William Byron. Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
William Byron powered his way to victory in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, earning a coveted spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 field and eliminating pre-race favorite Christopher Bell.
Byron, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, led a career-best 304 laps and secured the emotional win by passing race leader Ryan Blaney late in the elimination event. The victory propels Byron into the season finale at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2 to compete for the Cup Series title.
The most critical moment came on Lap 457 during a long green-flag run. In a must-win scenario for both drivers, Byron charged to the inside of Blaney’s fading No. 12 Team Penske Ford entering Turn 1, making contact and knocking Blaney up the track to take the lead.
Blaney, who finished 0.717 seconds behind Byron after the final restart with 11 laps remaining, accepted the aggressive move.
“I look back on that long run before the last yellow where William got by me,” said Blaney, who led 177 laps after qualifying 31st. “I just got loose, trying to work through that. My rear drive was fading quick. I tried to manage a lot in the beginning. I would have done the same thing, to be honest with you. I knew it was going to be tight.”
With the win, Byron joins Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, who finished fifth, as the organization’s representatives in the title race. They will compete against Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, both of whom had already qualified with wins earlier in the Round of 8.
Byron’s win sealed a Championship 4 appearance and simultaneously dealt a major blow to Team Penske. For the first time since the Next Gen car was introduced in 2022, the organization that won the last three championships will not have a driver competing for the title.
The elimination race also ended the championship hopes for Christopher Bell, who came into Martinsville above the elimination line. Bell’s seventh-place finish was not enough, as Larson outscored him on the day, claiming the final berth by seven points. Reigning series champion Joey Logano (eighth) and third-place finisher Chase Elliott were also eliminated.
“Damn, I’ve got a lot to say,” a smiling Byron said after climbing from his car. “Things have a way of working out. 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.”
Byron’s day began with a dominant run, winning Stage 1 (leading 125 of 130 laps) and Stage 2 (leading all 130 laps). The complexion of the race changed during the Stage 2 caution on Lap 242 when Blaney pitted and gained track position. Blaney soon took the lead and controlled the field until Byron made his decisive pass on Lap 457.
After Carson Hocevar brought out the final caution, the ensuing restart was academic, with Byron pulling away cleanly.
Larson, who ran a problem-free race in the No. 5 Chevrolet, praised his teammate. “What a performance by William. That’s awesome,” Larson said. “I think when the 12 (Blaney) gained control of the race, it was going to be really hard for anybody to beat him. William did a great job on the restarts, just kept positioning himself.”
Non-Playoff drivers Ross Chastain and Ryan Preece ran fourth and sixth, respectively. Todd Gilliland and Josh Berry rounded out the Top 10.
Xfinity 500
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Virginia
Sunday, October 26, 2025
(1) William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 500.
(31) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 500.
(8) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 500.
(13) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 500.
(3) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 500.
(18) Ryan Preece, Ford, 500.
(12) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 500.
(4) Joey Logano (P), Ford, 500.
(16) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 500.
(27) Josh Berry, Ford, 500.
(14) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 500.
(2) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 500.
(7) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 500.
(22) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 500.
(10) Austin Cindric, Ford, 500.
(20) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 500.
(6) Cole Custer, Ford, 500.
(21) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 500.
(34) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 499.
(19) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 499.
(24) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 499.
(30) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 499.
(17) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 499.
(11) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 499.
(23) Zane Smith, Ford, 498.
(26) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 498.
(32) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 498.
(33) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 497.
(29) Chris Buescher, Ford, 497.
(35) Noah Gragson, Ford, 497.
(15) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 497.
(36) Cody Ware, Ford, 488.
(37) Casey Mears(i), Ford, Electrical, 478.
(28) Erik Jones, Toyota, Accident, 406.
(5) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, Engine, 334.
(25) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, Engine, 323.
(9) Chase Briscoe (P), Toyota, Engine, 295.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 73.744 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs., 33 Mins, 59 Secs.
Margin of Victory: .717 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 10 for 78 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 5 drivers.