Ryan Blaney wins Xfinity 500 at Martinsville, advances to Championship 4

For the first time in his career, Ryan Blaney is headed to the Championship 4 in Phoenix for a shot at the Bill France Cup. Blaney gets his first-ever Martinsville win and locks himself into the NASCAR championship race. It was an excellent drive from start to finish.

The second week in a row where Ryan Blaney appeared to have the best car. This week he finished the race off. Blaney had to battle Aric Almirola in the end. He fought off Denny Hamlin, driving through traffic quicker and more efficiently. It was a championship-level performance from the Team Penske driver.

An unusually hot Halloween weekend in Martinsville, Blaney powered through it.

Blaney, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and William Byron will race for a championship next Sunday.

"Let's go race for a championship."

REPOST to congratulate Ryan @Blaney for WINNING at Martinsville and securing a #Championship4 spot! pic.twitter.com/PpKSkTFyoG

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 29, 2023

Ryan Blaney has now won two races in the NASCAR Playoffs. His win at Martinsville comes after a lot of great runs there, but he had never gotten the job done. That is, until now. He’s going to give Team Penske a shot at back-to-back championships.

Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Chris Buescher were eliminated from the NASCAR Playoffs. They were unable to get enough points or win to advance.

Ryan Blaney outlasts Denny Hamlin on the long run

This really came down to Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin battling in the final stage. Blaney kept himself within distance. When he was able to catch Hamlin in traffic, he began to work his way around the field. Hamlin at times seemed distracted with what was going on behind him. But he was focused on winning this race.

He had a car that was better in the long run and he drove a great race. The tire and fuel strategy ended up working. Even though both drivers gave up track position, it paid off. At least, for Blaney it did. Hamlin finishes third overall, but it isn’t enough. Even with Byron struggling to be in the top-15 today, he had a big enough points cushion to advance.

Byron won Phoenix earlier in the season. However, I’m not sure he is the favorite. Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney are both very good at Phoenix. Blaney perhaps more than Larson. Then there is Bell, but he hasn’t shown great speed at the championship track.

If you made me pick a champion right now, I’d say Kyle Larson. However, a Ryan Blaney championship would not shock me in the slightest. After all, Dale Jr. picked him to start the playoffs. And in Dale, we trust, folks.