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Ryan Blaney earns redemptive Cup victory at Martinsville; William Byron Awarded Final Championship 4 Berth

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Amid a whirlwind of emotions among the remaining playoff contenders battling for the final two Championship 4 spots, Ryan Blaney emerged triumphant with a thrilling late-race victory in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, November 3. This hard-fought win not only brought him a sense of elation and redemption but also secured his place in the championship fight for the final race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The reigning Cup Series champion from High Point, North Carolina, led three times for 32 of the 500-scheduled laps after starting in 14th place and methodically marching up the leaderboard. He then racked up six crucial stage points by finishing fifth following the first stage period. Blaney would then lead his first 16 laps and accumulate an additional nine stage points during the second stage period where he finished second behind Brad Keselowski. He also survived the stage’s four caution periods and executing a pit strategy for track position towards the front in the closing stages of the second stage.

Blaney restarted in the top 10 for the start of the final stage period with 230 laps remaining and spent the majority of the period racing toward the front. He endured back-to-back restarts amid back-to-back cautions within the final 100 laps and used the final restart period with 87 laps remaining to march his way to the front.

After outdueling Playoff contender Chase Elliott for the lead with 14 laps remaining, Blaney stormed away and cruised to his third checkered flag of the 2024 Cup Series season. The victory all but punched Blaney’s ticket back to the Championship 4 round and awarded him an opportunity to defend his series title against teammate Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and William Byron. Byron was awarded the final Playoff berth after Christopher Bell’s Playoff berth was revoked due to “wall-riding” the final corner that initially enabled him to gain the final upper hand to the finale.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, November 2, Martin Truex Jr., the fastest competitor during the event’s practice session on Saturday, notched his first Cup pole position of the 2024 season in his penultimate start as a full-time competitor with a pole-winning lap at 96.190 mph in 19.686 seconds. Joining Truex on the front row was Playoff contender Chase Elliott, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 95.840 mph in 19.758 seconds.

Before the event, the following names that included Austin Cindric, Corey LaJoie and Playoff contender Denny Hamlin dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries. By then, Hamlin was already scheduled to start in 37th place, dead last, after he opted not to qualify due to repairs made to his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota entry after he crashed due to a stuck throttle during Saturday’s practice session.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Martin Truex Jr. rocketed his No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry XSE ahead from the inside lane through the frontstretch as he led the field through the first two turns and the backstretch. As the field behind jostled for early spots through two stacked lanes, Truex cycled back to the frontstretch and led the first lap while Chase Elliott maintained the runner-up spot ahead of Playoff teammate William Byron, Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe.

Over the next four laps, Truex maintained a steady advantage over Elliott despite getting bumped by the latter through every corner. Behind, Byron retained third place ahead of Gibbs and Briscoe while Ryan Preece, Harrison Burton, Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and Playoff contender Kyle Larson followed suit in the top 10.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Truex was leading by four-tenths of a second over Elliott while Byron, Gibbs, Briscoe, Preece, Burton, Bowman, Austin Dillon and Larson continued to follow suit in the top 10. With three of eight Playoff contenders racing in the top 10 on the track in the event’s early stages, Playoff contender Ryan Blaney was mired in 11th place while his Playoff teammate Joey Logano was in 13th place ahead of Playoff contender Christopher Bell. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin was mired in 34th place as he was racing behind Playoff contender and his 23XI Racing competitor Tyler Reddick.

Fifteen laps later, Truex stabilized his advantage to seven-tenths of a second over Elliott while third-place Byron trailed by more than a second. With Briscoe and Preece racing in the top five, Larson retained 10th place ahead of Blaney while Logano and Bell retained 13th and 14th, respectively. Towards the rear of the field, Hamlin was up to 31st place while Reddick was back in 34th place.

Another 10 laps later, Truex, who was navigating his way through lapped traffic, continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over runner-up Elliott and by more than a second over third-place Byron. Behind, Blaney and Larson swapped spots as Blaney was in 10th place while Logano and Bell remained in 13th and 14th, respectively. Meanwhile, Hamlin cracked the top-30 mark as he was in 30th place while Reddick was strapped in 34th place.

Then on Lap 41, Elliott and Truex dueled for the lead, starting from the first two turns, as Elliott made his move beneath Truex. After dueling with him through the backstretch, Elliott then muscled his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 past Truex for the lead through Turns 3 and 4 as he assumed the lead for the following lap. With Elliott leading, Truex retained second over Byron as Briscoe and Preece started to close in.

At the Lap 50 mark, Elliott slightly grew his lead by four-tenths of a second over Truex while teammate Byron trailed in third place by more than a second. As Briscoe and Preece followed suit in the top five, Blaney made his way up to eighth place while Larson was in 11th place. With Logano and Bell remaining in the top 15, Hamlin was up to 28th place while Reddick, who was lapped, retained 34th place.

Ten laps later, Byron, who overtook Truex for the runner-up spot three laps earlier, was racing in second place in his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as he trailed teammate Elliott by one-and-a-half seconds. As both Briscoe and Preece overtook Truex to move up to third and fourth, respectively, Hamlin, who was still racing in the top five, was up to 27th place and he would proceed to overtake Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for 26th place during the following lap.

On Lap 65, Truex pitted his No. 19 Toyota under green from fifth place. By then, Reddick had also pitted despite losing two laps as Elliott stretched his lead to more than three seconds over teammate Byron. Not long after, Truex was assessed a drive-through penalty for driving too fast while entering pit road prior to his pit service. As Hamlin marched his way up to 23rd place behind Erik Jones on the track, Elliott stabilized his lead to two seconds over Byron at the Lap 75 mark as both Kyle Busch and Chris Buescher pitted under green.

Shortly after, the event’s first caution period flew when Playoff contender Christopher Bell made contact with Corey LaJoie in between Turns 1 and 2 as both spun through the turns, though both managed to continue without sustaining any significant damage to their respective cars. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Eliott pitted for a first round of pit service. Following the pit stops and amid mixed strategies, Elliott exited pit road first ahead of teammate Byron as Briscoe, Preece, Todd Gilliland, Blaney, Bowman, Ty Gibbs, Larson and Joey Logano followed suit in the top 10.

When the race restarted under green on Lap 85, teammates Elliott and Byron dueled for the lead for a full lap as Byron led the next lap by a fender from the outside lane. Elliott would continue to duel with Byron during the next lap until he used the inside lane to motor ahead of Byron through the frontstretch and have both lanes under his control. With Elliott leading Byron, Briscoe followed suit ahead of Preece and Gilliland while Blaney and Larson were in sixth and eighth by the Lap 90 mark. Behind, Hamlin was up to 16th place, where he was four spots ahead of teammate Bell, while Logano was in 11th place.

At the Lap 100 mark, Elliott was leading by three-tenths of a second over teammate Byron while Briscoe, Preece and Gilliland continued to race in the top five ahead of Blaney, Larson, Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and Logano. By then, Hamlin cracked the top 15 as he was in 15th place behind Daniel Hemric and teammate Bell was back in 21st place behind Bubba Wallace while Reddick, who was still a lap down, was strapped in 34th place.

Ten laps later, Elliott stretched his advantage to more than a second over Byron as Briscoe and Preece continued to follow suit in third and fourth, respectively. Meanwhile, Blaney cracked the top five as he was in fifth place while Larson was also up to sixth place. Over the next 10 laps, Bell was locked in a heated battle with Noah Gragson for 20th place as both raced in front of Michael McDowell and Hamlin retained 15th place while Logano was up to ninth place. By then, Elliott retained the lead by more than a second over Byron.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 130, Elliott, who was navigating his way through lapped traffic and came into Martinsville 43 points below the top-four cutline in his efforts to make the Championship 4 round, captured his second Cup stage victory of the 2024 season after fending off a last-lap bump from teammate Byron. Byron followed suit in second ahead of Briscoe, Preece and Blaney while Larson, Bowman, Austin Dillon, Logano and Brad Keselowski were scored in the top 10. With five of eight Playoff contenders racking up the event’s first round of stage points, the remaining Playoff contenders that include Hamlin, Bell and Reddick were mired in 15th, 21st and 35th, respectively, with Reddick falling two laps behind.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Elliott returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Elliott retained the lead as he exited pit road first ahead of Byron while Briscoe, Blaney, Preece, Bowman, Larson, Logano, Keselowski and Austin Dillon followed suit. Amid the pit stops, Austin Dillon was penalized for speeding on pit road.

