MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Four Cup Series drivers entered Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway knowing they needed nearly flawless performances over 500 laps to even keep their championship hopes alive. Instead, Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney all saw their title aspirations dashed, with none able to do enough to remain mathematically eligible for the cchampionship heading into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
In a race where the three primary championship contenders all endured adversity, none of their fellow title hopefuls could capitalize on the opportunity. Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin each experienced turbulent afternoons in the Xfinity 500, but the top five in the final running order consisted entirely of drivers who had either already been eliminated from The Chase presented by Mobil 1 or failed to qualify for the postseason altogether.
Blaney was the first driver to see his championship hopes officially come to an end. While battling Team Penske affiliate teammate Josh Berry, the No. 12 Ford made contact with the rear of Berry’s car exiting Turn 4, damaging the radiator and forcing Blaney to the garage. The 2023 champion eventually returned to the track but lost 57 laps in the process and was relegated to a 35th-place finish.
“[Berry] decided to slam on the brakes and end our day,” a frustrated Blaney told USA Sports. “Don’t really know why after a tiny little bit of contact, not even on purpose. Lost his mind and ended our day.”
Meanwhile, Briscoe entered the race 79 points behind the championship lead but failed to score a single stage point. James Small, leader of the No. 19 team, rolled the dice on multiple occasions, making several strategic gambles in hopes of gaining track position by staying out longer than his competition. None of those moves paid off, as Briscoe settled for a 14th-place finish and lost another five points to Larson, officially ending his bid for the Bill France Cup.
“Obviously, I want to be the champion but coming into today, being where we were at, we knew it was going to take something special,” Briscoe told Jayski.com. “Even after the first stage, I knew my chances were probably pretty slim.
“We were always so far behind from the get go with all the mishaps and everything else that when we got within 20 points, you are like, ‘alright, this might actually happen.’ I’ve given up so many points in these nine weeks – we just have to be better for next year.”
Reddick recorded the best finish among the eliminated drivers, coming home 12th, but was largely a nonfactor throughout the afternoon at one of his weakest tracks. The No. 45 team fought to salvage its afternoon and managed to leapfrog Blaney in the standings, moving up to sixth.
Despite being guaranteed to lead the league in race wins in 2026, Reddick leaves Martinsville disappointed with how the afternoon – and season – unfolded. Five of his six checkered flags came within the opening nine races of the campaign, but the 23XI Racing driver knows the organization must find another level heading into next season.
“We’ve got to be better,” Reddick added. “We won six races, but it didn’t mean much. We’re here because the issues we had in the regular season showed up again in The Chase.
“Winning races is great but I’m in the 45 to go contend for championships. Winning races is what you should do on good days, but when we’ve been off, it’s killed us, really.”
Logano’s chances of capturing his fourth short-track victory of the 2026 season unraveled on pit road. A loose left-front tire and a wedge wrench left in the rear window, prompting a No. 22 team member to tumble down pit road, proved costly on separate pit stops. The two miscues sent Logano two laps down, resulting in an 18th-place finish. Despite the setbacks, he remains fifth in the standings, 103 points behind Larson.
“We just shot ourselves in the foot on pit road the last few races,” Paul Wolfe, crew chief of the No. 22 team told Jayski.com. “We were in position to win Phoenix – we knew that was a must win and we gave that one away, in my eyes. Today, we were in contention to win – I’m not going to say we were going to win – but we were top three when we had the issue on pit road. A lot of work to do on pit road as a company. Just can’t give races away like that, especially when other guys are having issues and not running well.
“We had good speed in our cars throughout The Chase. We made gains throughout the year.”
The championship battle is now down to three drivers, with Larson firmly in control of his title destiny. He needs just nine points at Homestead to secure his third Cup Series championship — and second consecutive crown — regardless of how Bell or Hamlin perform.