The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship will come down to a final showdown between two powerhouses—Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. The Championship 4 is now set: William Byron, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Briscoe will fight it out in Phoenix for the big shiny thing that makes all the noise worth it.
And at Martinsville, Byron made absolutely sure he’d be in the mix. If Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway proved anything, it’s that William Byron has this place figured out. He didn’t just win—he dismantled the field, swept the stages, led the most laps, and casually denied Ryan Blaney his shot at another title. It was his third win of 2025, his third Martinsville victory, and his third straight ticket to the Championship 4. Three really is the magic number—at least if your name’s William Byron.
“No. Damn, I got a lot to say,” Byron said with a grin in Victory Lane when asked if there could’ve been a better spot for his first-ever walk-off win. “Things have a way of working out. God really tests your resilience a lot of times. We’ve been tested. Just unbelievable. I’m out of breath. Thank you, fans, for coming out—bad-ass crowd. I watched my first NASCAR race up there just before start/finish line. Man, I am just so thankful.”
Byron’s weekend couldn’t have been scripted better by Hollywood. He bagged the pole on Saturday, then on Sunday launched from the line like he’d been fired out of a railgun. Ty Gibbs stumbled, nearly stuffed it into the wall, and Kyle Larson swooped in to take second. Chase Elliott, in full must-win desperation mode, came charging from seventh to third by lap 25, a man clearly unwilling to go quietly.
Things looked settled until lap 28, when Daniel Suárez—fresh off a heroic climb of 11 spots—was turned by Bubba Wallace. The leaders pitted, and Michael McDowell’s crew rolled the dice with a two-tire call. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work. Byron retook the lead two laps later and vanished into the distance, while Elliott’s slow stop dropped him to seventh before he clawed his way back to third by lap 49. Meanwhile, Joey Logano and Blaney were starting their own desperate climb from the depths.
By the time Byron took the Stage 1 flag, only 14 cars were on the lead lap. McDowell’s gamble? He was 32nd, two laps down, and wondering why he’d bothered.
Stage 2 began much the same way—with Byron effortlessly leading and the rest of the field chasing shadows. Elliott fought his way forward again, while Blaney radioed that he was “just chillin’,” which is exactly what you say when you’re hanging on by the skin of your Goodyears. Lapped traffic made things spicy for Byron, with Logano briefly sniffing at the lead around lap 200 before Larson muscled past him like he was tired of waiting in line.
Things stayed tidy until lap 216, when Carson Hocevar spun, bringing out the third caution. Everyone piled in for tires, and Byron’s pit crew nailed it yet again. A few laps later, another spin from Cole Custer, then a lost wheel from Cody Ware, because of course. Through all of it, Byron just kept doing Byron things—leading, winning Stage 2, sweeping both like he was born to do this.
Then came the final stage, and Blaney finally showed up to the party. He muscled past Tyler Reddick for the lead, and for the first time all afternoon, Byron found himself behind someone else’s exhaust pipe. For about five minutes. Then chaos resumed—three-wide scrapping, a few more spins, and a pair of engines that called it quits: first Briscoe’s Toyota, then Denny Hamlin’s. Two of the Championship 4 drivers, both blown up, both out. It was like the NASCAR gods had turned bloodthirsty.
Byron and Blaney suddenly found themselves in a straight-up duel for the final Championship 4 spot. Blaney pitted earlier, his tires fading by lap 370, and when Erik Jones spun on lap 378, it reset everything. The caution proved perfectly timed for Byron, who retook the advantage after pit stops.
The green flag flew again with 112 laps left, and the crowd could feel it—two heavyweights trading blows. Byron chased, Blaney defended, and with 44 laps to go, Byron did what you do at Martinsville: he used the bumper. A little nudge, a bit of wiggle, and Blaney slid just enough. Byron was back in front.
One last caution came when Hocevar spun again—because apparently, he enjoys it—and both Byron and Blaney pitted. Byron’s crew was flawless one final time, winning the race off pit road. Fifteen laps to go. Game on.
When it was over, Byron crossed the line after leading 304 of 500 laps, sweeping the stages, and utterly dominating.
“We just worked so hard—everybody puts everything into Sundays, and sometimes you don’t get anything in return,” Byron said. “That’s been the last couple weeks. But you just have to keep being resilient. We were. It just feels damn good.”
Blaney had nothing left, finishing second, .717 seconds behind. Larson brought it home fifth to lock himself into Phoenix.
“What a performance by William,” Larson said afterward. “I think when the 12 gained control of the race, it was going to be hard for anybody to beat him. William did a great job on the restarts, just kept positioning himself, was good enough to get by him on that long run. I’m proud of our team and Hendrick Motorsports. To put two cars in the Championship 4 is awesome.”
Bell tried but could only manage seventh. Behind them came Ryan Preece, Logano, Gilliland, and Berry, all just trying to catch their breath after 500 laps of insanity.
And so, it all comes down to one final race — Phoenix Raceway.
Four drivers, two teams, and one trophy that could define a season. For William Byron, it’s another chance to finish what he’s started three times before. For Hamlin, it’s one more shot at a title that’s eluded him for two decades. For Briscoe, it’s the dream season come to life. And for Larson, it’s the chance to remind everyone why he’s never far from the conversation.
But at Martinsville, the story was simple: Willy B. dominated, Blaney fought like hell, and the rest were left to wonder how one man made one of NASCAR’s toughest tracks look like a Sunday cruise.
Third win, third Martinsville trophy, third straight Championship 4. Apparently, the third time really is the charm.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
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