Motorsport photo Nick DeGroot Mon, November 2, 2026 at 5:34 PM UTC · 6 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just one race remains in the 2026 NASCAR Cup season. Kyle Larson is extremely close to locking up the championship, with Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin are a distant -67pts and -70pts behind in the standings, respectively.
And while Martinsville wasn't a perfect race for Larson, his closest rivals faltered as well, and Hendrick Motorsports still ruled the day. William Byron earned his first win of the 2026 season, leading a 1-2 finish with teammate Chase Elliott .
Sunday's race also featured some questionable brake-checking, and hurt feelings as a result of that. Here's the biggest winners and losers from the second-to-last Cup race of the season at Martinsville:
2026 has been a difficult year for the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Byron hadn't won since Martinsville in the fall of 2025, and slipped down to 14th in the standings just two weeks ago. But after a runner-up finish at Talladega, h e absolutely dominated Martinsville for his fourth win at the historic short track, leading 362 of 500 laps. That's more laps than Byron had led in the entire season combined before this past weekend. The victory also vaulted him up to ninth in the standings, and in a year where frustrations were high for both Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle, it's a huge relief to end things on such a positive note.
William Byron and Rudy Fugle really needed this one
William Byron ends NASCAR Cup win drought as Kyle Larson denied early title clinch
Larson was not at his best at Martinsville, and failed to score a single stage point. He even fell a lap down after a no-stop strategy in Stage 1, but unfortunately for JGR, they failed to capitalize. Hamlin and Briscoe scored no stage points, while Bell scored eight before a speeding penalty. Bell and Hamlin were then involved in an incident together after contact from Logano, and it was just a messy day. Hamlin gained just three points on Larson, while Bell gained only seven points. After the race, Hamlin kept saying how they failed to capitalize, and believes there's no realistic path for him or Bell to the crown.
Denny Hamlin calls NASCAR title comeback "unrealistic" after Martinsville
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
The No. 5 team once again made the most out of a race where things didn't go their way, getting back on the lead lap and securing a ninth-place finish. It wasn't quite enough to clinch early, but just eight stage points next weekend would be enough to secure him the championship mid-race. This has felt inevitable for weeks at this point, as the duo of Larson and Daniels are performing at such an impressive level. They just need to avoid an early exit next weekend.
It's all over but the dog and pony show as Kyle Larson nears third Cup
Watch: Logano bummed after Martinsville: 'We lost as a team'
While it was an average day for the main title contenders, Logano suddenly found himself in position to gain a lot of points. He even had a shot at challenging for the win, but we'll never know if he could have gotten Byron after two disastrous pit stops late in the race. As he later said, "they were trying to give it to us and we gave it right back." F irst, he had to make an additional stop to tighten a wheel, and later dragged a crew member out of the pit box as he struggled to pull a wrench out of the rear window. Logano finished a disappointing 18th, and is officially eliminated from title contention. However, he still has a chance to reach as high as second in the standings, which is wild considering how far behind this team was at the beginning of the summer.
Joey Logano eliminated from NASCAR title fight: "They were trying to give it to us"
While Ross Chastain led the way for Trackhouse throughout the race, an issue on the final pit stop dropped him outside the top ten. That cleared the way for SVG to pick up the torch, and he really impressed over the course of the long green-flag runs. He marched from 29th on the grid to finish fifth, securing his third oval top five of the 2026 season and making himself the biggest mover of the race. In his post-race comments, SVG also hinted at 'big changes' coming to Trackhouse in the off-season, and if that No. 97 can get faster, it's clear he can be a real threat at ovals with what he's learned.
Shane van Gisbergen charges from 29th to fifth at Martinsville
Ryan Preece spins, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
Preece was enjoying a great race in the No. 60 car, leading 41 laps and running comfortably inside the top five. Unfortunately, it all went wrong on Lap 226 as he spun from fourth with a loose wheel, upending his day. Preece finished 28th, and spent the rest of the race thinking about the opportunity RFK let slip away at Martinsville.
Watch: In-car cameras capture heated Hocevar-Cindric clash at Martinsville
It was not a good day for the No. 77 team. After struggling for pace, Hocevar triggered the first natural caution of the race, spinning on his own in the middle of a green-flag pit stop cycle. Some teams even suspected the spin was intentional, which Hocevar denied. But the real low light of the race came soon after, as he repeatedly brake-checked Austin Cindric until he delivered race-ending damage to the Penske driver. They weren't even battling for position. He later denied any intent there, and drew the ire of Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett with his flippant attitude while making post-race comments about the incident.
Carson Hocevar denies intent in Austin Cindric clash: "We were just having fun"
Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett blast Carson Hocevar: "That's not racing"
Carson Hocevar responds as rivals accuse him of spinning out on purpose Read Also:
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Martinsville II
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Martinsville Chase race
Watch: Race Rewind: Byron reprises fall win at Martinsville
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Source: Sports
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