After 35 grueling races over the past several months, the four drivers who will compete for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series title have been decided. The defending champion Ryan Blaney won Sunday’s race in Martinsville and locked himself in along with Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and William Byron.
Advertisement
However, his victory did not come easy. One of the most intense battles that he fought at the short track was with Kyle Larson. The #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver was leading the field with 25 laps to go. Behind him were his teammate Chase Elliott and Blaney.
Elliott nudged him on the inside and found enough space to pull up alongside him. He then used the inside line to grab the lead and put Larson on the back foot in a vulnerable spot. Sensing the weakness, Blaney quickly pulled the same move as Elliott did.
He shoved the back of Larson’s Camaro multiple times and forced himself alongside before pulling ahead. Larson attempted to retake the position but couldn’t do so.
CHASE ELLIOTT BUMPS KYLE LARSON!
RYAN BLANEY BUMPS KYLE LARSON!ELLIOTT TO FIRST. BLANEY TO SECOND! pic.twitter.com/ReqlsiBFVc
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 3, 2024
Not much later, Blaney ended up taking the lead from Elliott. Unfortunately, the points haul wasn’t enough for Larson nor Elliott to advance to the Championship 4. So, did the late sequence anger Larson?
He was asked about it in his post-race interview and the driver cleared the air on his stand. He said, “It is fair. Super fair. If it was anything, it was foul… what I did. Shoving him back through the other end of the race track. You know, Chase had passed me. So, I am trying to buy him as much time as I can to help. It just wasn’t enough. The No. 12 was superfast. Congrats to Ryan and his team.”
How did Larson get eliminated despite being the championship favorite?
Larson has won six races this year, which is twice what any other driver has achieved. His failure to progress further magnifies the criticisms that many have been repeatedly placing on the sport’s format. But his downfall did not come without his own faults either.
He admitted this after getting knocked out and said, “We had 20 [bonus points] more than the next guy to start this round. We just had two unfortunate races. In Vegas, all the issues we had there and then Homestead with the flat, the damage underneath the car made it a fight. You just can’t have two bad races in the Round of 8.”
He finished 14th in the earlier race at Phoenix. The hope now will be to play spoiler in the finale and reach victory lane to grab his seventh win. He will be back at Daytona once again in 2025 to with hopes to dominate the year and possibly grab his second championship.
