Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell will be the four drivers in the fight for a NASCAR Cup Series Championship next Sunday.
The latter in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota took the chequered flag in spectacular fashion around Martinsville Speedway, passing Chase Briscoe with just five laps remaining to win the Xfinity 500.
This was Bell’s third victory of the season and his second in a must-win situation. His win at the Bank of America Roval 400 in Charlotte saw him scarcely miss elimination from championship contention.
“The driver is just a small piece of the puzzle for these races,” said Bell.
“The reason why this car won today is because it was the best car on the racetrack.
“This entire 20 group, they just never give up.
“When our back is against the wall [and it] looks like it’s over, they show up and give me the fastest car out here.”
Chastain took a slightly stranger move to clinch his championship spot, propelling himself up the wall and riding it through Turns 3 and 4 on the last lap to move himself from 10th to fifth.
The Trackhouse Racing driver would be reclassified fourth once Brad Keselowski was disqualified from that position when his car failed to make minimum weight in post-race inspections.
Regardless, Chastain pushed Denny Hamlin out of the Round of 4 by just a handful of points.
“I made the choice, grabbed fifth gear down the back,” he said.
“Fully committed. Basically, let go of the wheel, hoping I didn’t catch the Turn 4 access gate or something crazy.
“But I was willing to do it.”
“I just cannot believe that we have the chance to go fight for a championship,” added Chastain.
“All we ask for is a chance. We kept our world small this year so far.”
Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top three, ahead of Chastain and Hamlin once Car #6 was disqualified.
Phoenix Raceway will see both Logano and Elliott vying for a second Cup Series Championship whilst Chastain and Bell will be aiming for their first.
Bubba Wallace was back in the #45 23XI Racing Toyota and ended up classified in eighth position after a one-race ban prevented him from being in the car around Miami-Homestead.
After speaking with media, Wallace said he learnt his lesson from his on-track altercation with Larson in Texas and called for consistency in addressing such matters.
Tyler Reddick exited his car in Stage 2 and was evaluated in infield medical after voicing concerns of sickness over the radio.
Hamlin won both Stages in the Xfinity 500 but crossed the finish line in fifth position after Larson rocketed past in the final corners to take the NASCAR Cup Series Championship spot from the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
The other three championship contenders of Briscoe, Blaney and William Byron were ousted from the playoffs after failing to overcome deep points deficits in the Martinsville Race.
The Round of 4 finale will be set around Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 6 at 15:00 local time/Monday 07:00 AEDT to crown the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion.
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