Byron Leads 362 Laps in Martinsville Win; Larson Stays Ahead
William Byron swept both stages and led 362 of 500 laps to win Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway by 2.049 seconds over Chase Elliott. Kyle Larson finished ninth and will take a 67-point championship lead over Christopher Bell into the season finale.
Byron’s first victory of the 2026 season came at the track where he won the fall race a year earlier. Starting eighth, the Hendrick Motorsports driver controlled most of the Xfinity 500 and earned the maximum 76 points available from the race and its two stages.
Byron turned long-run speed into a dominant result
NASCAR’s official race results credit Byron with 362 laps led—more than 72 percent of the 500-lap distance. He finished 2.049 seconds ahead of Elliott, giving Hendrick Motorsports the top two positions.
Ty Gibbs finished third after leading 44 laps. Josh Berry and Shane van Gisbergen completed the top five, followed by Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Larson and Bell.
| Finish | Driver | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Byron | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Ty Gibbs | Toyota |
| 4 | Josh Berry | Ford |
| 5 | Shane van Gisbergen | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota |
| 7 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Bubba Wallace | Toyota |
| 9 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | Toyota |
Stage strategy hurt the title contenders
Larson and Hamlin stayed on track through the first 130-lap stage while most of the leaders split the segment with a green-flag pit stop. Fresh tyres allowed Byron and other drivers to pass them late in the stage. Larson fell a lap down, while Hamlin finished the stage outside the points.
Both drivers recovered, but their championship rivals had already gained ground. Larson used the free pass after a caution to return to the lead lap and finished ninth. Hamlin climbed to sixth despite being spun alongside Bell after contact from Joey Logano during Stage 2.
Bell’s own race was complicated by a pit-road speeding penalty before that spin. He recovered to 10th, one lap behind. NASCAR’s post-race championship analysis says Bell moved ahead of Hamlin for second in the standings but remains 67 points behind Larson. Hamlin is 70 points back.
Larson remains in control before Homestead
Larson did not clinch the championship at Martinsville, but his advantage remains substantial with one race left. The Cup Series finale is scheduled for Sunday, November 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the race set for 3 p.m. Eastern.
The arithmetic still leaves Bell and Hamlin in contention, but both need a major points swing. NASCAR quoted Hamlin describing a 70-point deficit as unrealistic, while Bell pointed to lost opportunities earlier in the Chase as the larger reason for his position.
Byron is no longer eligible for the championship, so his Martinsville win changes the race record rather than the title field. It nevertheless ended a winless season at the penultimate event and gave him consecutive victories in Martinsville’s fall Cup race.
For more from the weekend, see Chiefs Review’s reports on Carson Kvapil’s Saturday Martinsville victory and Kimi Antonelli clinching the 2026 Formula 1 title.
Featured image: Archive portrait of William Byron during driver introductions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October 2026. It does not show the Martinsville race. Photo by TaurusEmerald, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; source file.
