One Last Chance: Six Drivers Vying for Final Two Championship 4 Spots at Martinsville

Tyler Reddick became the latest driver to officially lock in his berth to the Championship 4 field, which will compete for the Bill France Cup at Phoenix. Reddick joined Las Vegas Motor Speedway race winner Joey Logano with a stirring last-lap performance in the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 23XI Racing driver was the regular season champion this year in the NASCAR Cup Series, but he entered Homestead 30 points below the cutline. With Logano also being a driver, who was slotted below the cutline prior to his win, this has put some hard-hitters well below the cutline with one last chance to work their way into the Championship 4 field.

And it'll all come down to the 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.

Here is a look at the six drivers still looking to secure their place in the Championship 4 field this weekend in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.

Photo Credit: Jonathan McCoy, Overbey Photography

Christopher Bell +29 Points

While no point lead is safe unless it's enough to mathematically clinch you into the next round, Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell has the easiest road to Phoenix Raceway ahead of him this weekend in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Bell is 29 points above the cutline, and he has a solid 22-point advantage over William Byron for the next-to-last spot above the cutline. If a driver below the cutline wins at Martinsville, only one driver will make it into the Championship 4 by way of points.

Despite this only being Bell's fifth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is a grizzled veteran of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs as he has worked his way into the Championship 4 in each of the last two seasons. If Bell can close it out this weekend at Martinsville, he'll extend that streak to three consecutive years.

Bell's Career Stats at Martinsville

William Byron +7 Points

It's been a roller-coaster season for William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team. Through the opening eight races of the 2024 season, nobody was better as Byron piled up three wins and looked like an overwhelming favorite to contend for the championship.

Then, mysteriously, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle lost their way, and the No. 24 team closed out the regular season with three DNFs in the final five races heading into the Playoffs.

After navigating through the Round of 16, it's like a switch was flipped for Byron, as he has reeled off one of the most consistent stretches of races of anyone over the last five races heading into this weekend's contest at Martinsville Speedway.

Byron was second at Kansas Speedway, third at Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte ROVAL, fourth at Las Vegas, and sixth last weekend at Homestead. If he can keep the momentum rolling at a track that he won at earlier in the year, Byron very well could snag his second-consecutive Championship 4 berth on Sunday.

Byron's Career Stats at Martinsville

Kyle Larson -7 Points

If Kyle Larson fails to advance to the Championship 4, his 2024 season will be one of the big what-if questions in NASCAR history. The driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has been without a doubt the best driver this year.

Larson has six wins, three more than the next closest driver. He has led 1,615 laps, which is 613 laps more than anyone else. And he's come through in clutch situations when he's needed to this season.

However, Larson is very high risk, high reward, and last weekend's race at Homestead was a prime example. Larson had a miserable race after an early incident caused by a cut tire in Stage 1. However, after battling all day long to get back in contention, Larson was the fastest car on the track in the closing laps at Homestead, and he was chasing down Ryan Blaney for the lead.

With 13 laps to go, Larson got a big run on Blaney and felt he had to go for it right then. The only problem was he fired his car into a three-wide situation with Blaney and Austin Dillon, a lapped car, and it didn't pay off. Larson went spinning and would finish the day 13th. Admittedly, Larson's best track is not Martinsville Speedway, but the driver has been really good at the 0.526-mile short track since moving to Hendrick Motorsports in 2021.

Does he have another good Martinsville run in him this weekend?

Larson's Career Stats at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin -18 Points

Denny Hamlin was right there with a chance to secure his berth into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he simply couldn't hold off Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney over the final two laps of the race.

Still, Hamlin heads into Martinsville Speedway, where he has five career wins, with something he hasn't had in quite some time; momentum.

Hamlin now has five top-10 finishes over his last six starts, including top-five results at Homestead and Bristol. While having a potential win slip through your grasp is certainly deflating, I think there is a chance it will boost Hamlin, Chris Gabehart, and the No. 11 team rather than send them into Martinsville feeling sorry for themselves.

While Hamlin hasn't won at Martinsville since the 2015 season, he competed admirably in this event last year in a must-win situation. Hamlin led a race-high 156 laps but finished third behind Blaney and Aric Almirola.

Hamlin has a chance to avenge that near-miss this weekend a week after his latest near-miss, which occurred at Homestead.

Hamlin's Career Stats at Martinsville

Ryan Blaney -38 Points

Like Hamlin, Blaney narrowly missed out on a win at Homestead. It was Blaney who held the lead in Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 400 until the final set of turns, where Tyler Reddick somehow gained an extra gear in the high lane, and breezed right past the No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

And like Hamlin, Blaney is very very good at Martinsville Speedway. It was Blaney who used a win at Martinsville last year to launch himself into the Championship 4, where he ultimately captured his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship.

It won't be easy, but Blaney should have a chance to pull off the walk-off win for a Championship 4 berth.

Blaney's Career Stats at Martinsville

Chase Elliott -43 points

While he's the furthest driver down in the championship standings and has just one win on his record this season, don't count Chase Elliott out this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion and six-time Most Popular Driver is feeling quite confident in his No. 9 team, and the performance of Hendrick Motorsports at the 0.526-mile paperclip.

"I'm excited for Martinsville Speedway, should be a good opportunity for us," Elliott said following the race at Homestead, where he finished fifth after leading 81 laps.

When asked how confident he is with Martinsville being a must-win situation for him to move onto the Championship 4, following a race where he led the most laps of any race he's competed in this season, Elliott responded, "Very."

While it hasn't been Elliott's best year, statistically, the driver is finding speed at the right time in the season. Elliott has recorded three top-five finishes over his last six starts.

Elliott's Career Stats at Martinsville