For years, those following the careers of Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell have anticipated a head-to-head matchup between the two drivers—on asphalt.
With two berths in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 Race on the line, it’s a given that the two stars will pay close attention to each other in Sunday’s high-stakes Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Bell comes to Martinsville 37 points above the current elimination line for the Championship 4. Larson is one point behind Bell.
If those margins seem comfortable, think again. If one of the four drivers below the cut line—William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney or Chase Elliott—happens to win on Sunday, only one spot will be available on points.
All four drivers on the outside are former Martinsville winners. Both Elliott in 2020 and Blaney in 2023 won at Martinsville to qualify for the Championship 4 and went on to win the Cup title.
For practical purposes, to ensure a run for a possible championship Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway, either Bell or Larson simply must score more points than the other at the historic 0.526-mile short track.
And thus continues a rivalry that dates to heated competition on dirt tracks more than a decade ago. Bell won three straight Chili Bowl Nationals midget titles, for example, before Larson claimed his first in 2020.
“I think the 20 (Bell) is the most important car for us on the track—and probably vice-versa,” Larson said on Wednesday during a Zoom conference with reporters. “If either one of us outscores the other, we’re guaranteed a spot in the final four, regardless of who else wins.
“But you don’t want to spend too much focus on him either, but I think the majority of it revolves around Bell.”
Though there are far-fetched scenarios that could eliminate Bell and Larson on points, the drivers below the line are looking at their prospects realistically.
Byron is 36 points behind Larson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. Logano, the defending series champion, is 38 points back.
“It’s all or nothing,” a disappointed Logano said after finishing 16th last Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. “Stage points aren’t going to matter. Nothing’s going to matter. We’re too far back. We’ve just got to go win.”
After spinning in the final 400 yards and finishing 25th at Talladega, Byron feels the same.
“It’s not ideal, but we know what we have to do this weekend,” he said. “The only option is to win. The last two weeks, not having a better finish for how well we were running is what hurts.
“All focus is on Martinsville and how we can run up front all day. The fall there hasn’t been the strongest for us, but I do think we’ve made a lot of strides on that package.”
Blaney trails Larson by 47 points, with Elliott 62 points behind in an absolute must-win situation.
Blaney has won the last two Playoff races at Martinsville. Elliott hasn’t triumphed there since his championship season in 2020.
-NASCAR Wire
