Taylor Gray had been in this position before: leading a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway on the final lap with Sammy Smith behind him.

Talk about perfect timing. William Byron, one of four drivers realistically needing a victory at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the Championship 4 race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, picked the ideal moment to win his first pole position at the historic short track.

William Byron picked a good time for his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Martinsville Speedway, qualifying first for a race that he is treating as a must-win.

Facing a must-win situation, William Byron earned a critical pole position at Martinsville Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver lapped the half-mile short track in 19.286s, beating Ty Gibbs by just fractions — 0.002s — for pole.

Chase Elliott led practice for the NASCAR Cup Series elimination race at Martinsville Speedway, which he goes into needing to win to advance.Elliott (P) put down a lap of 95.796mph (19.767s). The Hendrick Motorsports driver does have one prior win at Martinsville Speedway – the 2020 elimination race.

Kaden Honeycutt’s runner-up finish Friday night at Martinsville Speedway was enough to secure the final spot in next week’s Championship 4 by a tiebreaker.

Corey Heim prevailed in overtime to win his 11th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race of the season Friday at Martinsville Speedway. Heim, along with Tyler Ankrum, Ty Majeski and Kaden Honeycutt will race for the championship next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.