Ryan Blaney wins NASCAR race at Martinsville, advances to Championship 4; William Byron through on p

April 15, 2024

Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Cup Series Round 3 elimination race at Martinsville Speedway, clinching a spot in the Championship 4 final that will determine the 2023 Cup champion.

Joining Blaney in the Championship 4 are Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and William Byron. Larson and Bell won the previous two Round 3 races to clinch their spots, while Byron earned his berth via points. Byron finished eight points above Denny Hamlin for the final transfer spot.

“(I) felt like we put together really strong playoffs, especially the Round of 8.” Blaney said, adding he was “really proud of the whole effort” and “can’t wait to get to Phoenix next week.”

Martin Truex Jr. was in contention for the win, running in the top three, but a speeding penalty on pit road sent him to the rear of the field and he never fully recovered. The regular season points champion finished 12th and was eliminated.

In addition to Hamlin and Truex, the other two drivers eliminated were Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher, neither of whom were factors throughout the race.

Ryan Blaney wins at Martinsville while William Byron advances to the Championship 4 on points. They join Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in competing for the NASCAR Cup Series championship next week.

Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher eliminated.

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) October 29, 2023

The Championship 4 finale is next Sunday, Nov. 5, at Phoenix Raceway. The best finisher among the four finalists wins the 2023 championship.

Championship 4 highlights NASCAR’s youth movement

This represents a breakthrough moment for Blaney and Byron, who have shown promise over the years but never made it to the final four. Their performance and mental toughness were impressive — in particular for Byron throughout the playoffs and for Blaney in this round.

Now they join two other young drivers — Bell and Larson — in competing for a title when only one of them (Larson) has ever won before.

This Championship 4 is representative of NASCAR’s youth movement and the next generation announcing its arrival. — Jeff Gluck, motorsports writer

Crushing race for Hamlin, Truex

This was an absolutely crushing round for championship hopefuls Hamlin and Truex, both of whom are in their early 40s and don’t have many opportunities like this remaining.

After winning the regular season championship, Truex had one of the most miserable nine-race playoff stretches we’ve ever seen for a contender. Nothing seemed to go right, including on Sunday when he had a race-killing speeding penalty.

For Hamlin, a simple power steering failure at the wrong moment last week ruined his playoff hopes. Without a win, drivers can’t afford to have a single bad race in the final round — and despite a third-place finish and all signs it was finally his year after so many close calls, he’s out.

Meanwhile, Reddick and Buescher were never factors on Sunday and saw their playoffs end quietly. — Gluck

GO DEEPER

2023 NASCAR Cup Series title race: A look at the final 4 contenders in Phoenix

Required reading

(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57lGloaWxnaHxzfJFsZmpoX2eGcLrArJqaql2irrPAyKeqr6GcobJuvsSsrKWso2Kwqa3MqaCopqOdtrF5k2g%3D