William Byron makes championship field with 11th-hour win at Martinsville: With a heroic, gloves-off drive on Sunday in the crucible that is Martinsville Speedway, William Byron earned a shot at the NASCAR Cup Series title and simultaneously saved the rest of the Championship 4 field from its worst nightmare.[Read More]
Martinsville drama sets up heavyweight matchup between Hendrick and Gibbs in Championship: A pair of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas and a pair of Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets will vie for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship next Sunday at Phoenix Raceway – the four-team title card settled in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway which certainly delivered the drama – again – in deciding which four drivers earned the chance to race for the big trophy.[Read More]
#24-William Byron won the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway lock himself into the Championship race at Phoenix. The win is his third win of the year, third at Martinsville and 16th career win.
#12-Ryan Blaney finished 2nd followed by #9-Chase Elliott, #1-Ross Chastain, #5-Kyle Larson, #60-Ryan Preece, #20-Christopher Bell, #22-Joey Logano, #34-Todd Gilliland, and #21-Josh Berry
Byron started from the pole, and dominated the early portion of the race, winning the first two stages. Blaney was his only challenger on the day leading 177 laps, but Byron took the lead with 43 laps remaining and held the lead through a late race caution and pit stops. He won the race by .7 seconds.
Advancing to the Championship race next weekend at Phoenix: #5-Kyle Larson, #11-Denny Hamlin, #19-Chase Briscoe, #24-William Byron
Eliminated from the playoffs: #9-Chase Elliott, #12-Ryan Blaney, #20-Christopher Bell, #22-Joey Logano.
The fastest lap bonus a earned by #24-William Byron.
There were 7 lead changes among 5 drivers and 10 cautions for 78 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 73.744mph.
See race details at: Race Results, Driver Points Standings, Driver Points Standings Before Reset, Owner Points Standings, Owner Points Standings Before Reset, Cumulative Report, Penalty Report.
Where the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers finished at Martinsville:
#24-William Byron, 1st
#12-Ryan Blaney, 2nd
#9-Chase Elliott, 3rd
#5-Kyle Larson, 5th
#20-Christopher Bell, 7th
#22-Joey Logano, 8th
#11-Denny Hamlin, 35th
#19-Chase Briscoe, 37th
Race Fast Facts – Martinsville:
William Byron (P) won the Xfinity 500, his 16th victory in 287 Cup Series races.
This is his third victory and 16th top-10 finish in 2025.
This is his third victory and ninth top-10 finish in 16 races at Martinsville Speedway.
Ryan Blaney (P) (second) posted his 13th top-10 finish in 20 races at Martinsville Speedway. It is his 18th top-10 finish in 2025.
Chase Elliott (P) (third) posted his 14th top-10 finish in 21 races at Martinsville Speedway.
Shane Van Gisbergen (14th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Larson (P) leads the point standings by 7 points over Christopher Bell (P).
(NASCAR)
Reseeded Cup Series Playoff Standings after Martinsville:
1) #19-Chase Briscoe, 5000
2) #11-Denny Hamlin, 5000
3) #24-William Byron, 5000
4) #5-Kyle Larson, 5000
See the Driver Points Standings and Owner Points Standings.
Cup Series Playoff Standings after Martinsville:
Race 35 of 36 in the season
Race 9 of 10 in the Playoffs
Race 3 of 3 in the Round of 8
1) #24-William Byron [win in Round of 8], 4131
2) #19-Chase Briscoe [win in Round of 8], 4122
3) #11-Denny Hamlin [win in Round of 8], 4110
4) #5-Kyle Larson, 4155, +7
Below the Championship Round cutoff
3) #20-Christopher Bell, 4148, -7
6) #22-Joey Logano, 4106, -49
7) #12-Ryan Blaney, 4098, -57
8) #9-Chase Elliott, 4092, -63
See the Driver Points Standings Before Reset and Owner Points Standings Before Reset.
Race updates:
Checkered flag for Byron. He starts from the pole and wins to lock himself into the championship race. Blaney finishes seconds. Larson finishes 5th to take the final championship spot. Eliminated from the playoffs: Elliott, Blaney, Bell, Logano.
White flag for Byron.
Lap 498 – Byron in control with three to go.
