Byron wins Martinsville to clinch Championship 4 berth at Phoenix

William Byron rallied from pressure and heavy expectations to win the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, sweeping both stages, leading a race-high 304 laps and clinching the final spot in the Championship 4. The victory sealed Byron’s place in next weekend’s winner-take-all title race at Phoenix Raceway and set a four-driver finale of Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Byron and Kyle Larson.

Byron started on the pole and controlled much of the 500-lap race, then made the decisive pass on Ryan Blaney with just over 40 laps remaining. The move, which produced light contact as Byron dove inside, left Blaney second and ended the Team Penske driver’s bid to return to the title fight. Byron said afterward that it was the best he had ever felt in the car during a race and that the result was the product of hard work and resilience this season.

Larson finished fifth and outscored Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell by seven points to claim the fourth and final berth in the Championship 4. Bell, who entered Martinsville with a comfortable cushion in the standings, fell short in the closing stages and was eliminated along with Blaney, reigning champion Joey Logano and Chase Elliott.