The second stage period started on Lap 141 as teammates Elliott and Byron occupied the front row. At the start, the two Hendrick Motorsports teammates dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Byron used the outside lane to assume the lead from Elliott through the backstretch. With Byron proceeding to clear Elliott entering Turn 3 and lead the following lap, Blaney dueled with Briscoe for third place, but the latter retained the spot as Preece, Larson and Bowman followed suit. The caution would then return on Lap 144 when Daniel Suarez, who was racing towards the top-15 mark, got clipped by Hemric, who got bumped and boxed in between rookie Josh Berry and Austin Cindric, as Suarez spun his No. 99 Jockey Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 through Turn 2. The incident occurred just behind Hamlin, who was up to 12th place, while Bell barely squeezed his way through the incident.

As the event restarted under green on Lap 151, Byron retained the lead from teammate Byron and proceeded to lead the following lap while having both lanes under his control. Behind, Larson, who attempted to make a bold move beneath Preece for additional spots, was in sixth place ahead of Logano and Blaney retained fourth place behind Briscoe while Hamlin continued to race in 12th place. With Bell mired in 16th place, Byron stabilized his lead to six-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott by Lap 155.

The caution would then return on Lap 156 when Harrison Burton, who was in the top 20, got bumped by rookie Carson Hocevar entering Turn 3 as Burton spun the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse in Turn 4 as he barely made contact with Austin Dillon in the process. During the caution period, some led by Hemric pitted while the rest led by Byron, including the Playoff contenders, remained on the track.

With the race restarting under green on Lap 164, teammates Elliott and Byron dueled for the lead for a third consecutive restart period and they remained dead even for the lead for a full lap while Larson got sideways and nearly turned by Preece exiting the frontstretch as Larson cracked the top five. Byron would proceed to muscle ahead of Elliott to lead under authority as Briscoe followed suit while Blaney, Larson, Preece, Logano, Bowman, Ross Chastain and Hamlin were in the top 10.

By Lap 175, Byron was leading by six-tenths of a second over Elliott while Briscoe, Blaney and Larson followed suit in the top five. Behind, Preece was back in sixth place ahead of Bowman, Chastain, Logano and Hamlin while Keselowski, Cindric, Berry, Bell and Gilliland were in the top 15 ahead of Gilliland, McDowell, Austin Dillon, Hocevar and Ty Gibbs. Meanwhile, Reddick was strapped two laps down in 35th place as Byron stabilized his lead to six-tenths of a second over Elliott by Lap 180. By then, Blaney dueled and overtook Briscoe for third place as he trailed the lead by two seconds while Larson also trailed the lead by two seconds in fifth place.

On Lap 183, the caution flew when the pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr., who was racing towards the rear of the field, got bumped and spun in front of Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek in Turn 4 as he would lose a lap to Byron. The incident occurred as Larson had overtaken Briscoe for fourth place. During the caution period, mixed strategies ensued as some led by Byron and including Larson, Elliott and Logano pitted while the rest led by Blaney and including Hamlin and Bell remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Elliott endured a slow pit service as the rear tire changer was slow to tighten the right-rear tire.

The start of the next restart period on Lap 191 featured Blaney muscling his No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse ahead with the lead from the inside lane while Hamlin dueled with Keselowski for the runner-up spot. Blaney would proceed to lead the next lap ahead of Keselowski, Hamin, Austin Dillon and Bell while Larson was making bold moves entering the corners to charge back to the front on his four fresh tires. With Byron also trying to march back to the front, Blaney retained the lead over Keselowski and Hamlin before the caution returned on Lap 195 as Hocevar, who was trying to race back into the top 15, bumped Hemric into Gilliland as the latter two spun towards the outside wall in Turn 2 while the field behind scattered to avoid the incident.

During the next restart period on Lap 202, Blaney and Keselowski dueled for the lead in front of Hamlin and Ausitn Dillon until Keselowski led the next lap by a hair at the next lap period. Keselowski would continue to fight with Blaney for the lead amid a heated duel through every corner and straightaway before he cleared Blaney through the backstretch on Lap 204. Behind, Hamlin was in third place while Bell motored his No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE into fourth place. Behind Ausitn Dillon and Gragson, Byron powered his way into seventh place as teammate Larson followed suit. As the field continued to jostle for on-track spots, Keselowski retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Blaney by Lap 210.

Then on Lap 220, the battle for the lead ignited as Blaney bumped and was trying to navigate his way past Keselowski for the top spot through every corner and straightaway. Keselowski, however, would retain the top spot in his No. 6 King’s Hawaiian Ford Mustang Dark Horse while Hamlin, Bell and Larson followed suit in the top five. Behind, Byron battled Austin Dillon for sixth place while Elliott motored his way back up to 13th place in front of Logano. Keselowski would stabilize his advantage to three-tenths of a second over Blaney, who was beginning to become aggravated, by Lap 230 while Blaney’s Playoff rivals Hamlin, Bell, Larson and Byron followed suit in the top six as Hamlin trailed Blaney by a second. By then, Elliott was battling Briscoe for 12th place while Logano continued to follow suit in 14th place.

Towards the Lap 240 mark, Keselowski retained the lead by within two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Blaney while third-place Hamlin followed suit by more than a second. Behind, Bell, Larson and Byron retained fourth through sixth, respectively, on the track as both Elliott and Logano retained 12th and 14th, respectively, on the track. Meanwhile, Reddick was strapped two laps down in 35th place as Keselowski proceeded to lead the event’s halfway mark on Lap 250.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 260, Keselowski, who had not pitted in 126 laps, fended off Blaney to capture his first Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Blaney followed suit in second along with Hamlin while Larson, Byron, Bell, Austin Dillon, Bowman, Gragson and Preece were scored in the top 10. With five of eight Playoff contenders racking up the event’s second round of stage points, the remaining Playoff contenders that include Elliott, Logano and Reddick were scored in 12th, 13th and 35th, respectively. By then, Bell and Byron occupied the two vacant spots to the Championship 4 round while Larson, Hamlin, Blaney and Elliott trailed below the cutline.

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Keselowski pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Keselowski exited pit road first as he was followed by Larson, Byron, Hamlin, Bowman, Blaney, Austin Dillon, Preece, Logano and Elliott. Amid the pit stops, Bell endured a slow pit service and he would pit a second time to have a loose lug nut addressed. In addition, Blaney nearly clipped one of Hocevar’s pit crew members while trying to exit his pit stall while both Larson and Hamlin nearly made contact with one another.

With 230 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Keselowski and Larson occupied the front row. At the start, Keselowski motored ahead from the inside lane as teammates Larson and Byron battled for the runner-up spot. Behind, Hamlin battled Bowman for fourth place in front of Blaney and Austin Dillon as Blaney would then use the outside lane to duel with Bowman for fifth place. As Hamlin challenged Larson for third place, Keselowski retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Byron with 225 laps remaining.

Down to the final 220 laps of the event, Keselowski maintained the lead by within three-tenths of a second over Byron as Larson, Hamlin and Blaney all followed suit in the top five. With Elliott and Logano racing in 10th and 12th, respectively, Bell was mired in 28th place and trying to navigate through tight traffic following his slow pit service during the previous caution period.

Ten laps later, Keselowski’s lead stabilized to three-tenths of a second over Byron while third-place Larson followed suit by six-tenths of a second. Behind, Blaney and Hamlin battled fiercely for fourth place while Elliott and Logano continued to race in 10th and 12th, respectively. Meanwhile, Bell carved his way up to 25th place, which currently placed him in a tie with Larson for the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 round in the Playoff standings.

