Xfinity 500: Ryan Blaney wins controversial Martinsville race

For the second year in a row, Ryan Blaney earned a Grandfather Clock in a walk-off Martinsville win. (David Jensen | Getty Images)

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney had one goal, to win, and after 500 laps in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, the Team Penske driver did just that and locked himself into the Championship 4 for the second consecutive season

The driver of the No. 12 Discount Tire Ford was fast throughout the entire day, finishing inside the top five in both stages en route to Victory Lane in Virginia.

“I’m worn out, it’s hard,” Blaney said. “The last 70 or so laps I tried to save my rears the best I could because that’s where I started struggling later in the runs. I hated I had to lay the bumper to some guys, but I had to do it. It was nice to pass the 9 clean. I laid the bumper to a couple guys that I wish I didn’t have to, but I needed to get going, so it was a long night. I appreciate everybody for getting better through the night. Thank goodness. I think that’s the most tired I’ve been after a race in a long time.”

With just one spot remaining in the Cup Series Championship 4 after Blaney’s third victory of the 2024 season, controversy and chaos ensued in the closing laps. The battle for the final spot was between Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell.

Byron ran sixth and could not lose any more spots, or Bell would get the final spot. Luckily for Byron, Chevrolet teammates Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain ran side-by-side behind him for the final laps, which resulted in nobody getting by the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet.

Bell, on the other hand, made an aggressive move into Turn 3 on the final lap to get around a struggling Bubba Wallace, who complained that he had a tire going down two laps before. Then, Bell bounced off the wall and used part of the wall to remain ahead of the No. 23 Xfinity Toyota to get the final spot he needed.

After nearly half an hour of deliberation by NASCAR race officials, they decided that Byron would make the Championship 4 and Bell’s move was deemed a “safety violation” as he moved to the last car one lap down in 22nd place, missing out on the chance to compete for a championship.

Before knowing whether or not Bell’s move would cost him a spot in the Championship 4, here is what Byron had to say.

After finding out that he was racing for a championship, Byron was still conflicted about how it all ended.

“Yeah, I’ve never been a part of anything like this, so I don’t really know how to feel,” Byron said. “I hate it for everyone involved, but I’m happy for this No. 24 Liberty University Chevy team. I’m happy for us moving on, and we’ll go on and focus on Phoenix (Raceway).”

While the No. 24 team will celebrate, the No. 20 team was at a loss of words after the race.

“It was Martinsville, and it was a Round of 8 cutoff race,” Bell said. “Unfortunately, I was on the bad side of it. Made a lot of mistakes, ran a sloppy race. It is a shame that it comes down to a ball and strike call like that. You can look at both sides of the fence — the Chevy organization had a lot of blocking going on so that the 24 (Byron) didn’t lose positions. I slid into the wall and kept my foot into it. I guess that is a losing move.”

At the end of the day, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Blaney and Byron will all be fighting for a NASCAR Cup Series title at Phoenix Raceway next Sunday.

Here are the results from the 2024 Xfinity 500:

Other Race Facts

Toward the end of the race, there were multiple drivers that needed to win in order to advance to the Championship 4 besides defending series champion Ryan Blaney. Those drivers were Chase Elliott (second), Kyle Larson (third) and Denny Hamlin (fifth).

Unfortunately for them, despite each playoff driver in this group having great days and seasons,  all three were eliminated from the postseason.

After the race, NBC Sports played some audio from the No. 3 team of Austin Dillon as they were one of the Chevrolets that stayed behind Byron and did not make a pass.

At this point, it is uncertain if the No. 3 team was referring to assisting Byron and ensuring nobody got past him. As of Sunday, NASCAR had not investigated this incident, but it seems there will be a further investigation into the statements made over the next few days.

Shane van Gisbergen, who was seemingly at least one lap down throughout the Xfinity 500, managed to finish on the lead lap in 12th-place finish in his first Cup Series start at Martinsville.