William Byron Dominates Martinsville as Carson Hocevar Sparks More Trouble
One race remains in the 2026 NASCAR season, with the finale set for Homestead. The year has felt less like it flew by and more like a long haul: some good moments, some rough ones, and a few that were simply sad.
Martinsville offered a little of everything. William Byron led 362 laps and won his first race of the season, with Chase Elliott taking second. Kyle Larson finished ninth and now appears to need only to finish at Homestead to secure another championship. It may not have the suspense of the old Championship Four format, but that’s where things stand.
Hendrick Motorsports had a strong day, though the race wasn’t especially dramatic at the front. The real commotion came farther back, where Carson Hocevar and Austin Cindric were battling.
Hocevar appeared to brake-check Cindric four times before the No. 2 car was wrecked. Calling it ordinary Martinsville racing is a tough sell when the replays and data are there to review. It was an ugly sequence, and Hocevar’s spotter eventually seemed to have had enough, urging him to just move along.
Cindric declined an interview with NBC after the race. Maybe he’s keeping his plans for the finale close to the vest; that’s only a guess, of course.
Others were stunned by what happened. Former driver Kenny Wallace said he had never seen anything like it, while current driver Corey LaJoie reacted with a blunt expression of disbelief. Hocevar has had plenty of defenders this season, including here. He brings a useful edge to the sport, and NASCAR could use a proper villain now and then. Still, this was a hard moment to defend.
Some fans called for NASCAR to park Hocevar, but with one race left, that seems excessive. The drivers may have their own way of answering him at Homestead. Hocevar has irritated enough people this year that he’ll probably want to keep a close eye on who’s around him.
Talladega ratings rebound
Last week’s discussion of the Phoenix race’s reported 1.2 million viewers raised questions about NASCAR’s television numbers. People at NASCAR headquarters reportedly aren’t alarmed, pointing in part to changes in how Nielsen measures and reports audiences. That shift is real, though it doesn’t explain everything.
Talladega drew 2.5 million viewers, up 1% from last year. The figure was below 2024’s 3.1 million, but broadly in line with recent seasons. It was also the Cup Series’ biggest audience since the August finale at Daytona. The return to NBC’s broadcast network likely helped bring the number back up.
Dillon joins Trump on Air Force One
Austin Dillon and Richard Childress traveled with Donald Trump to his rally in Daytona last Friday. Dillon referred to Childress as “Pop Pop” in a social media post and added, “God Bless the USA.”
With the election just days away, it’s fair to say some people are ready for the season to be over. The NASCAR season, that is, still has one race to go.
Natalie Decker spent part of the weekend at a horse race. A different kind of horsepower, for once.
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