Byron ends victory drought at Martinsville as Larson nears NASCAR title
Christopher Bell trails Kyle Larson by 67 points ahead of the Nov. 8 finale, while Denny Hamlin is 70 points behind.
William Byron earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win of 2026 at Martinsville, breaking a winless run of 35 races. Points leader Kyle Larson placed ninth, leaving the championship undecided ahead of the season’s final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 8.
For Byron, the result marked a fourth Martinsville victory and his first win since the fall race at the track last year. Chase Elliott narrowed the gap to less than one second as Byron encountered lapped cars during the closing 20 laps, but the Hendrick Motorsports driver pulled clear again.
Larson needed an advantage of at least 76 points to clinch the title before Homestead. Crew chief Cliff Daniels opted to leave him on track for the whole opening stage, and Larson earned no stage points. Denny Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gayle chose the same strategy, also coming away without stage points.
Elliott took second, with Ty Gibbs third, Josh Berry fourth and Shane van Gisbergen fifth. Hamlin finished sixth; Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Larson and Christopher Bell occupied the remaining top-10 positions. The finale is scheduled to begin shortly after 3 p.m. ET.