Another 10 laps later, Bell moved back above the top-four cutline over Larson by a single point as the former assumed 24th place on the track. Bell would then pick up 23rd place during the following lap as Keselowski continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over Byron while Larson, Blaney and Hamlin all trailed by within less than three seconds. Not long after, Elliott, who ran into the rear of Buescher through the backstretch as Buescher pitted under green, was scored in the top 10 as he continued without sustaining any significant front-nose damage.

With 175 laps remaining, Keselowski slightly stretched his advantage to nine-tenths of a second over Byron as Larson, Blaney and Hamlin continued to trail in the top five. Meanwhile, Bell, who was racing within the Playoff cutline, was up in 21st place while Elliott and Logano were mired in 10th and 13th, respectively. Keselowski’s lead would decrease to six-tenths of a second over Byron as Blaney started to close in on Byron with 160 laps remaining.

Then with 155 laps remaining, Blaney bumped the lapped competitor of Shane van Gisbergen, who then slid up and made contact with Byron through the first two turns. This allowed Blaney to move into the runner-up spot over Byron while Keselowski retained the lead by above half a second. Meanwhile, Bell was in 20th place after he rubbed fenders with Austin Cindric while Larson and Hamlin remained in the top five.

Six laps later, Elliott strategically pitted his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 from the top 10, which resulted in him losing a lap as Blaney started to close in on Keselowski for the lead. Over the following 14 laps, Keselowski, who navigated his way through lapped traffic, fended off Blaney to retain the lead as Bell, who was in 19th place, was scored the final competitor on the lead lap. Blaney then tried to use the lapped competitor of Zane Smith to overtake Keselowski for the lead with 133 laps remaining, but the move did not work as Keselowski retained the top spot. Keselowski then lapped Bell with 130 laps remaining as Hamlin pitted from fourth place.  

With 128 laps remaining and as more competitors started to peel off the track to pit under green, teammates Byron and Larson would pit their respective Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets as Blaney then pitted during the following lap. The leader Keselowski would pit one lap after Blaney. Following the pit stops, Byron managed to cycle ahead of Keselowski and Blaney on the track. With 120 laps remaining, Bell pitted under green as Elliott, who was in 10th place prior to the pit stops and had pitted nearly 30 laps ago, strategically cycled into the lead.

Down to the final 110 laps of the event, Elliott, who continued to remain on the track and stretching his fuel tank to the furthest, was leading by more than a second over teammate Byron. Meanwhile, Keselowski trailed in third place by two seconds while Blaney, Larson and Hamlin followed suit in the top six. Meanwhile, Bell, who was scored a lap down, was in 23rd place while Logano was back in 13th place.

Then with 103 laps remaining, the caution flew due to Hocevar, who was racing in 14th place, spinning in Turn 2 after he got hit by Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. During the caution period, some led by Elliott and including Keselowski, Blaney, Hamlin and Logano pitted while the rest led by Byron and including teammate Larson remained on the track. Bell would also pit despite being trapped a lap down.

The start of the ensuing restart period with 94 laps remaining did not last long as a wheel rolled off of the right front of Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Cheddar’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 just as the field entered Turns 3 and 4. At the moment of caution, Larson had managed to muscle ahead of teammate Byron and was ruled the leader.

The start of the next restart period with 87 laps remaining was successful as Larson fended off teammate Byron to lead the field for a full cycle. As Larson led the following lap over Byron and Cindric, teammate Elliott dueled with Preece for fourth place while Hamlin was in sixth place in front of Briscoe, Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Blaney. Shortly after, Bell moved into the free pass position in 19th place as Larson retained a steady lead over a four-car battle involving Byron, Cindric, Elliott and Hamlin with 80 laps remaining.

Down to the final 75 laps of the event, Larson was leading by nine-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott, who overtook teammate Byron for the runner-up spot a few laps earlier. With Larson leapfrogging up above the cutline by leading the race, Byron currently occupied the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 round over Bell, who was still strapped in 19th place while scored a lap down. Elliott, however, would slowly begin to close in on teammate Larson with fresher tires as the latter retained the top spot by seven-tenths of a second with 70 laps remaining.

With 60 laps remaining, Larson stabilized his late advantage to more than a second over Elliott as both were placed in a “must-win” situation to make the Championship 4 field. Behind, teammate Byron trailed by three seconds as he was ahead of Cindric, Blaney and Hamlin while Bell retained 19th place. Despite getting mired in lapped traffic over the next 10 laps, Larson stabilized his lead to eight-tenths of a second over Elliott.

Down to the final 40 laps of the event, Larson, who lapped 18th-place Bubba Wallace, continued to lead by seven-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott. By then, Bell, who was still in 19th place, was not in the free pass position as he was currently scored three points behind Byron, who lost third place to Blaney two laps earlier. Not long after, Reddick, who is already guaranteed a spot to the Championship 4 despite running towards the rear of the field while multiple laps down, took his No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE to the garage due to a mechanical issue.

With 25 laps remaining, Larson maintained the top spot in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 by two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Elliott, who was told to commence his charge for the lead several laps earlier. In the process, Blaney, who was placed in a “must-win” situation, closed in as he trailed the lead by six-tenths of a second while Byron lost fourth place to Cindric. This decreased Byron’s points advantage to two to Bell as both Austin Dillon and Hamlin slowly closed in on him for positions.

Then a lap later, Elliott bumped and overtook teammate Larson for the lead. Blaney would then bump and overtake Larson for the runner-up spot through the frontstretch during the following lap before Larson returned the favor with another bump. Amid their bumps, Blaney assumed the runner-up spot, which allowed Elliott to move above the cutline while Larson dropped below the cutline.

Down to the final 15 laps of the event, Elliott was leading by two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Blaney while third-place Larson trailed by more than two seconds. With Cindric in fourth place, Byron maintained fifth place over both Hamlin and Austin Dillon while Bell was still strapped in 19th place and a lap down. A lap later, however, Blaney dueled with Elliott for the lead through the frontstretch and he would muscle ahead of Elliott entering the backstretch. This moved Blaney above the cutline and dropped Elliott below the cutline while Byron’s points advantage decreased to one over Bell as Hamlin overtook Byron for fifth place in his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE on the track.

With 10 laps remaining, Blaney grew his advantage to more than a second over Elliott while Byron was trying to fend off Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain, the latter two dueling dead even before Byron, for sixth place. As Blaney proceeded to add another second to his advantage with five laps remaining, Byron was left to fend off Dillon, Chastain and Keselowski for sixth place in his hopes to maintain his Playoff hopes for the finale over Bell.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Blaney remained in the lead by more than two seconds over Elliott. With a clear racetrack in front of him and both Elliott and Larson unable to close back the deficit, Blaney was able to cycle back to the frontstretch victorious for his third checkered flag of the 2024 Cup Series season.

With the victory, Blaney, who came into Martinsville 38 points below the top-four cutline in the Playoff standings, notched his 13th career win in the NASCAR Cup Series division, his second in a row in the fall Martinsville event and his first since winning at Pocono Raceway in July. The Martinsville victory was also the 11th of the 2024 season for the Ford nameplate and the seventh for Team Penske as Blaney redeemed himself following last weekend’s last-lap defeat from Tyler Reddick at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Above all, Blaney, who is in his ninth consecutive season as a full-time competitor in NASCAR’s premier series, punched his ticket into the 2024 Championship 4 round for a second consecutive season as he will strive to defend his series title in next weekend’s finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“I don’t know, man,” Blaney, who was emotional, said on the frontstretch on NBC. “I tried to save my rear tires early. I started struggling with my rears when I would get [into] traffic the run before. I think it kind of paid off for us. So proud of the effort by everybody on the No. 12 group for never giving up and to have another shot at a championship is really special. [I’ll] Try to go back-to-back next week. I’m worn out. I got nothing left [today]. Good battle. The car hung on longer than most and [I] could really make some ground. [The No. 12 team] just worked on the car all night, so I really appreciate them. Let’s go.”

