William Byron has progressed to his second Championship 4 race, in far more controversial circumstances than he will have expected.
The Hendrick Motorsports star was promoted to a spot to contend for the title in the final race nearly half an hour after the Xfinity 500 ended.
Rival driver Christopher Bell was penalised for riding the wall on the final lap, which is a move frowned upon by most of the paddock.
He argued that he had no other safe option, but it was looked on unfavourably and Byron was promoted in his place.
William Byron had ‘hate’ for Martinsville situation
Byron is the most inform driver on the entire grid currently, having finished inside the top six in each of his last six races.
He’s a major threat for the championship and has a chance to deliver his best overall finish in the series, beating his best of third.
Speaking to NBC Sports after the race in Martinsville, he said that despite the joy of advancing, he didn’t like the situation for everyone.
READ MORE: Christopher Bell reveals what his ‘options’ were before losing NASCAR playoffs spot in Martinsville
“Yeah, I’ve never been a part of anything like this, so I don’t really know how to feel. I hate it for everyone involved, but I’m happy for this No. 24 Chevy team.
“I’m happy for us moving on, and we’ll go on and focus on Phoenix. I’ll think about this one here at Martinsville with my team.
“We had a lot of adversity through the second half of the race there. Yeah, I mean, we know what the rules are, right? So it is what it is. I wouldn’t say I’m happy, but I’m excited to race for a championship, that’s for sure.”
Who is favourite to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship?
Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Byron are the four drivers left with a shot of claiming the title in Phoenix.
Kyle Larson was a surprise elimination in Martinsville, as the man with the most wins, stage wins and laps led failed to secure a good enough result to progress.
It’s one less threat for the other guys to deal with, but expect the 2021 champion to be gunning for a victory this weekend to round his season off in style still – especially when he has nothing to lose.
Judging by form, Byron is in prime position, but Logano has the experience of how to win a championship in the latter stages.
Reddick’s best overall finish is sixth, so he isn’t exactly in the know, while Blaney is looking to go back-to-back and win his second.
It makes Reddick more of an outsider, Logano a dark horse with experience and Blaney and Byron the two to watch out for on Sunday.