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William Byron wins Martinsville pole, full NASCAR Cup Series qualifying results

JHby: Jonathan Howard12 hours agoJondean25
William Byron NASCAR
Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

In a big weekend for William Byron and his Championship 4 hopes, he wins the Cup Series pole award at Martinsville. Byron doesn’t have to win to advance, but winning makes everything so much simpler.

Ryan Blaney is going to start P31. He has a ton of work to do. Denny Hamlin qualified very well, but he might have to go to the rear for repairs. It was a mixed bag for the drivers in the NASCAR Playoffs.

William Byron is going to lead the field to green on Sunday. Can he do what he has to do to advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix?

The drivers who are not named Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe are all racing for their season on Sunday. They have all made it this far, and in each of their minds, they are supposed to be one of the two other drivers moving on to Phoenix.

William Byron is going to start off P1. He doesn’t have to win, but if Kyle Larson or Christopher Bell don’t wreck in the first few laps, then he will have to win. He will have the starting position, he will have the pit box, but will he have the car to make it 500 laps and finish where he started?

We know how good Hendrick can be at Martinsville. Will we see that again this time around or will it be Ryan Blaney’s race to win again? The tires are falling off a good amount, and this might be a more old-school short-track race. Full qualifying results below:

William Byron has to have his playoff moment

There have been times in the NASCAR Playoffs where drivers have stepped up to the moment. We have seen what drivers and teams are willing to do to succeed in this format. Being that it is Martinsville weekend, everyone will be reminded of the 2022 race.

It wasn’t just Ross Chastain making a big move in that race. Christopher Bell won that race for his second walk-off win of those playoffs. He won the Roval in a must-win position, and then he won at Martinsville in a similar position.

Ryan Blaney in his championship season, when he won at Martinsville, that was a massive moment. There have been big performances by Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and others in past championship runs.

Is this the weekend that William Byron has his playoff moment? He really hasn’t had that moment in his career so far. In fact, Byron only has one win in the postseason in his career. The only win he has had in the final 10 races of the season was at Texas in 2023. He finished 3rd overall that season with a P4 finish at Phoenix where he started on the pole.

We have not seen Byron have his big moment in this format. Right now, he is being handed a golden opportunity with his pole award and his pit stall selection. Is this the moment where he meets expectations and wins his way into a third straight Championship 4?