Meanwhile, drama unfolded on the final lap as Bell overtook Wallace, who had fallen off the pace over the last several laps as he radioed a potential flat tire to his No. 23 Xfinity Toyota Camry XSE, through the backstretch for 18th place. Bell then got loose entering Turn 3 as he made the pass and hit the outside wall, where he would proceed to drive and throttle up his car while scraping the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4 to cycle back to the frontstretch and cross the finish line ahead of Wallace while Byron managed to fend off Dillon, Chastain, Keselowski and Logano for sixth place. In the change of events, Bell overtook Byron in the Playoff standings to claim the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 round in a tiebreaker over Byron due to achieving a higher result of second place throughout the Round of 8 compared to Byron.

Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Following an extensive review of the final-lap actions made between Byron and Bell while also evaluating the radio conversations between Wallace, Chastain and Austin Dillon as all three were racing with both Byron and Bell for positions in the closing laps, NASCAR levied Bell a safety violation for using the outside wall to accelerate and scrape his way into the Championship 4 round. Despite Bell’s move being similar to the move Ross Chastain made, where the latter throttled up against the Turns 3 and 4 outside wall to gain spots and make the Championship 4 round in 2022, NASCAR had banned the wall-ride maneuver from competitors prior to the start of the 2023 season.

As a result, Bell was demoted from 18th to 22nd in the final running order, which left him four points out of the Championship 4 field and not reaching the final Playoff round for a third consecutive season. Bell’s demotion allowed Byron to claim the final Championship 4 berth for a second consecutive season as he will compete for his first Cup Series championship next weekend at Phoenix.

Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“I’m not happy for anything, but the rule is what it is for the crossover gate over [in Turns 3 and 4] and riding the wall,” Byron said. “It is what it is. I will go race and just proud of my team. We had a really, hard-fought day, overall. Proud of that.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Bell said. “I understand that the rule was made to prevent people from riding the wall, but my move was completely different than what Ross’s [Chastain] was. I got loose getting into the corner and slid right into the fence. I don’t know what else to say.”

With Byron and race winner Blaney joining Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick as the four finalists who will contend for the 2024 Cup Series championship, Bell joins teammate Denny Hamlin and Byron’s Hendrick teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott as the bottom four contenders whose championship hopes came to an end. The outcome also eliminated Joe Gibbs Racing’s hopes of claiming this year’s title with both Bell and Hamlin out of the Playoffs.

There were 15 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 66 laps. In addition, 17 of 37 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Ryan Blaney, 32 laps led

2. Chase Elliott, 129 laps led, Stage 1 winner

3. Kyle Larson, 71 laps led

4. Austin Cindric

5. Denny Hamlin

6. William Byron, 51 laps led

7. Austin Dillon

8. Ross Chastain

9. Brad Keselowski, 170 laps led, Stage 2 winner

10. Joey Logano

11. Noah Gragson

12. Shane van Gisbergen

13. Alex Bowman

14. Ryan Preece

15. Chase Briscoe

16. Josh Berry

17. Daniel Hemric

18. Bubba Wallace, one lap down, six laps led

19. Erik Jones, one lap down

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., one lap down

21. Zane Smith, one lap down

22. Christopher Bell, one lap down

23. Daniel Suarez, two laps down

24. Martin Truex Jr., two laps down, 41 laps led

25. Carson Hocevar, two laps down

26. Todd Gilliland, two laps down

27. Kaz Grala, three laps down

28. Kyle Busch, three laps down

29. Justin Haley, three laps down

30. Chris Buescher, three laps down

31. John Hunter Nemechek, four laps down

32. Ty Gibbs, five laps down

33. Michael McDowell, 10 laps down

34. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Brakes

35. Corey LaJoie – OUT, Oil Pressure

36. Harrison Burton – OUT, Engine

37. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Brakes

*Bold indicates Playoff contenders

Playoff standings

1. Ryan Blaney – Advanced

2. Tyler Reddick – Advanced

3. Joey Logano – Advanced

4. William Byron – Advanced

5. Christopher Bell – Eliminated

6. Kyle Larson – Eliminated

7. Denny Hamlin – Eliminated

8. Chase Elliott – Eliminated

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to conclude next Sunday, November 10, at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, where a champion will be crowned. The event’s broadcast is slated to occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

Sacha van’t Pad Bosch Drives from Last to First to Win Season Finale at COTA

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Official Release
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Photo by Gavin Baker Photography

AUSTIN, Texas (November 3, 2024) – In his debut weekend, Sacha van’t Pad Bosch put on a clinic in the Ligier JS F4 Series (JS F4) at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on Saturday afternoon. After a technical infraction in Race 2 disallowed his time and sent him to the back of the lineup for Race 3, the Dutch driver drove through the field enroute to victory in the final race of the 2024 season.

Notes of Interest:

  • At just 14 years old, Sacha van’t Pad Bosch earned his first-career win during his Ligier JS F4 Series debut weekend. Newly transitioned from gokarts, the COTA SpeedTour also marked van’t Pad Bosch’s first race in America.
  • With three podiums at COTA, including a runner-up finish in Race 3, Teddy Musella earned the 2024 Driver Championship in F4 U.S.
  • Harbir Dass tied his career-best finish with a third-place result in Race 3 at COTA. He previously finished third at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Round 11.
  • In their debut weekend, Takumi Numata and Caleb Campbell both scored top-five finishes.
  • Sacha van’t Pad Bosch was awarded the Omologato Perfectly-Timed Move of the Race and presented a bespoke Omologato timepiece in recognition of a strong performance during his debut weekend, which included his first-career win.
  • Teddy Musella won the 2024 JS F4 Driver Championship with a 51.5-point margin over Vice Champion Kekai Hauanio.
  • Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport won the 2024 JS F4 Team Championship after recording nine wins and 18 podiums this season.

As the field rolled down the starting grid, Scuderia Buell teammates split the field—Teddy Musella (No. 25 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4) led out front, while Sacha van’t Pad Bosch (No. 27 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4) brought up the rear. Musella pulled to the front of the pack through Turn 1, and behind him, Leonardo Escorpioni (No. 26 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4) got a great start from third to immediately apply pressure to second-place starter Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N.E.Where Transportation / New’T Racing Ligier JS F4). With Musella pulling away, Drew Szuch (No. 28 Szuch Racing Ligier JS F4) and Harbir Dass (No. 23 Berg DMG Racing Ligier JS F4) pulled up to join the battle for second. Further back in the pack, van’t Pad Bosch was climbing through the field—up to 11th after the first lap, eighth after two laps, and into fifth as the race neared its halfway point.

Up front, Hauanio dove into Turn 11, initially outbreaking Musella to take the race lead, but leading to a three-wide battle between himself, Musella and Escorpioni racing down the long straightaway. Escorpioni held the preferred lane into Turn 12 to overtake the lead. The three continued to jockey for the top position for the next several minutes while van’t Pad Bosch pulled up to fourth. With just 10 minutes left on the clock, Escorpioni and Hauanio made contact at the exit of Turn 12 with both cars spinning. While Musella had to go wide to avoid the incident, van’t Pad Bosch was in the perfect place to capitalize on the mistake and take the race lead as the full-course caution was displayed.

A few minutes later, the field returned to green as the white flag also waved, giving competitors a one-lap dash to the finish. Van’t Pad Bosch had a great launch, solidly taking command of the race before contact further back in the field left two cars stopped on the circuit and once again brought out a full-course caution.

As they crossed the finish line, van’t Pad Bosch took the checkered flag, followed by Szuch, Musella, Dass and Takumi Numata (No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4).

