William Byron won Sunday’s (Oct. 26) Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, clinching a berth in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.
After moving Ryan Blaney out of the way late in the race, Byron held off Blaney on a late restart to score the win.
Kyle Larson also advanced to the Championship 4 on points after a spirited battle with Christopher Bell. Larson and Byron will join Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe — both of whom suffered engine failures on Sunday — in the championship race.
“Damn, I’ve got a lot to say,” Byron told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider. “Things really have a way of working out. God really tests your resilience a lot of times. We’ve been tested. Just unbelievable.”
Blaney, Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain and Larson completed the top five, while Ryan Preece, Bell, Joey Logano, Todd Gilliland and Josh Berry rounded out the top 10.
Logano, Elliott, Blaney and Bell were eliminated from championship contention.
“That long run before the yellow when William got by me, I just got loose,” Blaney said. “Trying to work though lapped cars, just was starting to fade.”
Blaney was not upset with the move that got Byron the lead.
“That’s just two guys going for it. I would’ve done the same thing, to be honest with you.”
Larson’s fifth-place finish ensured him a spot in the Championship 4 for the third time in five years.
“We had good enough track position all day,” Larson said. “We were kind of out of the mess. What a performance by William. That’s awesome.”
“Just seemed like we were lacking a little bit of long run pace,” Bell said. “I felt whenever we got the balance close at times I could take off on tires and do OK and make some passes, maintain my position. Then the consistent theme of the day was just falling backwards as the tires got old.”
“I thought that we showed signs of life there at different times,” Elliott said. “Ultimately, just needed to be a tick better.”
“The four there deserve to be there, that’s how I always look at it,” Logano said. “This year we didn’t deserve to be there.”
Cup Martinsville Results
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season will conclude at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2, with coverage on NBC at 3 p.m. ET.
A member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Samuel also covers NASCAR for Yardbarker, Field Level Media, and Heavy Sports. He will attend the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2025.