NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron (24) during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

William Byron clinches NASCAR Championship 4 berth with clutch Martinsville win

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 6:13 PM ET

William Byron drove the best race of his NASCAR career when he needed to the most.

Needing a win to advance to the Championship 4 for the third year in a row, Byron won the pole, led 304 of 500 laps, swept the stages and won Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

It certainly wasn't an easy win for Byron, however. With Ryan Blaney leading late in Stage 3, Byron was forced to use the chrome horn to muscle Blaney — the winner of the last two Martinsville fall races — out of the way.

Despite a late caution, Byron drove away from Blaney on the final restart and held on to score his third win of 2025, his third win at Martinsville and the 16th victory of his Cup Series career in his 286th start.

He would not be denied today!

With his back against the wall, @WilliamByron meets the moment at @MartinsvilleSwy! pic.twitter.com/jrW6TTFvdK
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 26, 2025

"Things really have a way of working out," Byron told NBC Sports. "God really tests your resilience a lot of times. We've been tested. Just unbelievable."

Byron will join Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, who both suffered engine issues on Sunday, and Kyle Larson, who snagged the final Championship 4 berth over Christopher Bell, in the Championship 4.

Bell, Blaney, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott were eliminated from the Cup Series playoffs.

Notable Xfinity 500 results

Blaney, Elliott, Ross Chastain and Larson rounded out the top five, with Ryan Preece, Bell, Logano, Todd Gilliland and Josh Berry completing the top 10.

Other notable finishers include Tyler Reddick in 11th, Kyle Busch in 13th, Bubba Wallace in 18th, Brad Keselowski in 20th and Carson Hocevar in 31st.

Hamlin and Briscoe finished 35th and 37th, respectively.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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