Following the race, a series of Stewards Decisions resulted in penalties that adjusted the finishing order. Drivers receiving a penalty, included:

Drew Szuch (No. 28 Szuch Racing Ligier JS F4): five-second penalty, moving him to seventh
Conor Grant (No. 10 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4): 30-second time penalty, moving him to 14th
Athan Sterling (No. 1 JENSEN Ligier JS F4): five-second time penalty
Parker Wallin (No. 34 SHAED Ligier JS F4): five-second penalty, moving him to 16th

“I just had a really good car—the team gave me a great package,” said van’t Pad Bosch after climbing from the car. “I had the speed and was able to overtake everyone to get P1. I’m so happy; I don’t have any words. I want to thank the team, my coach, my mom and family, my mechanic and everyone that’s supported me.”

JS F4 returns for the 2025 season at NOLA Motorsports Park, March 27-30. Prospective drivers looking to learn more about JS F4 should visit the series’ website, JSF4Series.com. Additional news and updates throughout the off-season will be shared on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | XFINITY 500

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Official Release
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Race Recap | XFINITY 500

 SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 16 Acceptance Insurance Camaro ZL1

  • Shane van Gisbergen qualified 29th for the XFINITY 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Van Gisbergen battled to maintain position, and on lap 73, the No. 16 Acceptance Insurance team opted to pit under green for fuel and fresh tires. A caution came out on lap 76, which resulted in the No. 16 being scored two laps behind the leader. The call was made to stay out for track position and take the wave around to gain one lap back. Van Gisbergen restarted the stage 34th. He battled to hold the leader off but ultimately ended the stage scored 34th, two laps down to end the stage.
  • The No. 16 team opted to take the wave around at the stage break, putting Van Gisbergen one lap down from the leader starting the stage 33rd. A caution quickly came out on the restart, and the No. 16 team came to pit road for fresh tires and fuel placing him 34th for the restart. During a caution on lap 184, the No. 16 team opted to come to pit for a chassis adjustment, fresh tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen restarted the stage, 31st. He reported his Chevrolet was “tight” in the corners, as he battled to gain position. A caution quickly came out after the restart, and the No. 16 Acceptance Insurance team was in the “lucky dog” position, rejoining the field on the lead lap, and opted to come to pit road for more adjustments, fresh tires, and fuel. Van Gisbergen restarted the stage in 30th. Reporting the adjustments the team made to the car were in the right direction, he completed the stage in 25th place.
  • The No. 16 team came to pit road at the stage break for another small adjustment, four tires and fuel, slotting Van Gisbergen to start the final stage 24th. Dropping a lap down on lap 344, Van Gisbergen was called to pit on lap 347 for tires and fuel. He rejoined the field 31st. During a green-flag pit-stop cycle on lap 377, Van Gisbergen was scored as high as 12th. A caution came out on lap 398, and No. 16th Acceptance Insurance Chevrolet maintained 12th. During the caution, the No. 16 team came to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen restarted the final stage in 14th place with 93 laps remaining in the race. A long, green-flag run aided Van Gisbergen into taking the checkered flag 12th.

“That was a long race but really fun! My Acceptance Insurance Chevrolet felt really good when we were in clean air, and we were even ripping some pretty good lap times. Super stoked with the 12th-place finish. Such a good way to finish with my Kaulig Racing team.” – Shane va Gisbergen  

DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 High Point Paint Services Camaro ZL1

  • Daniel Hemric qualified 15th for the XFINITY 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Firing off on the tight side, Hemric only fell one position, before improving by almost half a car length on exits. Hemric avoided a spin in front of him that brought out the first caution on lap 76. He pitted for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment, before restarting 14th on lap 85. The remaining laps of stage one went green, and Hemric finished the first stage in 13th place.
  • Hemric reported that the No. 31 High Point Paint Services Chevy had good maneuverability and front capability. He pitted during the stage break for tires, fuel and a right-front air pressure adjustment, before starting the second stage in 15th place. The field made it four laps, before stacking up and bringing out the next caution. Hemric barely made it through unscathed. He stayed out, and restarted 15th. The field went green five laps, before another spin behind Hemric brought out the next caution. Crew chief Trent Owens made the call to pit for tires, fuel, and a left-rear adjustment on the No. 31 Chevy. Hemric restarted 30th and went 20 more laps before the next caution on lap 183. Hemric stayed out, while most of the field in front of him pitted. He restarted 12th with 69 laps remaining in Stage 2. The field went five more laps, before the No. 77 spun Hemric, bringing out the next caution. Hemric pitted for tires and fuel, before restarting in 30th on lap 203. The remainder of stage two stayed green, and Hemric finished in 26th place.
  • Hemric pitted during the second stage break for tires and fuel, before starting the final stage in 26th place. As the stage stayed green, Hemric made a scheduled, green-flag pit stop for tires and fuel after falling one lap to the leaders on lap 353. After racing his way back up to 16th, a timely caution came out on lap 397, allowing Hemric to pit under caution for tires and fuel. As the field came to the restart, the caution flag immediately came back out for a tire on track. Hemric restarted in 16th place on lap 413. The race remained green, and Hemric went on to finish in 17th place.

“Really fast No. 31 High Point Paint Services Chevrolet all weekend. We kept our track position and made some gains during the first stage. Getting spun by the 77 set us back a bit. Fortunately, a timely caution and some solid adjustments helped get us some track position back, and we were able to get a top-20 finish out of it.” – Daniel Hemric  
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

CHEVROLET NCS AT MARTINSVILLE 2: Post-Race Report

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
ROUND OF EIGHT: ELIMINATION RACE
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
NOV. 3, 2024

 Byron Drives to Final Position in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Four

 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:
POS. DRIVER
2nd – Chase Elliott
3rd – Kyle Larson
6th – William Byron
7th – Austin Dillon
8th – Ross Chastain

WITH 35 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE:

Wins: 15
Poles: 10
Top-Five Finishes: 69
Top-10 Finishes: 143
Stage Wins: 23

 UP NEXT: The NASCAR Cup Series will head to Phoenix Raceway next weekend for the 2024 Championship Race. Coverage of the 312-lap event can be found on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

  • For the second time in his career, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron will have the opportunity to race for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. In a race all the way to the checkered flag, Byron drove his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 to a sixth-place result. Ending the race with a four-point advantage over the playoff cutline, Byron took the fourth and final position in the Championship Four.
  • Despite a valiant effort all race long, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Kyle came just short of a ticket into the Championship Four – ultimately driving their Camaro ZL1’s to a second and third-place finish, respectively, in the Round of Eight elimination race at Martinsville Speedway. While each endured challenges throughout the race, the pair of teammates proved to be contenders throughout the 500-lap event – collectively leading 200 laps en route to their podium finishes.
  • Chevrolet will have the opportunity to race for a driver championship in all three NASCAR national series next weekend, with Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill and JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier advancing to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship four, and CR7 Motorsports’ Grant Enfinger and McAnally Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes racing for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship.

 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

Finished: 3rd

“I’m proud of the effort from this No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team. This whole Round of Eight has been a fight, really. From the first stage at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) on, it’s been a fight. I feel like we made the right pit call to give ourselves the best opportunity. I’m proud of my team; the car, the pit crew, everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. We just didn’t have enough. I actually thought that when Chase (Elliott) got to second, I thought he was going to drive right to me and pass me easily. I was surprised I held on as long as I did, so it gave me hope. But then we just fell off the last 30 laps or so.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

Finished: 2nd

How do you sum up the strategy call?

“It was a great call. It got us right there in the mix and we had an opportunity. I just made a couple mistakes there past halfway and got some damage on our car. I think that hurt a little bit. Just little things started stacking up. I was pushing really hard trying to get to the No. 5 (Kyle Larson). I just felt like Ryan (Blaney) had been really good. I was scared to give him an opportunity to get to the No. 5 first. I just really wanted to try to get the lead. And then you never know, maybe a caution comes out or something. It just didn’t work out for us. We’ll go to Phoenix (Raceway) and try to put together a good weekend.”

You were so confident coming into this race, but you never know with how these races go. There was a lot going on there at the end.

