By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
A pair of Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas and a pair of Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets will vie for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship next Sunday at Phoenix Raceway – the four-team title card settled in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway which certainly delivered the drama – again – in deciding which four drivers earned the chance to race for the big trophy.
Up front it was ultimately a duel between Hendrick’s William Byron and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney – the race settled on a daring late-laps, three-wide pass that will put the regular season champion Byron among the four racing for a win.
Byron will compete against Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe who each claimed a win in the previous two races in this penultimate Playoff round and his Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson, who advanced based on his place in the points standings and is the only one among the four title-contenders to have previously won a championship (2021).
Larson’s fifth-place finish Sunday was enough to give him a seven-point edge over another Gibbs driver, seventh-place finisher Christopher Bell for that final points-transfer position. It is the second consecutive year that Bell – a four-race winner this season including the spring stop at Phoenix – has been the “first out,” just shy of advancing to a championship chance.
“Just seemed like we were lacking a little bit of long run pace,’’ said Bell, who started 12th in the field, ran primarily among the top-10 but did not lead any laps.
“I felt whenever we got the balance close at times I could take off on tires and do okay and make some passes, maintain my position. Then the consistent theme of the day was just falling backwards as the tires got old.
“We just weren’t strong enough at Martinsville this weekend. We practiced in the teens, we qualified in the teens, and kind of raced back there most of the day. I feel content with the results. I think the four going there are legitimate contenders. Whoever the champion is, it’s going to be well-deserved.”
Three former champions also saw their multi-title bids end prematurely. Penske drivers Ryan Blaney, the 2023 champion, his teammate reigning series champion Joey Logano and Hendrick’s Chase Elliott (2020) will not be among the four contending for the championship despite all turning in top-10 efforts Sunday. Their position in the points standings entering the race had meant all three would have to win Sunday’s race to advance and Byron, who led 304 laps dominated much of the day.
It will mark the first time in four years the three-time reigning champion Team Penske has not had a driver among the four battling the championship trophy. Reigning series champ Logano has won three of the last seven series titles (2018, 2022, 2024) with Blaney claiming the trophy in 2023 and ultimately, Sunday, coming a mere .717-second away from earning another shot.
“Just two guys going for it and I don’t blame him,’’ Blaney said of the three-wide move Byron made in traffic to get around Blaney for good with 44 laps remaining. “I would have done the same thing.
“I’m just so proud of the effort of this 12-group. Starting where we did and making up the ground we did was impressive. The 24 was just a little better than us at the end.
“Shame we’re not going to Phoenix as part of the Championship 4 but we’ll be doing the best we can to finish the year out strong,’’ Blaney added. “I’m just proud. The 12 guys gave a 100 percent of what they had and that’s really all you can ever ask for, it just wasn’t quite enough tonight.
Elliott ran up front all day and finished third – on Blaney’s rear bumper – but even that effort was not enough this season to put the one-race winner and perennial Most Popular Driver in the Championship 4.
Logano, who finished eighth, was obviously disappointed, acknowledging his car was just never truly trophy-bound Sunday.
“Bummed,’’ Logano conceded of the outcome. “I don’t know if there’s another word for it. I’m just bummed that one of us didn’t make it. Everyone works hard enough to deserve to be there. We just couldn’t get the job done today, or really the last three races. That’s what it comes down to. The four there deserve to be there. That’s how I always look at it and this year we didn’t.’’
Practice for the NASCAR Championship Race at the one-mile Phoenix oval is next Friday at 5:35 p.m. ET. Busch Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday with the green flag for the season finale flying Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
