Just when you thought Hendrick Motorsports was down and out in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the team made the most of its trip to Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 26.
William Byron dominated the race, leading 304 laps and prevailing in a late-race duel over Ryan Blaney. The victory clinched Byron’s place in the Championship 4, and Kyle Larson took the last available transfer spot, scoring more points than Christopher Bell to keep his championship hopes alive. Byron and Larson join Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe as the drivers who will battle for the Bill France Cup at Phoenix Raceway.
Looking at the 2025 season as a whole, it is not surprising to see Byron or Larson reach the championship race. Both drivers have three wins apiece, and they have scored the most points among all Cup Series drivers. Besides, Hendrick is no stranger to the championship round. The organization has sent at least one driver to Phoenix in title contention every year since 2020.
However, Byron’s and Larson’s triumphs at Martinsville may be surprising when compared to their recent performance, as both drivers did their best work early in the season.
In Byron’s case, it has become a well-established pattern, and this year is no exception. Of Byron’s 16 top 10s in 2025, 10 came in the first 16 races of the season. He also earned seven top fives in the first 14 races of 2025, and only four in the 21 races since. His wins have been more spread out, which include the Daytona 500, Iowa Speedway in August, and Sunday’s race. Byron’s career win total now stands at 16, and only two of those wins have come in the playoffs.
Larson’s season appeared to lose its momentum after his disastrous attempt at the Memorial Day Double. Prior to that, he had three wins and nine top 10s in 12 races, which earned him the overall points lead. But after crashing out of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, Larson has not been the same. He has not won a race since May, and he only led 34 laps during the second half of the regular season. In a championship battle where good timing is more important than season-long excellence, it looked doubtful that Larson and Byron would bring their best to the postseason.
Even now, after Byron and Larson have outlasted most of their rivals, their journey to the championship round was not smooth. Larson was arguably the favorite to win both the Southern 500 and the Bristol Night Race, but he ran into trouble in both events. It was only in the Round of 12 that the No. 5 team started to turn the ship around. Larson only led 32 laps, but he scored three straight top 10s to advance comfortably on points. Byron’s postseason through the first two rounds was very quiet. He was never in danger of elimination, but he did not lead any laps through the first six races and appeared to be skating by on playoff points from his wins and the regular season championship.
The Round of 8 was shaping up to be even worse. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Byron challenged for the win until a frightening crash with Ty Dillon knocked him out of the race. Larson had a chance to take the win for himself, but he could not catch Hamlin in the closing laps, allowing Joe Gibbs Racing to send a car to the championship round first.
The next race, at Talladega Superspeedway, was a disaster for HMS. Chase Elliott got taken out in an early crash, and Alex Bowman (eliminated in the first round of the playoffs) was multiple laps down with a sour engine, leaving Larson and Byron to battle for the win. On the last lap, Larson ran out of fuel going down the backstretch, ruining his shot at victory and leaving Byron without a teammate. He tried to soldier home, but a bump from behind sent Byron spinning through the infield within sight of the checkered flag. With Byron falling back to 25th at the finish, the No. 24 team was in a virtual must-win situation for Martinsville. Larson was the only Hendrick driver above the cut line, but he went to Martinsville in a tight points battle with Bell, where only one would advance in the case of a new winner.
There was a very real possibility that no Hendrick drivers could have advanced to the championship race. All it would have taken was Blaney or Joey Logano from Team Penske earning the Martinsville victory and Bell out-pointing Larson. Given Penske’s success on the flat tracks, it appeared that the championship race was going to be a Gibbs versus Penske showdown. Larson, alone, squeaking in was the most realistic good outcome for Hendrick.
Martinsville, however, has been a special track for Hendrick going back to the team’s earliest season. The whole organization needed a place where they could re-establish themselves as championship threats, and they took full advantage of the opportunity. Even though Elliott’s title hopes came to an end, Martinsville worked out very well for Hendrick, especially since neither Blaney nor Logano advanced to the championship race. For the first time since the introduction of the Next Gen car, Penske will not win the Cup Series title. With Logano and Blaney out of contention, the championship race is suddenly wide open.
Can Hendrick step up to fill the void? The organization has not been as quick at Phoenix as Penske or Gibbs, but Larson won there in 2021 to earn his championship. Byron won the Spring race at Phoenix in 2023, but he has not been able to win there in the fall in his two previous appearances in the championship race. Perhaps one last momentum swing, courtesy of Martinsville, will result in a Hendrick driver hoisting the Bill France Cup.