The final elimination race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season was dominated by William Byron who led more than 300 laps from pole position at Martinsville Speedway Sunday afternoon to break his way into the final four that will race for the championship next week at Phoenix Raceway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver made his intentions clear from the time his car was unloaded, placing in the top 10 in practice and then snagging pole position over Ty Gibbs. From the race start, Byron seized control, ultimately forcing his way past Ryan Blaney to take the lead for the final time with less than 50 laps remaining. His all-important win meant only one driver could advance to the finale on points, and Kyle Larson was the one who got the job done over Christopher Bell. The Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets were the ones to beat all weekend and Larson put his car ahead of Bell in every stage of the race as well as the finish, earning him the final spot available in the championship fight, which will make it a Joe Gibbs Racing versus Hendrick Motorsports tussle for the title.
With the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway on deck, the four championship protagonists will be planning strategies and burning the midnight oil to put their best packages forward. Joe Gibbs Racing may have the advantage with Christopher Bell's win at the track in March, but Hendrick's William Byron levelled a shot across their bow with such a
The final elimination race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season was dominated by William Byron who led more than 300 laps from pole position at Martinsville Speedway Sunday afternoon to break his way into the final four that will race for the championship next week at Phoenix Raceway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver made his intentions clear from the time his car was unloaded, placing in the top 10 in practice and then snagging pole position over Ty Gibbs. From the race start, Byron seized control, ultimately forcing his way past Ryan Blaney to take the lead for the final time with less than 50 laps remaining. His all-important win meant only one driver could advance to the finale on points, and Kyle Larson was the one who got the job done over Christopher Bell. The Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets were the ones to beat all weekend and Larson put his car ahead of Bell in every stage of the race as well as the finish, earning him the final spot available in the championship fight, which will make it a Joe Gibbs Racing versus Hendrick Motorsports tussle for the title.
With the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway on deck, the four championship protagonists will be planning strategies and burning the midnight oil to put their best packages forward. Joe Gibbs Racing may have the advantage with Christopher Bell's win at the track in March, but Hendrick's William Byron levelled a shot across their bow with such a convincing win last week at Martinsville. The stage is set and the championship finale is up next as the 2025 NASCAR Cup season races toward its conclusion next week at Phoenix.
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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings After Martinsville
1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: 1
The best thing about securing a championship entry early is the flexibility to try some things out before the all-important championship finale. At Talladega, Hamlin spent much of the race staying out of the way to avoid getting caught up, and potentially injured, in that track's notorious crashes. Then last week at Martinsville the team learned what not to do with their engines. Hamlin's Toyota gave up in a plume of smoke with less than 150 laps remaining in the race and about 40 laps after teammate Chase Briscoe's engine also failed. While he would rather be taking the momentum of a race win into another shot at his first championship next week, Hamlin and the No. 11 team have learned a lot over the past two weeks that can hopefully give them reliability and speed next week at Phoenix.
2. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24
Last Week: 5
Last week's trip to Martinsville saw the long awaited surge from William Byron and the No. 24 team. In past seasons, Byron and team rose to new levels in the playoffs, but they left it late this season. However, Byron now holds significant momentum heading into the championship finale. The Hendrick Motorsports driver started on pole and dominated Sunday's race, leading 304 of 500 laps, sweeping stage victories along the way. In the final miles, with Ryan Blaney leading the race, Byron was not to be denied and forced his way forward to nudge the Team Penske driver out of the way, clearing Byron to take the lead for the final 44 laps. After starting the year in the best possible way with a Daytona 500 win, Byron struggled to find consistent race-winning form, but he may now have discovered it at the perfect moment.
3. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: 4
With two top-five finishes from the final three-race round of playoff eliminations, Larson did what he needed to advance to the championship finale, edging out Christopher Bell by just seven points. The championship race will be Larson's third in the last five seasons, and he is the only prior series champion racing for the 2025 title next week. With the winner-take-all format of this race, Larson will have to be at his best and simply finish higher than the other three contenders, which is easier said than done. At Phoenix, Larson won in 2021 to claim his first championship but also finished third or fourth in four of the last five races at the track. With just a little improvement, Larson could land his second title, but he and the team will have to be inch perfect to do so against the toughest competition all season.
4. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Last Week: 4
Briscoe's superb playoff form hit a speedbump at Martinsville. With his Toyota engine expiring just before the 300-lap mark, Briscoe's ninth-place start and top-10 finish in the second stage turned into a 37th-place DNF. The result was his worst of the season and means a run for the championship next week at Phoenix will have to be a turnaround effort. Unfortunately, including Martinsville, Briscoe has three finishes worse than 30th this season and the first of those was at Phoenix. However, the No. 19 has been one of the best in the field since the playoffs began and his team has a record of past success at Phoenix. This will be his first appearance in the championship finale in his first season with JGR. No matter what, the future looks bright for him and the No. 19 squad.
5. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: 3
Bell's playoff charge came up short as he was beaten throughout Sunday's defining race by the one car he couldn't let get away. In both stages at Martinsville, Kyle Larson finished ahead of Bell's Toyota. At the end of the day, Bell's seventh-place race finish and lower stage point total was not enough to see him through to the finale with Byron's come-from-behind victory in the playoff battle. As it stands, Bell took four wins, 13 top-fives, and 22 top-10s from what should be considered a successful 2025 season. One of those wins was a dominant win at Phoenix, though. That race, earlier this season, was his third consecutive race at the track leading 50 laps or more, and had Bell advanced, he would likely be a favorite to win his first series title. He may want to go out and show what might have been next week, but his wait for it to be a championship effort will have to wait.
6. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: 6
Blaney's chances of being one of the four championship finalists took a big hit when he qualified just 31st for Sunday's race at Martinsville. When the green flag waved, Blaney and team threw everything they had at the challenge and nearly pulled off the upset, though. Once underway, Blaney picked his way forward and impressively finished inside the top 10 in the first stage. He had the lead at the start of the final stage, but Byron's No. 24 took the top spot away for the final time with less than 50 laps remaining. Blaney wasn't able to get close enough after that pass to attempt a move, and the No. 12's championship hopes came up just a single position short at the finish. Sunday's advancement scenario was an unlikely one, but Blaney and team made a serious run of things, which is the sign of a championship-caliber team.
7. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: 8
After an early exit at Talladega, Elliott was facing a must-win situation at Martinsville to advance among the final four championship contenders. The former champion's day started well with a spot on the second row. Elliott also spent nearly the entire afternoon running among the top five, but in the end he didn't have the speed to get to the lead and left with a third-place finish, which wasn't enough to extend his championship hopes another week. Throughout 2025, Elliott was one of the most consistent competitors, though. His two race wins this season are also his most in a single year since 2022. Elliott and his No. 9 team could be rediscovering their swagger and that could be good news as they build their package for 2026. Grabbing another top Phoenix finish will add to their momentum. Elliott finished 10th there in March.
8. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22
Last Week: 7
Logano lost his chance to defend his championship despite an eighth-place finish Sunday at Martinsville. That finish was his 12th top-10 of the season, but he needed to win to advance and the effort came up short. After a slow start to the season, Logano did get the victory he needed to be in the playoff battle, and the team did well to navigate themselves as far as they did. However, they have just one race win this season and in their two championship years they had four each. While there is plenty to be proud of in 2025, the year wasn't as good as others. There is still one more race to take some confidence from into the winter, though. Logano is a four-time victor at Phoenix and he led 81 laps at the track this past spring. Focus now begins to shift to next season for this team, but a top run next week would put some wind in their sails for winter preparations.
9. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45
Last Week: 9
Reddick's 11th-place finish Sunday at Martinsville was his fifth straight finish of 11th or better, which is one of his most consistent runs of the season, and the team is showing progress in delivering good results from week to week. That is an area they need to improve on for 2026 but they'll also need to visit Victory Lane. The No. 45 is the highest placed team in the standings to not have a race win. This season is shaping up to be the first time since 2021 that Reddick will not score a win, too. He also has fewer top-five and top-10 finishes than any other season in that span. For some, making the playoffs on points or wins would be considered a success, but the No. 45 will view this season as an underachievement. They still have one race left to help change that perception, but Reddick has never won at Phoenix and his spring finish was just 20th.
10. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23
Last Week: 10
Despite a quiet race at Martinsville, Wallace retains his 10th spot in the power rankings. Sunday's 18th-place finish was his fourth top-20 from the last five races, and it takes him into the final race of the season inside the top 10 in the standings. While he won't be racing for the championship, Wallace is going to be racing for his best ever season finish. He is 12 points ahead of Ross Chastain in 11th and 27 points behind Chase Elliott in ninth. Wallace has clearly taken a step forward this season, tying his best ever tallies in top-fives and top-10s, and he added a race win to those totals with a chance to match or beat his best ever season ranking in the standings. He finished just 29th at Phoenix earlier this season, which would add even more fuel to his fire if he can walk away with a top result next week to close out the year.
Knocking on the Door
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing No. 1
Last Week: N/A
Chastain mixed things up with the championship contenders last week at Martinsville, scoring a fourth-place finish and showing that he has no intention of ending the season quietly. Sunday's top-five finish was his first since winning at Charlotte in May, and it sets the No. 1 up for what could be a signature close to the season at Phoenix, where they won in the 2023 season finale. Chastain started 24th at that track earlier this season but drove his way forward to an 11th-place finish. Better qualifying next week could put him in position to race among the championship leaders again in the finale, a position that could give the whole Trackhouse Racing organization confidence heading into the offseason.
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 88
Last Week: N/A
Van Gisbergen continued to raise his bar at ovals with a 14th-place finish Sunday at Martinsville. That finish also came from the 22nd starting spot, which is the third time in the last four ovals that he finished better than he started. In comparison, last time at Martinsville, Van Gisbergen started 33rd and finished 34th. That significant improvement is no longer a one-off phenomenon, and keeping those finishes coming is likely to make him a much more serious championship contender in 2026 and beyond. With his domination on road courses, consistent top-15 finishes on ovals could help him advance deeper into the playoffs with a much higher likelihood of getting to the final. Even with a potential championship format change on the horizon, the improved oval form will be a big boost to the No. 88's rankings in the future.
Ryan Preece, RFK Racing No. 60
Last Week: N/A
Ryan Preece's sixth-place finish last week at Martinsville firmly establishes him as a regular contender whenever the series heads to that track in the future. Sunday's finish was his third Martinsville top-10 from the last four races, and none of those results came from a starting position better than 18th. Perhaps even more impressive is that Sunday's top-10 was also Preece's third from the last four races. This run of good form puts him 29 points behind teammate Chris Buescher with one race remaining in the battle to finish best among the non-playoff drivers. Add teammate Brad Keselowski to the mix and there are three RFK Racing Fords among the top four non-playoff driver standings. While the playoffs are the goal, Preece and the whole RFK organization is showing positive progress to end 2025.
