NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway: Ryan Blaney wins

He has finished in the top five in two of the last three races and finished seventh in the Martinsville spring race. With an average of 9.5, he was the only driver in the playoffs with an average in the top 10.

During his career, he led 377 laps at Martinsville and twice led a race longer than 100 laps. But in his previous trips to Southern Virginia, there was always something stopping him from winning. Bad pit stops, cautions at the end of the race, dust on the field.

Blaney has always been one of Martinsville’s best drivers, and he proved it on Sunday, as there was finally nothing between him and a grandfather clock. The driver of the No. 12 led four times for 145 laps, including the final 22 en route to victory in the Xfinity 500.

With the victory, Blaney automatically clinched a spot in the Cup Series championship next week in Phoenix. He said he has “a lot of joy and a lot of things to be proud of,” as he now prepares to race for his first Cup Series title. This will be his first appearance in the championship after reaching the round of 16 four times during his career.

“It’s nice to accomplish this,” he said. “Now you have a chance to race for a championship, so I hope you do your best next week.” It’s always nice to take the next step in your career, and I think it’s a good step for this group, and for me personally, and I hope we can make the most of it.

Unlike recent fall Martinsville races that saw fireworks at the finish, Sunday’s race ended with 168 consecutive green flag laps. The final caution came on Lap 324 after Michael McDowell spun in Turn 4.

The leaders at the time, including Blaney, who was in the top five, opted to pit, which turned out to be the right strategy as fuel became an issue during the final green flag run. .

Blaney came out ninth on the final restart and gradually eliminated the drivers in front of him with the fastest car in the field. The No. 12 passed leader Aric Almirola in Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 478, and saved fuel the rest of the way by settling into a pack of lap traffic.

“About lap 499, I thought we had a good chance,” Blaney said. “You never know. The last 20 laps, all you’re thinking is that there’s going to be a yellow… It’s going to ruin the whole race. People are going to stay away, people won’t take tires, there will be four warnings to end this thing, I hope you don’t let yourself get moved, spun and ruin your year. That’s the only thing on your mind. Get to the White was like the only thing I was really concerned about at the time.

William Byron clinched the fourth and final playoff spot after finishing 13th on Sunday. Byron came to Martinsville third in the playoff standings, 30 points above the cut line.

Byron, who has six wins this season, called Sunday “our worst race of the year,” and he was visibly shaken when he got out of the car at the finish because he said his fan headset did not work to refresh it. outdoor temperatures close to records.

“When your head is blowing like a hairdryer, it’s really hard,” Byron said. “We train for this. Just try to find a little more. You’re not going to make it, I guarantee you, with plus seven (points) or plus eight, it doesn’t matter. I was going to pass out before I finished or got out of the race.

“Honestly, probably with 50 to go, I felt really bad. I knew when I got out of the car I was just beat. But the result matters more than anything. These guys work so hard. We worked very hard all season. I’m just really proud of them.

Denny Hamlin led a record 156 laps and finished third, but came to Martinsville seventh in the playoff standings and 17 points below the cut line, meaning he probably had to win. He was eliminated by four points.

“Last week’s mechanical power steering failure sealed our fate,” Hamlin said. “I’m really proud of this whole team for showing up today when we really needed it, with probably a mid-50 point day. They did very well. They did an absolutely brilliant job.

“Car 12 was the best today, so congratulations to them. All the last four who made it. It’s going to be awesome. I hate that we’re not in it. I’m definitely happy with the performance we had today. Really everywhere.

Martin Truex Jr., Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher were also eliminated from the playoffs. Truex started the day on pole and led the first 47 laps, but finished 12th.

“If we couldn’t find a way to reverse the position of the track at the pit stops, we would never get there,” Truex said. “Our car was good. The terrain is so tight, so close. Your car drives much worse in traffic.

“I felt like we did really well to get back to where we did. You burn tires much worse out there, in the hot, dirty track, in the dirty air. You are in more rubber. It’s just a dogfight… I don’t know. We made a hell of an effort. I felt like we had a really strong car. I don’t think we could have beaten 12. He was really strong. We were definitely close.

Buescher finished eighth and Reddick 26th.

Blaney and Byron will be joined in the championship by Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, who clinched spots early in the Round of 16 with wins at Las Vegas and Homestead Miami.

The NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Race Way takes place next Sunday at 3 p.m. EST.