Lap 494 – Seven to go. Byron out to a half second lead.
Lap 491 – Ten to go. Byron got a good restart and leads Blaney by .3 second.
Lap 490 – Green flag with 11 laps remaining.
Lap 485 – Pit road is open. All lead lap driver come down for tires and fuel. Off pit road: Byron, Blaney, Chastain, Elliott, Larson, Berry. Gilliland, Logano, Preece, Bell.
Lap 483 – CAUTION is out for Hocevar up against the outside wall in turn 4.
Lap 479 – Byron has pulled out to a .8 second lead over Blaney. Third place Preece has fallen 4.6 seconds off the lead.
Lap 471 – Thirty laps to do. Without a caution or something unusual it’s going to come down to a battle between Byron and Blaney for the win and a spot in the championship race.
Lap 464 – The leaders are still working through traffic. Byron is .23 second ahead of Blaney. Third place Preece is nearly 4 seconds back.
Lap 461 – Byron with a .3 second lead with 40 to go.
Lap 458 – Byron takes the lead from Blaney after they make contact in the corner.
Lap 451 – Fifty laps remaining. Blaney leads Byron by .37 second. Elliott is 6th, Larson 7th, Logano 10th, Bell 12th.
Lap 439 – Blaney is no catching the back of the field.
Lap 437 – Blaney’s lead over Byron is pretty steady at .7 second. Third place Chastain is 2.7 seconds back.
Lap 418 – Blaney has a .6 second lead over Byron. Chastain, Berry and Elliott round out the top 5.
Lap 412 – Three hours have elapsed since the start of the race.
Lap 409 – Jones goes to garage with front end damage.
Lap 405 – Back to green with 96 laps remaining. Blaney leads Byron, Chastain, Berry, Gilliland, Custer, Preece, Elliott, Larson and SVG. Bell and Logano restart 12th and 13th.
Lap 401 -Bell and Logano pit. Most of the leaders stay out.
Lap 399 – CAUTION for a spin by Hocevar.
Lap 390 – Green flag with 111 laps to go.
Lap 377 – It’s now Blaney, Byron, Chastain, Gilliland, Berry, Custer, Preece, Elliott, SVG, and Larson in the top 10. Bell is 11th, Logano 13th.
Lap 384 – Pit road is open. Drivers are in that had not pitted.
Lap 379 – CAUTION comes out during pit stops because of a spin by Jones in turn 4. Chastain leads Gilliland but they have not pitted.
Lap 377 – Blaney pits from the lead. Byron follows him in.
Lap 374 – Logano and Elliott pit. and other stops kick off.
Lap 367 – Byron is closing on Blaney for the lead, now .8 second back.
Lap 360 – Hamlin and Herbst are officially out with engine failures. Hamlin will finished 35th.
Lap 358 – Blaney leads Byron by 1.6 seconds. Third place Preece is 4.7 seconds back.
Lap 340 – Blaney leads Byron, Elliott, Bell, Preece, Logano, Cindric, Larson, Gibbs and Chastain.
Lap 336 – Byron is up to second, as Hamlin also has an engine issue and goes to the garage.
Lap 330 – There are 18 drivers on the lead lap. Blaney is working his way through lap traffic. Hamlin remains second, Byron is up to third. Herbst has cone to the garage with a possible engine issue.
Lap 320 – Blaney is 1.75 second ahead of Hamlin.
Lap 314 – Briscoe is officially out of the race with an engine failure. He will finish 37th.
Lap 301 – Blaney still leads. Briscoe takes his car to the garage.
Lap 296 – Briscoe comes to pit road with a possible engine issue.
Lap 293 – Blaney now leads Hamlin, Logano, Byron and Reddick.
Lap 287 – Back to green. Blaney, Reddick, Hamlin, Logano, Gibbs, Byron, Elliott, Cindric, Bell, Larson the top 10.
Lap 280 – CAUTION for a spin by Berry.
Lap 275 – Blaney takes the lead from Reddick.
Lap 274 – Two hours have elapsed since the start of the race.
Lap 272 – Back to green for the start of the final stage. 229 laps remaining. Reddick leads Blaney, Hamlin, Logano, Gibbs, Cindric, Byron, Larson, Elliott, Bell.
Lap 265 – Pit road is open. Those that stayed out under the last caution pit. Off pit road: Byron, Larson, Elliott, Bell, Gilliland, Briscoe. Reddick is now the leader over Blaney, Hamlin, Logano and Gibbs.
Lap 261 – CAUTION for the end of stage 2. Byron wins it over Larson, Bell, Elliott, Gilliland, Briscoe, Preece, SVG, Reddick and Jones.
Lap 251 – The race is halfway complete in 1 hour, 46 minutes, 45 seconds.
Lap 250 – Back to green with 11 laps left in stage 2. Byron, Larson, Elliott, Bell, Gilliland, Briscoe, Preece, SVG, Reddick and Jones the top 10.
Lap 245 – Pit road is open. A mix of strategies. Among those pitting: Blaney, Logano, Hamlin, Cindric. Byron, Larson, Elliott, Bell among those that stay out.
Lap 242 – CAUTION is back out again. This time for a spin by Ware. He has also lost the right rear wheel.
Lap 240 – Blaney to second.
Lap 238 – Back to green. Byron, Blaney, Larson, Elliott, Logano the top 5.
Lap 234 – Pit road is open. Leaders stay out. Drivers that took the wave around during the last caution do come in.
Lap 230 – CAUTION is back out for a spin by Custer.
Lap 224 – Back to green. 37 laps remaining in stage 2.
Lap 219 – Pit road is open. Leaders come back in for service. Off pit road: Byron, Larson, Logano, Elliott, Gibbs, Blaney, Hamlin, Bell.
Lap 216 – CAUTION is out for a spin by Hocevar.
Lap 209 – Larson gets around Logano for second. Elliott remains 4th and Gibbs 5th.
Lap 201 – Byron still with a 1 second lead over Logano. There are 14 drivers on the lead lap, including all the playoff drivers.
Lap 178 – Byron leads Logano by 1 second. Larson is 1.4 second back with Elliott 2 seconds off the lead.
Lap 150 – Blaney reports a vibration when on the brake. He asks the crew if the wheels are tight.
Lap 149 – One hour has elapsed since the start of the race.
Lap 142 – Back to green for the start of the second stage.
Lap 135 – Pit road is open. Leaders are in. Off pit road: Byron, Logano, Larson, Elliott, Gibbs, Hamlin, Blaney, Bell, Cindric, Preece.
Lap 131 – CAUTION out for the end of stage 1. Byron wins it over Logano, Larson, Elliott, Gibbs, Hamlin, Blaney, Bell, Gilliland, and Cindric. There are 14 cars on the lead lap. Reddick will get the free pass.
Lap 125 – Logano passes Larson for second.
Lap 121 – Ten laps remaining in stage 1. Byron still leads. Down to 16 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 106 – Byron is two seconds ahead of Larson. Blaney is still the lowest playoff driver, but its now up to 11th place.
Lap 81 – Fifty laps remaining in stage 1. Bryon leads Larson, Elliott, Logano, Gibbs, Hamlin, Bell, Gilliland, Cindric, and Custer. Briscoe is 11th, Blaney is 15th. Herbst makes and unscheduled pit stop.
Lap 52 – Byron back to a .5 second lead over Larson. Then Elliott, Logano, and Gibbs. Blaney is the lowest running playoff driver, in 20th.
Lap 36 – Back to green.
Lap 31 – Pit road is open. Everyone comes in. Off pit road: McDowell, Byron, Larson, Gibbs, Hamlin, Logano, Elliott, Custer, Bell. McDowell only took 2 tires.
Lap 29 – CAUTION for a near spin by Suarez in turn 2.
Lap 16 – Byron leads Larson by .5 second. Gibbs, Logano, and Hamlin follow.
Lap 2 – Bryon leads the first lap. Larson to second.
• 2:16pm/et – Green flag for Byron and Gibbs (and everyone else).
• 2:08pm/et – Engines fired.
• 2:00pm/et – Pre-race ceremonies are underway.
• 1:30pm/et – NBC now has pre-race coverage.
• 1:15pm/et – Just about an hour to the green flag. Still no cars to the rear.
• As of the close of the garage Saturday night, there were no drivers falling to the rear for the start of the race.
• The weather forecast looks good for today. The National Service says virtually no chance of rain, high 61 degrees.
