NASCAR
Ryan Blaney Wins Martinsville Again, William Byron Inserted into Championship 4 Post-Race
RIDGEWAY, Va. – A frantic 500 laps at Martinsville Speedway was followed by nearly 30 minutes of unknown. Ryan Blaney put together another walk off clutch win, but mayhem that Martinsville is known for unfolded behind him. Running a lap down, Christopher Bell initially made the Championship 4 on a tiebreaker following a brief turn four wall ride. After reviewing data however, NASCAR deemed this a safety infraction, rewarding William Byron with the last finale spot.
Stage 1 saw Chase Elliott pick up his first Stage win since February’s Daytona 500. Trying to be a Playoff spoiler, Brad Keselowski blocked Ryan Blaney from a Stage 2 win. Across both Stages, Christopher Bell was the only Playoff contender to run into an issue. The No. 20 Toyota looped it in turn two, spending the rest of the day on his back foot trying to regain lost ground.
Shenanigans and apparent team orders ran rampant in the closing laps. Trying to protect a slim points cushion, several Chevrolets were allegedly instructed not to pass William Byron. The No. 24 took the checkers in sixth, but lost out at first on a tiebreaker to Christopher Bell. The No. 20 passed a slowing Bubba Wallace into turn three and stayed in the gas. Bell made extended wall contact around the final corners, and was tied with Byron at first.
Following an agonizing half hour, race control deemed Bell’s actions a safety hazard, and put the 20 to the last car a lap down. This retroactively placed Bell in 22nd-place, and erased his Championship 4 bid by four points. Byron is Phoenix bound thanks to this unprecedented call by officials.
Race winner Ryan Blaney and sixth-place finisher William Byron are now the last two men into the Championship 4. The reigning Cup Series champion and last year’s championship bronze medal join next week’s fight for the Bill France Cup.
Blaney made the ultimate winning pass over Chase Elliott with 15 laps left, driving off to his third win of 2024.
āIām worn out,” Blaney said. “Itās hard. The last 70 or so laps I tried to save my rears the best I could because thatās where I started struggling later in the runs. I hated I had to lay the bumper to some guys, but I had to do it. It was nice to pass the 9 clean. I layed the bumper to a couple guys that I wish I didnāt have to, but I needed to get going, so it was a long night. I appreciate everybody for getting better through the night. Thank goodness. I think thatās the most tired Iāve been after a race in a long time.ā
āPart of me was nervous because when I got to the 6 earlier, like the run or two before, I just lost so much rear drive and I couldnāt drive under him. I felt like my rears were hanging on a little bit better that last run, and it started to seem like the 5 and the 9 were starting to struggle on corner exit and thatās where I was able to do it. We definitely got the car better and it allowed me to kind of fade up the track and turn under, where I couldnāt really do it before. Props to Jonathan for tuning her up.ā
“A lot of momentum.Ā Itās nice to have two Penske cars in.Ā Nice to join the 22 and have a decent shot to bring Roger another title, a third title in a row. These guys are the best at what they do and itās been so much fun to get to run with them and share wins and championships.Ā Itās super strong right now in our organization and hopefully it carries over.ā
Behind Blaney and Elliott, Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, and Denny Hamlin were the top-five. William Byron, Austin Dillon, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano rounded out the top-10.
Logano, Reddick, Blaney, and Byron are the final four contestants from the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs. In less than a week, one of them will win stock car racing’s ultimate prize and be crowned 2024 champion. The Cup Series Championship Race goes green from Phoenix Raceway on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to David Jensen/Getty Images
