 of the 500 laps, achieving his third victory of the season and the 16th of his career in the Cup.
I thought William had the race of his life.
Jeff Gordon, Vice Chairman of Hendrick
The victory at Martinsville marks a milestone for Byron, being his first in a playoff elimination race and his third at this circuit.
Blaney, who was also seeking to secure his place in the Championship 4, finished in second place after an intense battle on the track.The last contender for the NASCAR Cup Series title will be Kyle Larson, who qualified on points and will join Byron, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Briscoe.
Larson, Byron’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, secured his spot in the final with a fourth-place finish, surpassing Christopher Bell by seven points.
Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe also secured their spot in the Championship 4, despite suffering mechanical issues during the race.
The NASCAR Cup Series final will be held at Phoenix Raceway on November 2nd, where the champion will be crowned among the four qualified drivers.
Both Blaney and Logano were eliminated from title contention in Phoenix, ending Team Penske’s streak of three consecutive championships.
Hamlin, who had won in Las Vegas to advance to the final, experienced engine problems on lap 334.
Briscoe also suffered an engine failure on lap 295, but had already secured his place in the Championship 4 with his victory at Talladega.
