Current:Home > NewsRyan Blaney wins, William Byron grabs last NASCAR Championship race berth at Martinsville-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Ryan Blaney wins, William Byron grabs last NASCAR Championship race berth at Martinsville
View Date:2024-12-23 18:39:21
The NASCAR Championship 4 is set following Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway, which saw one driver celebrating in victory lane and another celebrating on pit road with his team.
Ryan Blaney took the checkered flag at Martinsville in the penultimate race of the season to clinch the third berth in the 2023 championship race. William Byron, who led Cup Series with six wins this season, claimed the fourth and final spot on points after being the highest-ranked driver without a win in the third round.
They will join Kyle Larson, who won the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Christopher Bell, who won last weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as the four drivers who will race for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, next Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher were eliminated from championship contention.
Blaney's victory at Martinsville was his third of the season. He held off Aric Almirola in the closing laps on NASCAR’s oldest and smallest track to claim one of the series’ most unique prizes – a grandfather clock.
“I felt like we put together a really strong playoffs, especially the Round of eight,” said Blaney, who didn’t finish lower than sixth in the three-race round. “Can’t wait to get to Phoenix next week.”
Hamlin finished third on Sunday, but after a mechanical failure last weekend at Homestead, his points deficit was too big to overcome. Buescher finished eighth, Truex 12th, and Byron 13th – high enough to maintain an 8-point advantage over Hamlin and claim the final berth in the championshp race.
“The mechanical failure last week with the power steering, that sealed our fate,” Hamlin said. Hate we’re not in it. It’s racing, right? This is the playoffs. You got a three-race season.
Byron said his helmet fan stopped working during the race and he dropped to the ground outside his car following the race.
“It’s our worst race of the year,” Byron said. “With 50 (laps) to go, I felt really, really bad and I just had to drive the hell out of it. The guys stuck with me and just kept motivating me through, little bits and pieces, and just keeping my mind straight.”
Larson and Byron gave Hendrick Motorsports a pair of Chevrolets in the final four, Bell is in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and Blaney drives a Ford for Team Penske. Blaney can give Team Penske back-to-back titles following Joey Logano’s win for Penske last year.
Larson is the only driver in the field with a Cup title and returns to the final four for the second time in three years. Bell is back in the championship for the second consecutive year; Blaney and Byron have never raced for the Cup title.
CHEVROLET WINS MANUFACTURER TITLE
Chevrolet clinched its 42nd manufacturer championship when Sunday’s race began at Martinsville.
It marked the third consecutive year the title went to the bowtie brigade in NASCAR’s top Cup Series. Chevy already clinched both the Truck Series and Xfinity Series championships this season for its fifth national series sweep – first since 2012 that Chevy claimed all three national titles.
Chevrolet won its first manufacturer Cup championship in 1958 and later recording a streak of 13 consecutive titles between 2003 through 2015. Chevrolet has 850 Cup victories and 33 driver championships in NASCAR’s premier series, making it the winningest automaker in NASCAR’s 75-year history.
“This title is the result of great teamwork by the Chevrolet drivers, crew chiefs and teams working tirelessly throughout the season,” said Jim Campbell, General Motors U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports.
UP NEXT
The season-ending championship race at Phoenix Raceway, where Larson, Bell, Blaney and Byron will race for the Cup title. The highest finishing driver among the final four claims the championship. Joey Logano won his second title a year ago by winning Phoenix, but has already been eliminated from the playoffs. Byron won in the spring.
Contributing: The Associated Press
veryGood! (112)
Related
- Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. leaves in wheelchair after banging head on court
- Police investigation finds Colorado U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert didn’t punch ex-husband as he claimed
- Regulators are set to decide whether to OK a new bitcoin fund. Here’s what investors need to know
- Securities and Exchange Commission's X account compromised, sends fake post on Bitcoin ETF
- Will Trump curb transgender rights? After election, community prepares for worst
- From snow squalls to tornado warnings, the U.S. is being pummeled with severe storms this week. What do these weather terms mean?
- A North Dakota lawmaker is removed from a committee after insulting police in a DUI stop
- First time filing your taxes? Here are 5 tips for tax season newbies
- USMNT Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal Leg 1 vs. Jamaica: Live stream and TV, rosters
- Montana fire chief who had refused vaccine mandate in Washington state charged in Jan. 6 riot
Ranking
- Colorado police shot, kill mountain lion after animal roamed on school's campus
- Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says Russia can be stopped but Kyiv badly needs more air defense systems
- U.S. says yes to new bitcoin funds, paving the way for more Americans to buy crypto
- See how every college football coach in US LBM Coaches Poll voted in final Top 25 rankings
- Wildfire map: Thousands of acres burn near New Jersey-New York border; 1 firefighter dead
- Court again delays racketeering trial against activist accused in violent ‘Stop Cop City’ protest
- Federal lawsuit against Florida school district that banned books can move forward, judge rules
- New Tennessee House rules seek to discourage more uproar after highly publicized expulsions
Recommendation
-
West Virginia expands education savings account program for military families
-
Powerful storms bring heavy snow, rain, tornadoes, flooding to much of U.S., leave several dead
-
Taliban detains dozens of women in Afghanistan for breaking hijab rules with modeling
-
Twitter and social media ignite as legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban retires
-
Everard Burke Introduce
-
Amalija Knavs, mother of former first lady Melania Trump, dies at 78
-
Natalia Grace's Adoptive Mom Cynthia Mans Speaks Out After Docuseries Revelation
-
Montana fire chief who had refused vaccine mandate in Washington state charged in Jan. 6 riot