Ryan Blaney celebrated his win at Martinsville Speedway, a victory that sent NASCAR’s defending champion into the final race of the season for the title.
Meanwhile, Christopher Bell and William Byron stood beside their parked cars, anxiously waiting for NASCAR to decide who would be the fourth and last driver in the winner-takes-all race at Phoenix Raceway.
The question was whether Bell had hit the wall on the last lap and used it to gain enough speed to pass Byron for the final championship spot.
This move was similar to what Ross Chastain did at Martinsville two years ago, which was called the “Hail Melon” and was banned the following offseason.
Blaney was on his way back to the championship finale, where he would try to defend his title against his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick from 23XI Racing. The fourth finalist was left waiting for what felt like a long time for a decision from NASCAR.
In the end, Bell’s wall ride was ruled illegal, allowing Byron to save Hendrick Motorsports from a disappointing playoff round. Three Hendrick drivers were competing for the four spots in the finale, and only Byron made it—thanks to the decision about Bell’s safety violation.
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, said, “We had the situation with Ross here, we went to Phoenix, there was a lot of dialog with the drivers that that’s not a move (they) want to have to make.
In the offseason, meeting with the industry, meeting with our drivers, to a man, that was not a move they wanted to make.” So it was banned.
Bell argued that he had no choice but to hit the wall while trying to avoid fellow Toyota driver Bubba Wallace, who said he had a tire going flat. Bell used part of the wall to gain speed and that helped him tie Byron in points for the last spot next week at Phoenix Raceway.
“I understand that the rule is made to prevent people from riding the wall, but my move was completely different from what Ross did,” said Bell, who was not allowed to go to the championship race for the third time in a row.
“I slid into the wall and kept my foot on the gas. I guess that is a losing move,” Bell continued. “I didn’t intentionally slam into the wall—I just slipped into it and that’s all there is to it.”
Byron responded, “He rode the wall and there’s a clear rule against riding the wall. So in my eyes, that’s what counts. If it happened in the past, it was fair game. But now the rule is against it.”
Blaney, on the other hand, passed Hendrick driver Chase Elliott with 15 laps remaining to win at the Virginia track for the second year in a row. His victory last year helped him win his first Cup title.
The title will go to the highest-finishing driver next Sunday among Blaney, Byron, Logano, and Reddick.
“To have another shot at the championship is really special,” Blaney said. “Try to go back-to-back next week. I’ve got nothing left. Oh my God, I’m tired.”
Last week, Blaney missed an automatic spot in the final when Reddick passed him in the last turn at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His win gives team owner Roger Penske two chances to claim a third title this year, as Penske teams also won the sports car championships in IMSA and the World Endurance Championship on Saturday.
Blaney’s victory was the 100th for Team Penske since they teamed up with Ford. Logano won the title in 2022, Blaney took it in 2023, and now Penske has a chance at three Cup titles in a row.
“A lot of momentum. It’s nice to have two Penske cars in,” Blaney said. “It’s nice to join (Logano) and have a decent shot to bring Roger another title, a third title in a row, so these guys are the best at what they do and it’s been so much fun to get to run with them and share wins and championships.
“It’s super strong right now in our organization and hopefully it carries over.”
Elliott finished second at Martinsville, Kyle Larson was third, and Penske driver Austin Cindric came in fourth but was not eligible for the championship.
Denny Hamlin moved from last to fifth but was eliminated from the playoffs, and Byron was sixth, claiming the final spot in the championship field after Bell’s pass was ruled illegal. Bell ended up 22nd after spinning early in the race, but he had enough points to tie with Byron for the last championship spot.
Byron and Blaney are back in the championship race for the second year in a row; Logano is the only two-time champion in the field, and Reddick is making his first appearance in the title race.
The final group includes two Ford drivers, one Toyota driver, and a Chevrolet from Hendrick.
