Byron, Gray Win at Martinsville; Championship Spots Set

At Martinsville Speedway, William Byron bumped Ryan Blaney with 43 laps remaining to win the NASCAR Cup Series race and clinch a Championship 4 berth, with Blaney finishing second. Kyle Larson secured the final Cup Championship 4 spot and will join Byron, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe in the Nov. 2 title race at Phoenix Raceway; Hamlin and Briscoe experienced mechanical problems at Martinsville but remained qualified based on earlier results. In the Xfinity Series race, Taylor Gray captured his first national-series victory in overtime at Martinsville, holding off Sammy Smith. Carson Kvapil narrowly clinched the final Xfinity Championship 4 spot despite a late spin, joining Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier and Connor Zilisch, while Brandon Jones, Sam Mayer, Sheldon Creed and Smith were eliminated amid late-race incidents and a postrace confrontation between Harrison Burton and Sam Mayer.