“Yeah, I don’t know what all was going on there, to be honest. All I know is that we came up one spot short and it’s unfortunate.”

How would you summarize this race for yourself and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy team?

“Really solid. Like I said, I just made a couple mistakes there and got some damage on our car. I think that hurt us, and I just didn’t manage the last run very well.”

William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1

Finished: 6th

What are your emotions here at the end of this race?

“Yeah, I’ve never been a part of anything like this, so I don’t really know how to feel. 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).”

I know your mind is on Martinsville here, but from a broader perspective, what’s your thoughts, expectations, optimism heading to Phoenix?

“I have not gotten there yet (laughs). I’ll think about this one here at Martinsville (Speedway) with my team. We had a lot of adversity through the second half of the race there. Yeah, I mean we know what the rules are, right? So it is what it is. I wouldn’t say I’m happy, but I’m excited to race for a championship, that’s for sure.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 High Point Paint Services Camaro ZL1

Finished: 13th

“Really fast No. 31 High Point Paint Services Chevrolet all weekend. We kept our track position and made some gains during the first stage. Getting spun by the 77 set us back a bit. Fortunately, a timely caution and some solid adjustments helped get us some track position back, and we were able to get a top-20 finish out of it.”

 

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

RCR NCS Race Recap: Martinsville Speedway

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Official Release
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Strong Run for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team Results in Seventh-Place Finish at Martinsville Speedway

Finish: 7th
Start: 10th
Points: 28th

“We had a fast No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet today at Martinsville Speedway. We ran in the top 10 most of the race. Even after a pit road speeding penalty on lap 134, our team stayed determined and we were able to race our way back into the top 10. Our pit crew did a fantastic job with how many times we pitted. I think if we could have gotten a couple of late cautions towards the end, we could have had a shot at another win. I’m very proud of our Richard Childress Racing team for bringing the car they did this weekend and ECR engines for the power. It showed for 500 laps.” -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Team Earn 28th-place Finish at Martinsville Speedway

Finish: 28th
Start: 23rd
Points: 20th

“We had a decent Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet today at Martinsville Speedway, but a bad break early in the race put us behind for most of the day. We made a green flag stop and then a few laps later the caution came out, putting us a couple of laps down. We took the wave around at the Stage 1 caution and then got the free pass back onto the lead lap thanks to another caution a few laps into Stage 2. Crew Chief Randall Burnett and all the guys on the No. 8 team kept making adjustments on the Cheddar’s Chevrolet throughout the race and we were slowly able to work our way back into contention. With 100 laps to go, we lined up 10th for a restart but had an issue with the right-front tire and had to pit again. It’s frustrating for sure, but I want to thank everyone from Cheddar’s for their support this season.” -Kyle Busch

Stewart-Haas Racing: Xfinity 500 from Martinsville

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Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
Xfinity 500
Date: Nov. 3, 2024
Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing (Ford)

SHR Finish:

● Noah Gragson (Started 25th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 8th, Finished 14th / Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 4th, Finished 15th / Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 11th, Finished 16th / Running, completed 500 of 500 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (14th with 2,176 points)
● Noah Gragson (24th with 587 points)
● Ryan Preece (26th with 583 points)
● Josh Berry (27th with 566 points)

Gragson Notes:

● Gragson earned his 15th top-15 of the season and his first top-15 in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville.
● This was Gragson’s third straight top-20. He finished 18th Oct. 20 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and 19th last Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
● Gragson’s 15th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Martinsville – 20th, earned in April.
● Gragson finished ninth in Stage 2 to earn two bonus points.

Preece Notes:

● Preece earned his 12th top-15 of the season and his third top-15 in 11 career NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville.
● This was Briscoe’s second straight top-15. He finished 10th last Sunday at Homestead.
● This was Preece’s fourth straight top-20 at Martinsville. He finished 15th in April 2023, 20th last October and ninth in his prior visit to the track in April.
● Preece finished fourth in Stage 1 to earn seven bonus points and 10th in Stage 2 to earn one more bonus point.

Briscoe Notes:

● Briscoe earned his 16th top-15 of the season and his sixth top-15 in eight career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville.
● This was Briscoe’s second straight top-15. He finished 12th last Sunday at Homestead.
● This was Briscoe’s sixth straight top-15 at Martinsville. In his five prior NASCAR Cup Series starts at the .526-mile oval, Briscoe finished ninth, ninth, fifth, fourth and 10th.
● Briscoe finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points.

Berry Notes:

● Berry earned his 14th top-20 of the season and his first top-20 in two career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville.
● This was Berry’s second straight top-20. He finished 11th last Sunday at Homestead.
● Berry’s 16th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Martinsville – 25th, earned in April.
● Berry was the highest finishing rookie.

Race Notes:

● Ryan Blaney won the Xfinity 500 to score his 13th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his second at Martinsville. His margin of victory over second-place Chase Elliott was 2.593 seconds.
● This was Ford’s 739th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its 11th of the season.
● This was Ford’s 32nd all-time NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville. Ford won its first race at the track on April 9, 1961 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen.
● There were nine caution periods for a total of 66 laps.
● Only 17 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● This was the last race in the penultimate Round of 8 of the NASCAR Playoffs. Blaney, Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano secured their spots in the Championship 4 via their respective wins while William Byron earned his place on points. Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Elliott did not advance to the final, winner-take-all Championship 4 next Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

Sound Bites:

“We came up one spot short from a top-10. I really wanted that but, overall, a good day for the No. 10 team and Stewart-Haas. The 41 and 14 ran up front for a good majority of the day and for us to come home 11th, we started 25th. We need to get our qualifying a little better, but I think we know what we need to work on. I’m just super proud of the determination and focus out of our group this weekend. We’ve got one more.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We had a really solid car. Felt like a top-five, top-10 car, but once we lost track position, we just fought the entire time to get it back. We just got stuck on the wrong end of the stick with the strategy. It seemed like the cautions came out at unnecessary times for us and put us in position to have to make a decision, and I think when that caution came out and put us fourth, it actually put us in a bad spot and, ultimately, we ended up 14th. Still a good fight. I’m proud of Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and proud of everybody.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Mohawk Northeast Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“Our car started pretty good and we just continued on, but it just got worse as the day went on. We never really made it better. It’s frustrating, for sure.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 10 at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Daniel Quimby Earns Championship, Alex Crosbie Wins in Final Race at COTA

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Official Release
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Championship Winner Daniel Quimby Celebrates at COTA. Photo by Gavin Baker

AUSTIN, Texas (November 3, 2024) – Alex Crosbie earned his second-career win in Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) on Saturday afternoon. A lot was at stake in the season-finale race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), including the 2024 championship for F4 U.S., which Daniel Quimby won by 4.5 points with a runner-up finish.

Notes of Interest:

  • Alex Crosbie earned his second-career F4 U.S. win in the final race of the season at Circuit of The Americas. The New Zealander finished the season with two wins and six podium results.
  • Daniel Quimby earned his 10th podium of the season with a runner-up finish in Round 14. Quimby was one of three drivers with 10 podiums this year—tying both Nicolas Stati and Connor Roberts.
  • Connor Roberts earned his seventh consecutive podium after finishing third in Saturday’s race. Since Round 8 at New Jersey Motorsports Park, the 20-year-old driver has accumulated one win, two second-place and four third-place finishes.
  • Alex Popow was awarded the Omologato Perfectly-Timed Move of the Race in recognition of his outstanding performance this weekend, which included two wins during his F4 U.S. debut weekend. As part of the recognition, he was awarded a bespoke Omologato timepiece.
  • Daniel Quimby won the 2024 F4 U.S. Driver Championship by 4.5 points over second-place Nicolas Stati.
  • Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport won the F4 U.S. Team Championship. Fielding up to four different drivers this season, including Nicolas Stati, Alex Crosbie, Barrett Wolfe and Seth Gilmore, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport tallied five wins and 18 podiums.

