MARTINSVILLE, Va. — A hit from William Byron sent Ryan Blaney up the track at Martinsville Speedway and ultimately led to his elimination from the playoffs. Yet, the former Cup Series champion understood the move.
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He understood the prize at stake and what NASCAR's playoff format requires from its drivers.
"Just tight racing," Blaney said. "I knew it was gonna be three-wide. I was trying to protect. He was taking a run. I'd have done the same thing."
Blaney, who started 31st, had the lead after working his way through the field with one of the best cars in the field. He just needed to lead the final 44 laps to lock up his third consecutive trip to the Championship 4.
He did not have the opportunity. As Blaney raced next to Ty Dillon, Byron pulled beneath him and made contact with the left side of Blaney's No. 12. Ford. This hit sent Blaney up the track, and put Byron in control of the race.
"We were picking through lap traffic and it's easy to kind of lose momentum and he saw an opportunity and took it," Blaney said. "I don't blame him. I know it was tight.
"I haven't really seen a replay of how much room he had or not, I don't really know, I just knew it was gonna be tight. I got the worst end of it, obviously, but it's two guys racing for the win."
Unlike some other moves at Martinsville in the past, this contact did not wreck Blaney. It just knocked him out of the preferred line. The Team Penske driver had the chance to correct his car and get back into the action.
THERE'S CONTACT!!@WilliamByron takes the lead! pic.twitter.com/OddwgtXYEk
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 26, 2025
This incident proved to be a critical point of the race for the two perennial championship contenders. Both needed to win, but only one could accomplish this.
Blaney attempted to chase Byron back down so that he could repay the favor and try to take back the lead. He just didn't get close enough. His car, while one of the best, began fading on the long run as he used up his rear tires trying to chase his fellow playoff driver.
Byron ultimately won by 0.717 seconds and locked up one of the two remaining spots in the Championship 4. Blaney needed to win to advance, so he saw his playoff run end at the Virginia short track.
"It stinks, but, at the same time, I'm really proud of the effort we put in," Blaney said. "From starting where we did, picking our way through the field as fast as we did early was really great. Going into this weekend, I just wanted a shot to win the race and we had that tonight and it just didn't really play out.
"I know we gave 100% of what we had. Nobody left anything on the table with this group and that's all you can ask for. That's all you can do. The 24 was just a little better than us and they got the job done, so props to them, but, on our side, I'm just proud of the effort. We put up a good fight, but it just wasn't quite enough."
