TC Daily Pit Stop: William Byron Rises to The Occasion to Earn Championship 4 Berth with Martinsville Victory; Blaney Falls Short

TC Daily Pit Stop: Monday, October 27, 2025

Oct 27, 2025

After back-to-back rough, disasterous weekends at Las Vegas and Talladega, William Byron was well aware that winning Sunday’s XFINITY 500 at Martinsville Speedway was going to be his only opportunity to make the Championship 4 for a third straight year.

So, in a gutsy performance that could very well be considered of championship caliber, Byron rose to the occasion and made something incredible happen on Sunday, putting his No. 24 Cincinnati, Inc. Chevrolet in Victory Lane for the third time in his career at Martinsville — but for the first time in the racetrack’s October event.

This wasn’t just another victory, though. It was a decision one. The Charlotte, North Carolina-native spent 304 of 500 laps pacing the NASCAR Cup Series field on Sunday, winning the event from the pole position.

It’s the first time since the Spring of 2013 that a NASCAR Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway has been won from the pole position, and just the second time in the track’s last seven events the race has been won from a top-10 starting spot.

Blaney, Team Penske Run Out of Magic in Spirited Drive at Martinsville

Oct 26, 2025; Martinsville, Virginia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) leads during stage three of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. — Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

There will be no fourth consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championship for Team Penske as the storied organization’s magical run came to an end in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Ryan Blaney, the 2023 series champion, and Joey Logano, the three-time and defending series champion, were eliminated from Playoff contention after recording finishes of second and eighth, respectively.

While Blaney failed to score his third consecutive win in the fall race at Martinsville, the driver rallied from a 31st-place starting spot to lead 177 laps, and he went down swinging in a second-place finish to William Byron.

Blaney’s impassioned charge from the back of the field to the front opened a lot of eyes, including those of Jeff Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion driver and current Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.