“We didn’t have any hiccups”: Kyle Larson makes his feelings known after outdueling Christopher Bell on points in Martinsville

Kyle Larson, who locked up the final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, reflected on outdueling Christopher Bell following a clean race at Martinsville Speedway. He beat the Joe Gibbs Racing driver by seven points after picking up 49 points (17 from stages) on Sunday.

Larson finished 5th in the Round of 8 finale race at the 5.26-mile short track in Virginia. He posted a third-place finish in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2, which helped build the cushion he needed. Bell had a bit of an edge over the Hendrick Motorsports driver, but suffered a similar fate as in the last playoffs. He finished seventh and scored 41 points, including 11 from stages during the race.

"I recognized that we were better than Christopher in car performance, and we were in front of him all night. ... Our team did a great job. We didn't have any hiccups, really. I definitely could have had some better restarts, but like I said, when I outscored Christopher, I was just playing it a little bit easy and wanting to just tuck in line and go from there. We had a good long run car," Kyle Larson said, via Racer.

Larson also had the stronger position. He qualified third while Bell started 12th. The better starting slot gave Larson track position and let him stay ahead.

"I feel content with the results. The four are legitimate contenders. Whoever the champion is, it's going to be well-deserving," Christopher Bell said, via ESPN.

Meanwhile, William Byron won his third race of the season at Martinsville after he paced the field through both stages. The No. 24 Chevy driver led all 130 laps in Stage 2 and crossed the checkered flag 0.717 seconds ahead of Ryan Blaney.

"Our short track package has gotten way better" - Kyle Larson on heading to Phoenix

Kyle Larson will join his teammate William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe in the championship race at Phoenix Raceway. The 2021 NASCAR Cup driver will move on with a 23-race winless streak. His third and last win of the season so far came at Kansas in May.

Larson has the second-best average finish after Byron among other Championship 4 contenders at Phoenix. He had a third-place finish there earlier this season. But the 33-year-old does not have a win there in the last seven races, unlike Chase Briscoe and Byron, who won the spring race at the Arizona oval in 2022 and 2023.

"I felt like we were decent there earlier this year, and I think our short track package has gotten way better," Kyle Larson said.

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race will start at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 2.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam