Even though Ryan Blaney won the 2024 Xfinity 500, the chaos behind him took center stage when the checkered flag was waved at Martinsville Speedway. William Byron and Christopher Bell stood silently next to their cars, waiting for NASCAR’s verdict after a dramatic last lap saw both drivers tied for points in the playoff standings. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was expected to go through until the sanctioning body charged him with a ‘safety violation’ for riding the wall, relegating him to 22nd place.
Despite three Hendrick Motorsports drivers being in contention during the Round of Eight, Byron was the only driver to make it to Championship 4. The outcome at Martinsville fell below NASCAR’s most successful team’s expectations, which might prove to be an additional source of motivation for the No. 24 Chevy driver at Phoenix Raceway.
William Byron expresses gratitude towards NASCAR
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Even though William Byron made it to Championship 4 for the second year in a row, the 26-year-old found it hard to celebrate the milestone after the penultimate race of the season. Christopher Bell has been one of the most consistent performers in the Cup Series this season and to see a playoff spot snatched from his grasp wasn’t a pretty sight, even though NASCAR’s rules made the outcome inevitable. Both the drivers were made to wait nearly half an hour for a verdict, with cameras focused on their reactions after the sanctioning body finally announced its ruling. Given the circumstances, the HMS driver chose to handle the situation sensitively.
Speaking to Frontstretch’s Michael Massie after the race, William Byron said, “I have a hard time feeling happy in this situation but we just raced as hard as we could, and you know, race within the rules and everything like that.”
When asked about being made to wait for the verdict, the North Carolina native went on to say, “I’ve never been through anything like that. Definitely some drama from that for sure because I usually get to go home by now. Just don’t really know what to think about all that but thankful that NASCAR looked at it, they have rules in place and that’s what it is.”
via Getty INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JULY 19: William Byron, driver of the #24 Valvoline Chevrolet, walks the garage area to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 19, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Going into Martinsville, Byron was just above the cutline, seven points separating him from teammate Kyle Larson in the driver standings. The No. 24 Chevy driver knew he would need to pull off a clutch performance, and that’s exactly what he did at the Xfinity 500. Not only did he run inside the top 10 throughout the race, he finished second at the end of Stage 1 and fifth when Stage 2 concluded, securing 15 points in the process.
Ahead of the playoffs, few would have predicted that William Byron would be the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to make it to Championship 4, especially in the presence of established veterans such as Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. However, his chances of success at Martinsville Speedway were always high, having won on the short track earlier this year. Sharing his expectations from the winner-takes-all fixture at Phoenix Raceway, the driver said, “I know we’ll bring a bullet there.”
Christopher Bell congratulates Byron despite playoff heartbreak
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It wasn’t the result Christopher Bell wanted. With Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick already locked in the Championship 4, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was the favorite to follow suit. Going into the 2024 Xfinity 500, the driver had a comfortable 29-point cushion and all he needed was a respectable finish to remain in title contention at Phoenix Raceway for the third time in three seasons. However, his race couldn’t have gone worse than it did.
Christopher Bell finished 16th in qualifying, thirteen spots behind William Byron, and struggled to make passes at Martinsville Speedway‘s iconic short track. As a result, he secured 5 stage points while his playoff rivals capitalized on their opportunities. With desperation creeping in, Bell rode the wall in the final lap, which forced him to go from 18th to 22nd on the grid because of NASCAR’s ruling, eliminating his championship hopes in one swift move.
Despite the disheartening outcome, the Oklahoman showed good sportsmanship towards William Byron by saying, “That’s not how I wanted it to go but congratulations. Go get them next week.” Having finished fourth at Pheonix Raceway last year, the Hendrick Motorsports driver will hope to do even better this time around, despite the playoffs being full of superstars such as Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Tyler Reddick.
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As the only Chevy driver in the winner-takes-all race, will Byron rise to the occasion or wilt under pressure?