Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney has once again earned himself a berth into the Championship 4, after capturing an eleventh-hour victory in Sunday’s XFINITY 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Blaney was able to make a heroic effort during the race’s final green-flag run, which spanned 87 laps around the half-mile paperclip, making up a deficit that exceeded three seconds at one point in the run.
With less than 20 laps remaining, the 30-year-old driver reached the rear bumper of Chase Elliott, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, and made quick work of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro, making the pass for the lead and ultimately saving his hopes of winning back-to-back titles.
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“I don’t know man. I tried to save my rear tires early. I was struggling with my rears and traffic the run before. I think it kind of paid off for us. So proud of the effort by everyone at the No. 12 group never giving up. To have another shot at the championship is really special.”
The victory marks the 13th in the NASCAR Cup Series for the High Point, North Carolina native and his third of the season — two of the three have come on racetracks measuring less than one mile in length.
When the checkered flag was displayed after 500 laps around Martinsville, Chase Elliott was scored in second place, more than 2.5 seconds behind the eventual race-winner Ryan Blaney, after only being passed with 15 laps remaining.
By failing to win Sunday’s event, Elliott was eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. His teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Larson, met the same fate, finishing in third place.
Austin Cindric, the only driver from Team Penske not advancing to the Championship 4, brought home a strong fourth-place result in Sunday’s event at Martinsville, overcoming some mid-race adversity.
The biggest comeback of the weekend, though, was that of Denny Hamlin, who managed to claw and scratch his way into the top five after wrecking in practice and being forced to start from last place.
After entering Sunday’s event with a points deficit, though, Hamlin’s non-victory means the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE was also eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
William Byron brought home a sixth-place result, continuing a six-race streak of no finish worse than sixth for the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Non-playoff drivers Austin Dillon, Ross Chastain, and Brad Keselowski finished seventh, eighth, and ninth, while finale-bound Joey Logano rounded out the top-10 after a quiet afternoon.
Shane Van Gisbergen, who will join the ranks of the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2025 for Trackhouse Racing, recorded a solid 12th-place result — his first top-15 on a non-superspeedway oval.
Christopher Bell was credited with a 22nd-place finish on the afternoon — four positions lower than his initial spot crossing the start-finish line — after being handed a safety violation by NASCAR for riding the wall in Turn 4.
With the violation, Bell dropped from the Championship 4 — winning a tiebreaker against William Byron — to four points outside the cutline, making him the highest driver eliminated from contention.
Heading to Phoenix Raceway, the Championship 4 for the NASCAR Cup Series will consist of Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and William Byron.
Coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway will take place on Sunday, November 10 at 3:00 PM ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