Race details:
Broadcast: NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 500 laps / 263 miles
Stages: 130 / 260 / 500
Average time of race: 3:27:31
Pit road speed: 30 mph
Caution car speed: 35 mph
Fuel Window: 175 laps
Timing (all times local & subject to change)
Invocation: 2:00:20 p.m.
National Anthem: 2:01:00 p.m.
Command: 2:08:00 p.m.
Green Flag: 2:17:00 p.m.
Paint Schemes
Cars to the rear: none reported
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway have been made.
Pole winner #24-William Byron chose pit stall 1.
Outside pole sitter #54-Ty Gibbs took the 15th stall, with an opening in front of it.
See all pit choices on the Martinsville Pit Stall page.
#24-William Byron won the Busch pole for the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway with a speed of 98.185mph for his third pole of the year, first at Martinsville and 16th of his career.
#54-Ty Gibbs will start second followed by #5-Kyle Larson, #22-Joey Logano, #11-Denny Hamlin, #41-Cole Custer, #8-Kyle Busch, #9-Chase Elliott, #19-Chase Briscoe, and #2-Austin Cindric.
Playoff drivers starting outside the top 10: #20-Christopher Bell 12th, #12-Ryan Blaney 31st.
See the complete qualifying results and the Xfinity 500 Starting Lineup.
Where the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers start at Martinsville:
#24-William Byron, 1st
#5-Kyle Larson, 3rd
#22-Joey Logano, 4th
#11-Denny Hamlin, 5th
#9-Chase Elliott, 8th
#19-Chase Briscoe, 9th
#20-Christopher Bell, 12th
#12-Ryan Blaney, 31th
Martinsville – Qualifying Fast Facts:
William Byron (P) won the Pole Award for the Xfinity 500 with a lap of 19.286 seconds, 98.185 mph.
This is his 16th pole in 287 NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his third pole and 22nd top-10 start in 2025.
This is his first pole in 16 races at Martinsville Speedway.
Ty Gibbs (second) posted his 17th top-10 start of 2025 and his third in seven races at Martinsville Speedway.
Kyle Larson (P) (third) posted his 14th top-10 start at Martinsville Speedway. It is his 18th in 35 races this season.
Shane Van Gisbergen (22nd) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR)
Qualifying Order
Pre-race inspection in the NASCAR Cup Series garage is complete. There were no multiple failures.
Practice for the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is over. The results:
#9- Chase Elliott 95.796
#11-Denny Hamlin 95.791
#54-Ty Gibbs 95.781
#23-Bubba Wallace 95.737
#5-Kyle Larson 95.728
Slowest: #66-Casey Mears, 93.092mph.
Most laps run: #7-Justin Haley, 67 laps.
Best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 36 drivers): #5-Kyle Larson, 95.343mph.
Notes: The top five drivers were all in the group B practice session.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Xfinity 500 Practice speeds page.
Crew Rosters
The entry list for the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is posted, 37 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
#66-Casey Mears is the only open driver competing.
See the full entry list on the Xfinity 500 Entry List page.
Goodyear Fast Facts — Martinsville: NASCAR Cup Series teams will pair a new left-side Goodyear Racing Eagle tire with a familiar right-side tire at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. The new left-side tire, which is designed for more fall-off than its predecessor, will make its race debut at Martinsville having been tested earlier this year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The right-side tire has been used five times this year, including the spring race at Martinsville and most recently at New Hampshire in September.
NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – Martinsville Speedway:
- The current Playoff field won all seven Next Gen races at Martinsville.
- William Byron and Ryan Blaney won four of the seven Next Gen races at Martinsville.
- Seven of the eight Playoff drivers have won at Martinsville, all but Chase Briscoe.
- The six remaining Playoff drivers not locked into the Championship 4 are all Martinsville winners with a combined eight wins there.
- A Playoff eligible driver ranked 4th or worse in the Playoff standings won 5 of the last 8 Playoff Martinsville races.
- One driver that was below the cutline entering the final Round of 8 race moved on to the Championship Four in five of the last six seasons – four of them were more than 20 points back entering the final race.
- See much more
Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Xfinity 500: A look at some of the top statistical performers at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, going into the Xfinity 500 on Sunday.
Race rules and information:
