William Byron Ends 35-Race Winless Streak at Martinsville as Kyle Larson Nears Cup Title

Martinsville Speedway (Martinsville, Va.) — William Byron salvaged his season with a victory Sunday at Martinsville, while Kyle Larson moved to the brink of a third Cup Series championship.

Byron ended a 35-race winless streak dating back to last year’s Martinsville victory. He led 362 of 500 laps en route to the win. 

Entering the race 11th in the standings, Byron had already been eliminated from championship contention. 

The victory leaves Byron with a tangible reminder that success can still be found late in the season.

William Byron snapped a dry spell with his win at Martinsville (Getty Images)

“This definitely gives us that feeling that we know we can achieve,” Byron said in his post-race news conference, marking his seventh consecutive season with a win. “Honestly, I know this group are winners.

“There’s a lot to be said about winning a race every year. It’s a really difficult feat to accomplish.”

Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson finished 10th and heads to next Sunday’s season finale at Homestead needing just eight of a possible 20 stage points—or a 28th-place finish with no stage points—to clinch the Cup title. 

Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin must win at Homestead and accumulate substantial stage points to remain in title contention.

Here are the key takeaways:

1. Kyle Larson Eyes Title

Kyle Larson didn’t clinch the title at Martinsville but his fate awaits at Homestead. (Getty Images)

Larson endured a nerve-wracking afternoon after he and Hamlin attempted to run the entire 130-lap opening stage without pitting for tires. 

The strategy backfired, leaving Larson a lap down.

He regained the lead lap on Lap 216 but could not catch the front-runners, eventually finishing 10th. Hamlin placed sixth, while Christopher Bell was 11th. 

Larson carries a 67-point advantage over Bell and a 70-point cushion over Hamlin heading to Homestead, where he has won two of the last four races.

“I trusted we’d get back on the right side of things if we could ever get back to the lead lap, and fortunately we did,” Larson told reporters after the race. “I could tell Denny wasn’t his normal self at Martinsville. And Bell, I could tell, had better track position than us but wasn’t very good. Once I settled in on the lead lap, I felt OK.”

2. Denny Hamlin Had the Best Car, Not the Best Strategy

Denny Hamlin’s chances of winning it all are even slimmer after another average day. (Getty Images)

Hamlin led 40 of the first 83 laps, but sacrificing track position by not pitting in the opening stage doomed his chances. He was also caught up with Bell when Joey Logano hit the back of Bell on Lap 216, the caution that allowed Larson to get the free pass.

It was another frustrating Sunday for the regular-season champion left wondering what might have been.

“The killer, by far, was Stage 1,” Hamlin said afterward. “Obviously, pitting was the best strategy, and we chose not to. We went from leading or running second to 15th. It was just an impossible task once we lost that track position.”

Hamlin must win at Homestead and earn 17 stage points—or 16 stage points plus the fastest-lap point—to have any chance at the title.

3. Christopher Bell Couldn’t Capitalize

Bell’s attitude now is that he and his team have “nothing to lose.” (Getty Images)

Bell lost track position when he ducked onto pit road anticipating a caution and misread his dashboard lights, which indicate the RPM needed to remain below pit-road speed.

He admitted his car was likely a top-10 contender but not a top-five car, making a 10th-place finish a fair result.

“We had nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Bell told reporters after the race. “The same applies at Homestead. It is what it is. We shook out where we should have.”

Bell must win at Homestead and collect 14 stage points—or 13 stage points plus the fastest-lap point—to keep his title hopes alive.

4. Carson Hocevar Unfazed by Austin Cindric Contact

Hocevar said he had fun, despite having an incident with Austin Cindric. (Getty Images)

Carson Hocevar appeared to brake-check Austin Cindric a couple of times, ending Cindric’s day early. Cindric had bumped Hocevar beforehand, but Hocevar seemingly took advantage of NASCAR’s summer short-track car changes, which weakened the front bumpers to discourage drivers from running into one another.

Cindric was irate on the radio, asking NASCAR to intervene. NASCAR took no action, and Hocevar appeared unfazed afterward.

“It’s just Martinsville,” Hocevar told reporters. “Everybody’s running hard and making moves. Sometimes you’re getting hit, and sometimes you’re causing it.”

“I had fun.”

4½. What’s Next: Homestead

Up next … Homestead. (Getty Images)

The season concludes at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval last visited by Cup teams in March 2025. The track replaces Phoenix as the championship site and will host the finale again next year.

Larson is the defending race winner. Tyler Reddick won in 2024, Christopher Bell in 2023, and Larson in 2022.

“I love Homestead,” Larson said. “It’s a great venue to host the championship.”

Source link