The Round of 8 cutoff race at Martinsville Speedway typically produces chaos and heartbreaks. This year’s installment for the NASCAR Cup Series was no different as the field is now set for next Sunday’s Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.
Throughout the 500-lap race, both William Byron and Ryan Blaney were the class of the field, leading a combined total of 481 laps. It was natural the battle for a title opportunity at Phoenix came down to the two and with 44 laps remaining, Byron moved Blaney out of the way to take the lead for good.
In the end, it’s Byron that’ll be fighting for a championship alongside Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson.
Blaney’s bid at a Martinsville three-peat and Team Penske’s bid at a fourth straight championship were over as a result. Joining Blaney in the elimination category were Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano.
Our photographer Will McDermitt was there to capture the moments at Martinsville in the latest installment of “In Pictures”:
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