Byron Sweeps Through Martinsville, Ends 35-Race Drought

By Thomas Hughes, SWN Staff Writer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Nov. 1, 2026) — Sometimes, you get the feeling that a driver will cross the finish line in first before they actually win.

That was the case for Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron, who dominated Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, leading a career-high 362 laps en route to his first victory of the season.

The win marked Byron's fourth grandfather clock, adding to his collection from the fall race a year ago and the spring races in 2022 and 2024.

While his victory appeared inevitable midway through the event, it was also a win long in the making. Byron’s triumph snapped a 35-race winless streak for the No. 24 Chevrolet — he entered the race 11th in the 16-driver Chase standings with two events to go.

“[This year], it's the most I've been at the shop, most I've been in sim, most meetings we've had,” Byron said. “Just has never, never stopped, and you just kind of wake up every Sunday thinking, ‘Man, all right, are we gonna get it turned around today or what?’”

A historically long green flag run – the longest since September 1987, according to NASCAR Insights, paved the way for part of Byron’s dominance, but it stretched further back. Byron swept the first two stages and reclaimed the lead shortly into the final stage.

Teammate Chase Elliott thinned Byron’s lead to one second, but it was as close as he could get. Byron’s No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet crossed the line by 2.049 seconds ahead of Elliott’s No. 9. Across the last two Martinsville fall races, Byron has paced the field for 658 laps, accounting for each of his last two wins.

“Just takes everything — takes a good, good car, takes good communication, good work through traffic,” Byron said. “I don't know if it was one thing that I did, but I think it was 100 things probably that I did, and 100 things that the team did.”

Pole-sitter Denny Hamlin led the opening two laps before Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs took command. Hamlin reclaimed the lead on lap 45, but differing pit strategies soon shook up the running order.

RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece, who elected to stay on track rather than pit for fresh tires, inherited the lead on lap 84 and built an advantage of more than seven seconds. However, Byron's fresher tires allowed him to erase that deficit, passing Preece with six laps remaining in the opening stage.

Byron's dominance continued into the second stage, but the championship contenders behind him experienced vastly different fortunes. In the opening stage, Hamlin and Larson both ran long but neither garnered stage points, and Larson ended in 23rd – one lap down.

Hamlin then pivoted his strategy but was disrupted by a self-spin by Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar.

The caution trapped Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell on pit road, where he was penalized for speeding while entering.

“At that point, we made our bed,” Hamlin said, “and it was a dirty, old stinky bed nobody wanted to be in.”

Hamlin finished sixth and trails Larson by 67 entering the season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

The race's complexion changed again on lap 216 when Team Penske's Joey Logano made contact with Bell entering turn one, sending both Bell and Hamlin spinning.

Although neither sustained race-ending damage, the incident further complicated their afternoons. It also enabled Larson to receive the free pass and return to the lead lap, giving the defending champion an opportunity to claw back ground.

Byron, meanwhile, swept both stages and reclaimed the lead shortly into the final stage. His advantage remained unchallenged as the race settled into the lengthy green-flag stretch.

With 100 laps left, Byron held a 2.3-second advantage over teammate Chase Elliott. The No. 9 Chevrolet gradually chipped away at that margin — closing within one second — but Elliott could get no closer. Byron's No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet ultimately crossed the line 2.049 seconds ahead of Elliott, completing a Hendrick Motorsports sweep of the top two positions.

Byron’s victory at the 0.526-mile short track marked his 17th victory at the Cup level and is the sixth straight year the No. 24 has reached Victory Lane at least once. Moreover, it’s the fourth win for Hendrick Motorsports in the last eight races.

Neither Byron nor Elliott is eligible to take the Bill France Cup next Sunday at Homestead-Miami, but Larson is — and he’s in the driver’s seat.

Larson finished in ninth and can clinch the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 8 if he garners eight or more points. He leads Hamlin by 67 points.

“The day could have been a lot worse, but it’s not locked up either,” Larson said. “Still definitely pressure there. … just mentally staying with it, not only myself but our team. We could have had things get worse, but we stayed locked in.”

Hamlin’s teammate Ty Gibbs finished third, while Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry secured a fourth-place finish, tied for his second-best of the season.

Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen finished fifth, tied for his season-best on an oval, while Hamlin, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Larson and Bell rounded out the top 10. 

NASCAR will conclude its Chase for the Championship at Homestead-Miami on Sunday, Nov. 8, with broadcast coverage airing at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, HBO Max, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.