Recording the fastest lap in Race 2, Alex Crosbie (No. 41 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) started Saturday’s event in the point position and immediately took control of the race as the field charged toward Turn 1. To Crosbie’s outside was Alex Popow (No. 55 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) who won back-to-back races in the first two rounds of the weekend. However, their mirrors were filled with championship rivals Daniel Quimby (No. 24 Cruise America / MIR Raceline / FIJI Airways / GalvanizeIns Ligier JS F422) and Nicolas Stati (No. 15 AGI Sport Ligier JS F422), who comprised the second row. Quimby entered the round knowing exactly what he needed to do to win the championship—win the race, or beat Stati by at least two positions. Anything less, wouldn’t be enough. With no time to waste, Quimby charged toward Turn 1 on the opening lap looking to gain as much ground as possible. He overtook Popow, leaving the MLT Motorsports driver as a buffer between himself and Stati. Not willing to give up the position or the championship that easily, Stati worked to chase down Popow and quickly engaged in a three-car battle for third, which also included Connor Roberts (No. 46 ApexSpeed.com / Entropy Cellars Ligier JS F422).

While the battle ensued for third, both Crosbie and Quimby were able to pull away. Showing the strength of his Ligier JS F422 and Ligier Storm engine, Crosbie opened up a 4.648 gap over Quimby. However, his advantage was erased with just under 10 minutes left on the clock when the safety car deployed. The field returned to green as the white flag also waved, giving competitors a one-lap dash to the finish. Unphased by the restart, Crosbie once again pulled away from the field to take control of the race. In second, Quimby was under attack by Roberts, Popow and Stati; however, the pressure only lasted a few turns as contact further back in the field left two cars stopped on the circuit and once again brought out a full-course caution.

Crossing the finish line, Crosbie was followed by Quimby, Roberts, Popow and Stati. With Quimby ahead and two cars separating the championship contenders, the Australian gained enough points in the final round to overtake Stati and win the championship.

“This was a big weight lifted off my shoulders—I was a bit nervous this morning,” said Quimby after climbing from the car. “It was a really good race. I’d like to thank everyone who’s come on board this year—Motorhome Republic, Cruise America, Crankhouse, Galvanize Insurance, FIJI Airways, MIR Raceline. The boys from Atlantic Racing Team have done an awesome job all weekend.”

Crosbie, who won earlier this year in Round 6 at New Jersey Motorsports Park, returned to victory lane.

“It definitely was a good race that one,” said Crosbie atop the podium. “I kept my cool and finally found the speed I needed for this weekend. It’s great to finally get the win for the last race of the season. I’d like to thank Golden Homes and my parents for everything they’ve done.”

F4 U.S. returns for the 2025 season at NOLA Motorsports Park, March 27-30. Prospective drivers looking to learn more about F4 U.S. should visit the championship’s website, F4USChampionship.com. Additional news and updates throughout the off-season will be shared on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Toyota Racing – NCS Martinsville Post-Race Report – 11.03.24

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Official Release
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DESPITE VALIANT EFFORT, BELL FAILS TO ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4
Denny Hamlin leads the Toyota contingent after driving from 37th to the top-five

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 3, 2024) – Denny Hamlin drove through the field after a practice incident to lead Toyota with a fifth-place finish on Sunday evening at Martinsville Speedway. Despite the strong performance, Hamlin was unable to advance to the Championship 4.

Christopher Bell battled through a pit road issue and was close to advancing to the Championship 4, before being scored 22nd. He missed the Championship 4 by four points.

Toyota continues to be the only manufacturer represented in the Championship 4 every season, as Tyler Reddick will battle for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship for the first time in Phoenix.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Martinsville Speedway
Race 35 of 36 – 267 Laps, 400.5 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Ryan Blaney*
2nd, Chase Elliott*
3rd, Kyle Larson*
4th, Austin Cindric*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
18th, BUBBA WALLACE
19th, ERIK JONES
22nd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
24th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
31st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
32nd, TY GIBBS
34th, TYLER REDDICK
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 22nd

How do you process NASCAR’s decision and just the end of this race?

“It was Martinsville, and it was a round of 8 cutoff race. 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 (William Bryon) didn’t lose positions. I slid into the wall and kept my foot into it. I guess that is a losing move.”

Can you take us to the driver’s seat in that last lap?

“Yeah, I just got loose. I was trying to get by the 23 (Bubba Wallace) and whenever I did, I was kind of pinned in between the 10 (Noah Gragson) and the 23 and slid into the wall. Whenever I slid into the wall, I knew that I had to have that position and just tried to get to the line. I didn’t intentionally floor it and go into the fence; I slipped into the wall and that’s all she wrote.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 30 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Ryan Blaney Wins Martinsville and Clinches Spot in Championship 4

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Xfinity 500 | Sunday, November 3, 2024

RYAN BLANEY CLINCHES SPOT IN CHAMPIONSHIP 4; TEAM PENSKE’S 100TH CUP WIN WITH FORD

  • Ryan Blaney won his third race of the season and the 13th of his career today.
  • This marks the second straight year Blaney has won the Martinsville Playoff race.
  • Blaney joins Team Penske teammate Joey Logano in the Championship 4.
  • Ford and Team Penske will be going for a third straight series championship next week in Phoenix.
  • It also marks Team Penske’s 100th series win with Ford.
  • Team Penske won 27 races from 1994 to 2002 and then returned to Ford in 2013 with Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Since then, they’ve added a third car with Ryan Blaney and have won 73 times.
  • Seven different drivers have won at least one race with Team Penske and Ford.
  • Joey Logano has the most wins with 33.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOUR EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW ON WHAT YOU DID TODAY? “I’m worn out. It’s hard. 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 layed 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.”

WAS THERE A POINT IN THE FINAL 70 LAPS THAT YOU LOST HOPE OR YOU GAINED HOPE? “Part of me was nervous because when I got to the 6 earlier, like the run or two before, I just lost so much rear drive and I couldn’t drive under him. I felt like my rears were hanging on a little bit better that last run, and it started to seem like the 5 and the 9 were starting to struggle on corner exit and that’s where I was able to do it. We definitely got the car better and it allowed me to kind of fade up the track and turn under, where I couldn’t really do it before. Props to Jonathan for tuning her up.”

WHAT ABOUT THE MOMENTUM GOING TO PHOENIX? “Yeah, a lot of momentum. It’s nice to have two Penske cars in. It’s nice to join the 22 and have a decent shot to bring Roger another title, a third title in a row, so these guys are the best at what they do and it’s been so much fun to get to run with them and share wins and championships. It’s super strong right now in our organization and hopefully it carries over.”

TEAM PENSKE ALL-TIME FORD CUP SERIES WINNERS

33 – Joey Logano
26 – Brad Keselowski
23 – Rusty Wallace
12 – Ryan Blaney
3 – Jeremy Mayfield
2 – Austin Cindric
1 – Ryan Newman

MILESTONE WINS BY TEAM PENSKE WITH FORD

  • Feb. 27, 1994 – Rusty Wallace scores the organization’s first win with Ford when he captured the Goodwrench 500 at North Carolina Motor Speedway.
  • March 26, 2000 – Rusty Wallace wins at Bristol Motor Speedway, marking the 50th NASCAR Cup Series victory of his career.
  • Aug. 18, 2013 – Joey Logano wins his first race with Team Penske and delivers the inaugural Heritage Trophy, given by Michigan International Speedway, to Ford.
  • Feb, 22, 2015 – Joey Logano wins the Daytona 500.
  • Sept. 10, 2018 – Brad Keselowski delivers the first Brickyard 400 win to owner Roger Penske.
  • Sept. 16, 2018 – Brad Keselowski registers the 500th organizational victory for Team Penske with his win in the playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
  • Sept. 30, 2018 – Ryan Blaney wins the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on the Charlotte Roval.
  • Nov. 18, 2018 – Joey Logano captures his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship by winning the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • Feb. 24, 2019 – Brad Keselowski wins the first NASCAR Cup Series race in a Mustang after taking the checkered flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
  • March 29, 2021 – Joey Logano wins the first dirt race in the NASCAR Cup Series in 50 years by taking the inaugural Bristol Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Feb. 6, 2022 – Joey Logano kicks off the Next Gen era by winning the inaugural Clash at the Coliseum at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
  • Feb. 20, 2022 – Rookie Austin Cindric wins the Daytona 500 in his eighth NASCAR Cup Series start.
  • Nov. 3, 2024 – Ryan Blaney wins Team Penske’s 100th NASCAR Cup Series race with Ford.

