Martinsville Speedway always demands precision, and no one knew that more than Ryan Blaney on Sunday. Kyle Petty captured it perfectly right after the checkers flew: “One of his best performances ever.” Starting from 31st after a tough qualifying, Blaney clawed his way forward, methodically and with patience in the early stages, to build momentum. His No. 12 Ford is moving with perfection through traffic, turning into a real threat.

By the midway point, Blaney had the lead and held it strong for 177 laps, showing the kind of control that keeps veterans like Petty nodding in approval. But William Byron’s No. 24 Chevy proved too sharp in the end, but Blaney’s charge kept the crowd on edge until the final restart. It’s runs like these that remind you why short-track racing hooks you, pure grit under pressure. Yet Petty saw something deeper in that effort, a performance that stood tall even without the payoff.

Kyle Petty lauds Blaney’s epic charge

In an X post shared by Steve Letarte, Kyle Petty zeroed in on Blaney‘s heroics. The X post started with Blaney’s own words from the track: “Starting where we did and making the ground that we made early was really impressive. Getting the lead was great, and yeah, 24 is just a little better than us at the end.” That summed up a day where Blaney, hampered by a 31st-place start due to qualifying woes, methodically gained momentum by the end of Stage 1.

A NEW Inside the Race is out Now: https://t.co/Qu96t5DJZQ pic.twitter.com/aLHoLUK0iT

— Steve Letarte (@SteveLetarte) October 27, 2025

From there, he commanded 272 laps, leading a race-high 177 laps in a must-win scenario after shaky outings at Las Vegas and Talladega. Petty jumped in, amplifying the awe: “We saw William Byron put it on the pole, and we saw where the 12 of Ryan Blaney started, and he had to overcome that… I would have never believed he could have driven through the pack the way he drove through the pack like that.”

It’s no small feat. Martinsville‘s paperclip layout punishes mistakes, and Blaney’s clean passes through lapped traffic echoed his two prior wins there in 2023 and 2024, while nearly netting

The turning point came with 43 laps left, as Byron dove low in Turn 1, bumping Blaney’s left rear to surge ahead in heavy traffic. Blaney held second but couldn’t make a pass on Byron after that, especially after his tires faded quicker on the long green run. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler noted they left Byron just enough lane, but the contact—described by Blaney as “two guys going for it”—flipped the script.

Petty’s praise hit harder here; despite the miss, Blaney’s composure under playoff pressure, fending off Chase Elliott for second, showcased veteran savvy. He nearly extended Team Penske’s Martinsville dominance, where they’ve won the last two fall races, but Byron’s 304-lap lead sealed his Championship 4 spot by seven points over Christopher Bell.

Blaney owned the heartbreak post-race, telling reporters, “It’s a shame we’re not going to Phoenix as part of the Championship 4. We’ll be doing the best we can to finish the year out strong.” That raw edge reflected a driver who’d poured everything into a comeback that fell 0.717 seconds short.

Entering Martinsville 47 points behind the cutline, Blaney knew only a win would do to seal his championship berth. Nashville, Daytona, and New Hampshire victories earlier had kept hopes alive, but the pressure mounted. Petty’s nod to it as “one of his best ever” underscores the respect: Blaney didn’t just race; he inspired, turning a back-of-the-pack start into a front-row battle that had impressed everyone despite falling short of the title.

Blaney’s fire now shifts to regular-season closure, but the Round of 8 claimed more than one contender.

The Heartbroken from Martinsville

Ryan Blaney wasn’t alone in the agony; Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Christopher Bell all packed up early, too, each undone by small cracks in big moments. Blaney’s fade in traffic cost him the lead he desperately needed, dropping 57 points below the cutoff despite that runner-up push.

Logano, his Penske teammate, started strong from fourth but got trapped in dirty air after a Stage 2 pit shuffle, finishing 49 points below the cutline after entering Martinsville with a cushion. Elliott climbed to third but lost track position in wrecks, ending 63 points back, while Bell’s handling woes left him seventh.

Logano captured the frustration plainly: “We just weren’t fast enough. We pitted in the middle of the second stage… and that’s what let the 12 get up there, and then you just kind of get stuck in dirty air.” His No. 22 faded mid-race, unable to match the Hendrick duo’s pace. Coming off only a Texas win this season, Logano’s early speed evaporated on worn tires, a reminder of how Martinsville rewards adaptability over raw power.

Bell echoed the handling grind: “We just weren’t strong enough at Martinsville this weekend.” Starting 12th with a 37-point lead, his No. 20 Toyota loosened up as the race went deeper, costing positions in the final stage. Elliott, meanwhile, battled back from a lap down but couldn’t bridge the gap. These exits sting for title hopefuls, setting up a Phoenix finale without them, but they fuel next year’s fire.