Byron Leads 362 Laps to Win at Martinsville, Ending 35-Race Drought
On November 1, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Henry County, Virginia, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron won the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 in the No. 24 Chevrolet, ending a 35-race winless streak. It was Byron's first win of the season and his first in more than a year; his previous victory also came at Martinsville. Byron led 362 laps in this race — more than he had led across the previous 34 races combined. It was the 17th Cup Series win of his career and his fourth time taking home Martinsville's signature grandfather clock trophy.
After green-flag pit stops in the final stage, Byron passed Chase Briscoe with 74 laps to go to retake the lead and held it to the finish. Chase Elliott finished second, Ty Gibbs third, Josh Berry fourth and Shane van Gisbergen fifth. Points leader Kyle Larson finished ninth and could not clinch the championship at this race; he heads into next week's finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 67-point lead over Christopher Bell. Bell and Denny Hamlin are the only other drivers still alive for the title; each would need to win the finale and hope Larson has a disastrous day. Ryan Blaney spun on lap 253 after twice making contact with Josh Berry, fell 57 laps down, and was eliminated from championship contention.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 弗吉尼亚州马丁斯维尔赛道（资料图）。Zach Catanzareti摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Martinsville Speedway in Virginia (file photo). Photo by Zach Catanzareti, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
