Following Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, the Championship 4 has been solidified for next week’s title race at Phoenix Raceway.
Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and William Byron secured spots in the final round of the playoffs.
Here’s how things shook out for each Round of 8 playoff driver at Martinsville:
Joey Logano (Advanced, Win)
Logano secured a berth in the championship race two weeks ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Team Penske driver placed a respectable 10th on Sunday at “The Paperclip.”
While Logano hasn’t shown blistering, dominant speed throughout the 2024 season, he’ll have a shot at a third championship in seven years next Sunday.
Tyler Reddick (Advanced, Win)
Reddick pulled off a last-lap heroic performance last Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway as he drove by fellow playoff competitor Blaney on the outside lane to clinch a spot in the title race.
Martinsville turned into a struggling day for the 23XI Racing driver as he ended the 500-lap race in 34th behind the wall with a fire under the hood of his race car.
He’ll look to solidify a stout season next week after scoring the regular season championship.
Ryan Blaney (Advanced, Win)
Facing a must-win situation at Martinsville, Blaney’s No. 12 Ford came alive in the final 40 laps as he chased down fellow playoff drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott.
He passed Elliott in the closing laps and scored a second straight win at the Martinsville fall event.
The Team Penske driver heads to Phoenix with a shot at a second straight championship.
William Byron (Advanced, +4)
Amidst a drama-filled few moments following the Xfinity 500, NASCAR made the decision to bump Christopher Bell out of the playoffs due to a safety violation for riding the wall in the final two corners.
The two drivers initially tied for the final playoff spot with Bell holding the tiebreaker over Byron due to having the highest finish in the Round of 8. However, with NASCAR’s decision, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team will compete for a title.
Byron placed sixth at Martinsville and heads back to the Championship 4 for a second straight season.
Who’s Out?
Christopher Bell (-4)
Bell appeared to be in the playoffs for a brief moment after snagging 18th away from Bubba Wallace on the final lap. However, he was dropped to 22nd, the last driver one lap down.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s streak of consecutive Championship 4 appearances ended at two. In the Round of 8, Bell nearly won at Las Vegas two weeks ago after dominating the race. However, he came up short in second place to Logano.
Kyle Larson (-7)
Kyle Larson was in position to secure a berth in the title round as he led for 71 laps, including in the final stages of the race.
However, After teammate Chase Elliott maneuvered around the No. 5 Chevrolet along with Blaney, Larson had to settle for third place, over five seconds behind. Larson’s bid for a second title fell seven points short.
Denny Hamlin (-24)
After a practice crash forced Denny Hamlin to start at the rear of the field, Hamlin endured an uphill battle all race. The driver of the No. 11 JGR Toyota was able to reach third by the end of Stage Two, but could not make a run at victory as he finished fifth.
Hamlin’s quest for a long-awaited championship in his 19th full-time season will fall 24 points short.
Chase Elliott (-44)
Elliott put his No. 9 HMS Chevrolet in position to win on Sunday as he snagged the lead away from Larson in the closing laps. However, his drive for another Championship 4 appearance fell one spot short in second.
Elliott endured a rough Round of 8 to start after finishing 33rd at Las Vegas, but finished strong with a fifth at Homestead and runner-up at Martinsville.