FORD FINISHING RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL)

1st – Ryan Blaney
4th – Austin Cindric
9th – Brad Keselowski
10th – Joey Logano
11th – Noah Gragson
14th – Ryan Preece
15th – Chase Briscoe
16th – Josh Berry
26th – Todd Gilliland
27th – Kaz Grala
30th – Chris Buescher
33rd – Michael McDowell
35th – Corey LaJoie
36th – Harrison Burton
37th – Josh Bilicki

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was a top 10. That’s what it was. The focus has been on Phoenix and hopefully it pays a dividend next weekend where we can unload with a lot of speed and have a race car that can go up there and run up front and win a championship.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We started last. We had to go to the back to start stage three and we had a really fast race car. It was a good strategy call there by Brian, putting it in my hands at the end with old tires. Honestly, probably a few more laps we would have had third, so I’m proud of everybody’s effort. The whole team collaboration this weekend and most importantly, getting Ryan in the Championship 4. We’ve got a 50 percent shot of Team Penske to win next week, so that’s awesome. It’s well-deserved by everybody on the team and after my last three weeks this feels nice, but we definitely had to work for it today.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Bed, Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We came up one spot short from a top 10. I really want that, but, overall, a good day for the No. 10 team and Stewart-Haas. The 41 and 14 ran up front for a good majority of the day and for us to come home 11th, we started 25th. We need to get our qualifying a little better, but I think we know what we need to work on. I’m just super proud of the determination and focus out of our group this weekend. We’ve got one more.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Our car started pretty good and we just continued on and it just got worse as the day went on. We never really made it better. It’s frustrating for sure. I felt like we had a car definitely capable of running in the top five and we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We’ve got to get better.”

Strong Season Finale for TeamSLR at COTA

By
Official Release
-

Evan Slater Finishes Fifth, Carson Kvapil Sixth To Lead the Charge;
Tristan McKee 16th After Midrace Incident, Barry Boes Podiums in Pro-Am

Overview:

Date: Nov. 3, 2024
Event: COTA SpeedTour (Round 12 of 12)
Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli
Division: Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series
Location: Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas
Layout: 3.4-mile, 20-turn road course
Format: 30 laps or 75 minutes
Weather: Partly cloudy, upper-70s
TA2 Winner: Brent Crews of Nitro Motorsports

TeamSLR:

● Evan Slater – Started 13th, Finished 5th (Running, completed 28/28 laps)
● Carson Kvapil – Started 1st, Finished 6th (Running, completed 28/28 laps)
● Tristan McKee – Started 10th, Finished 16th (Running, completed 28/28 laps)
● Barry Boes – Started 16th, Finished 19th (Running, completed 28/28 laps)

Noteworthy:

● The 18-year-old Slater’s fifth-place finish was his second top-five in two TA2 outings with TeamSLR and M1 Racecars equipment this season. The first came by way of his runner-up finish from his front-row starting position May 25 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.

● In just his fifth career TA2 Series race and third of the season, Kvapil qualified on the pole Saturday. He rallied for Sunday’s sixth-place finish after lap-one incident dropped him to 14th.

● Boes entered the weekend having already clinched the TA2 Pro-Am Challenge championship within a championship behind seven class victories in the first 11 events. He added his eighth class podium in Sunday’s 12th and final race of the season. Boes also contested the Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Western Championship in M1 Racecars equipment this season, where he scored his first career victory July 27 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, and finished with five top-five finishes in eight races, including the last four in a row.

● This was the second career TA2 start for McKee, who became eligible to drive in the series when he turned 14 on Aug. 3. He debuted Oct. 5 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, where he qualified sixth and finished fourth.

● Other top M1 Racecars finishers included Austin Green of Peterson Racing, who came home 10th . Green’s Peterson Racing teammate Jordan Anderson finished 17th in his first career TA2 race.

● Western Championship regular Tim Carroll drove his M1 Racecars entry to a top-10 finish Sunday to lock down fourth in the final standings. Carroll was victorious in the July 28 round at Portland.

Evan Slater, Driver, No. 8 Cube 3 Architecture/Willis & Smith Capital/Paul Racing SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“We were able to move up there at the end. I think it was a fun race, for sure. Qualifying didn’t quite go our way. We qualified P13 and really wanted to be up higher, but we had a fast TeamSLR racecar today. So we started 13th and made our way up to fifth. I think if the race had fewer cautions, more green laps, I really believe we could have gone all the way up to the podium, it was a really fast car. I’m super thankful to my sponsors – Cube 3, Will & Smith Capital, Paul Racing Enterprises – for the support, I really appreciate them. They are the ones that made this weekend happen. It was so great to be back in the car. Hopefully, I can figure out some more races for next year. It’s always fun running with TeamSLR.”

Carson Kvapil, Driver No. 17 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“Truthfully, I don’t know what happened there on the opening lap. It’s unfortunate, really, because we got a pretty decent start and got in there to protect from the inside and laying it pretty late off into the corner, then trying to rejoin on the racing surface, I guess you’d say. We just didn’t have room, or someone didn’t give us room, or someone hit us. Something happened, I haven’t even seen the video, really, but all I know is I was driving the heck out of it and it was all kind of a blur. I didn’t think it was one of those deals where I just drove off track, though, by any means. So, definitely a little disappointed, and it probably it wouldn’t hurt as bad if I just made a mistake and went off track. But I think we got helped off the track. Either way, the Lagasses and the whole team really prepared a really fast car. We fell all the way back to 14th just in the first turn and, after a while, our car started to come to us and we just fought our way back up to sixth. It’s nice to start on the pole like we did, for sure. It’s just a big learning curve coming and doing these races, but having a team like TeamSLR to rely on and to help teach me kind of what to do and how to drive these tracks is really one of the big keys to it. So, really having a good team around us is the biggest deal, and it’s a huge help for a circle-track guy like me.”

Tristan Mckee, Driver, No. 28 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“We were really fast in practice, and then some issues in qualifying with some dirt on the track and different things like that. I think we had a really good qualifying going until those things happened. And then during the race, I started 10th, I gained one spot on the first run, and the second run I gained more spots. I think I was up to sixth, and then I was making a pass and got hit in the rear and my tire went flat, so we had to pit and went all the way back to 37th. We made our way back up to 13th after a lot of cautions and stuff. It’s frustrating getting caught in the back, where they kind of lag around and it’s difficult to get past all those people. But overall it was a good weekend.”

Barry Boes, Driver No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang:

“It’s been a fantastic year. I came into the COTA race knowing that we had the (Pro-Am Challenge) championship won, so I had the opportunity to drive a little more aggressively than I drove the rest of the season. Had the TeamSLR guys set up the car a little more aggressively and in the race took a few chances to see if I could go faster and place a little higher. But I let the car get ahead of me once early on and I dropped back some, and then I ended up getting involved in a lot of elbows-out racing. I had a really, really good time. Got caught up in several incidents, but I was still able to make it back onto the podium in Pro Am. It was just a fun race and I’m really looking forward to doing it again next year.”

Next Up:

TeamSLR, proud to be racing on behalf of partners Franklin Road Apparel, Cube 3 Architecture, and Powered by Hixon, kicks off the 2025 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series season Feb. 20-23 with the traditional Sebring SpeedTour at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway. The weekend schedule and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

About TeamSLR:

TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr., The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 120 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

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