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<\/p>\nIn Martinsville Speedway\u2019s Xfinity 500, Hendrick Motorsports once again exerted its dominance at NASCAR\u2019s shortest track but this time it was William Bryon, not point leader Kyle Larson, who broke a winless streak.<\/p>\n
Prior to Sunday, Byron\u2019s last victory came a year ago at Martinsville\u201435\u2014races ago. His fourth victory at the paper-clipped shaped track not only broke a winless streak for him, it also provided Hendrick with the organization\u2019s 33rd victory at the facility. Ironically, it was Hendrick\u2019s first Martinsville win in April 1984 that kept the doors open on the first-year race team which was operating without a sponsor at that time.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, it\u2019s been a fricking long road this year,\u201d Byron said. \u201cWe had our struggles, but man, today feels damn good. This is the hardest I have worked in my career. The most I\u2019ve been in the SIM. The most I\u2019ve been in the shop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Byron\u2019s 17th career victory came on the heels of a second-place finish to Larson a week ago at Talladega. Hendrick Motorsports has now won four of the last eight NASCAR Cup races.<\/p>\n
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David Jensen\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
In Sunday\u2019s Martinsville race, Byron led 362 of the 500 laps, which was more than twice the number of laps he\u2019d led in the season\u2019s first 34 races, which was 356.<\/p>\n
With Byron\u2019s victory, Hendrick Motorsports swept the races this year at the 0.526-mile track. Chase Elliott won the 400-lap spring race and finished 2.049 seconds behind Byron in Sunday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just needed some rear tires,\u201d said Elliott, who stopped by victory lane to congratulate his teammate. \u201cI was running as hard as I could go. I really fell off hard on the run before, and I think that\u2019s probably what hurt me the most with having to make up that gap. William had that gap to play with, and he did a great job managing that. He saved and he knew I was pressing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elliott\u2019s second was his best finish since May when he won at Texas. He now has two top-five finishes in the last three races.<\/p>\n
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Icon Sportswire\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
William Byron (left) and Chase Elliott.<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s race had six caution flags for 47 laps, but none of them occurred in the final 229 laps.<\/p>\n
\u201cChase is so good at managing his tires. I felt like I was going to have to do a really good job just to keep my tires happy through lapped traffic,\u201d Byron said.<\/p>\n
In the fight for this year\u2019s championship, Larson never led a lap in the event that had 11 lead changes among six drivers, but he rebounded from a lap down in the race\u2019s first half to post a ninth-place finish. He goes to the season finale at Homestead with a 67-point lead over Christopher Bell in second. Denny Hamlin dropped to third, 70 points behind Larson. Chase Briscoe is fourth in the standings but with his 84-point deficit he is no longer in contention for this year\u2019s title.
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