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William Byron Brings Martinsville Heat, Kyle Larson Hangs On

William Byron Brings Martinsville Heat, Larson Hangs On
Photo Credit to Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

NASCAR

William Byron Earns First Win of 2026 at Martinsville, Larson Keeps Large Points Lead

RIDGEWAY, Va. – For the second year in a row, William Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet were lights-out dominant at Martinsville. Taking his first win since the 2025 Xfinity 500, Byron had his tail in the breeze with a monster 362 laps led around The Paperclip. Max-points earned for the No. 24 gives Hendrick Motorsports yet another Grandfather Clock, as teammate Kyle Larson was not far back in 10th. Thanks to this finish, Larson’s No. 5 holds a 67-point gap going into next week’s season finale.

Championship contenders Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin were two of only six cars to never pit in Stage 1, and they both paid dearly for this bold strategy play. Hamlin faded from the pole to 17th, while Larson was lapped (23rd-place) in the closing laps of the stage by William Byron. The No. 24 Chevrolet would go onto sweep both stages.

Stage 2 would end a few laps prematurely when Martinsville master Ryan Blaney spun after hard contact with Josh Berry. A few laps prior also saw Joey Logano get into both Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, sending both Chase hopefuls around in turn one.

Only green flag pit stops ever saw Byron fail to lead in the final stage. The No. 24 lapped all the way up to seventh-place, including passing the top two in points. Byron set a new career-best for laps led in a single race as he took home a fourth Grandfather Clock trophy.

“We’re always pretty good here,” Byron said after his 17th career Cup victory. “Man, it’s been a fricking long road this year. This team’s worked really hard. Yeah, just appreciate them. We had our struggles. But man, today feels damn good. Just want to thank Liberty University for all they’ve done over the years. Chevrolet. All of our partners, Axalta, Valvoline, HP. I’m sure I’m forgetting somebody. Yeah, just feels really good. Thanks to Mr. Hendrick. Thanks to everyone working really hard at the shop. Man, we never quit. There’s something to be said about that.”

“I think this place is special for me personally, special for my mom. Special for my mom and dad for what my mom went through hear. Special for Mr. Hendrick. It’s always a really unique and important opportunity when you drive for Hendrick Motorsports to come here and try to do well. Yeah, just all came together for us. Pretty happy.”

“[The last run] was long. Chase [Elliott] 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. Last two runs everyone’s car gets a little bit better towards the end, makes it harder to pass lap cars. Yeah, it was fun.”

Behind Byron and Chase Elliott at the checkers were: Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, and Shane van Gisbergen. Denny Hamlin rallied late to sixth, just beating out title rivals Kyle Larson in ninth and Christopher Bell in 10th. Hear from a few of these drivers below.

Kyle Larson now holds a 67-point lead over Bell going into next week’s finale from Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Cup Series Championship Race goes green Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Larson will be the overwhelming favorite going into arguably his best track, but anything can happen over 400 miles. Larson, Bell, or Hamlin are less than a week away from being crowned 2026 NASCAR champion.

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo Credit to Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

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