Martinsville marked the end of the Round of Eight in the NASCAR Cup series playoffs, and the 500-lap Xfinity 500 did not disappoint.
The Round of Eight started off in Las Vegas, where playoff driver Kyle Larson took the title, and the next race weekend was at Homestead-Miami, where another playoff driver, Christopher Bell, finished in first. With Larson and Bell having already clinched spots in the Championship race, William Byron, the driver of the No. 24 PODS Chevrolet, found himself 30 points above the cut line, meaning he would either have to win at Martinsville or point his way after finishing seventh at Las Vegas, and fourth at Homestead-Miami.
Byron has been the most consistent driver in the field throughout the season, however, with the playoff format of “win and you’re in,” no driver is usually safe on points alone. The same was true for Byron Oct. 29 at Martinsville Speedway, as he had to fight all day to stay in the running for the championship.
The weekend didn’t get off to a horrible start for the No. 24 team, as Byron managed to finish practice on Saturday in third position, but ended up falling back to 16th after his qualifying run. It was clear both Byron and his team would have some work to do on race day to advance to their coveted goal of the Championship Four.
The 0.53-mile concrete and asphalt short track proved to be difficult for the No. 24 team throughout Sunday’s race. Byron consistently ran between the 15th and 20th positions, causing his 30-point cushion to essentially be non-existent.
“I was optimistic,” Byron said. “We had the car in practice. We were kind of okay on averages, but I was loose in, tight center. Not what you really want.”
Despite his struggles, Byron continued to fight the entire race. Denny Hamlin, the driver of the No. 11 FedEx car, was constantly threatening to put Byron below the cutline, and did so on one or two occasions by a point or two. The point difference between the two hovered around 4-8 points.
Hamlin then began to knock that number down bit by bit, pulling within 4 points with around 50 laps to go. However, Byron had a strong final run, gaining several positions in the closing laps and widening the gap to Hamlin to eight points, securing a spot in the Championship race with his 13th place finish.
“I’m just super thankful for my team. My crew chief Rudy just knew what buttons to push to keep me in the game,” Byron said. “We’ve had so many tough times together. He believed in me and gave me all the tools I needed to go out and have success, and I’m just really thankful for him and thankful for the whole team.”
Byron and the No. 24 team now turn their attention to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in Phoenix Nov. 5. Among Byron in the Championship will be Larson, Bell and Ryan Blaney, who won this weekend in Martinsville after a strong performance all race.
Gibson is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion