Ryan Blaney earned a chance to defend his NASCAR championship with a victory Sunday at Martinsville Speedway that pushed the Team Penske driver into the winner-take-all season finale. The ending of the race was marred by a lengthy NASCAR review in which scoring officials had to determine if Christopher Bell had violated a safety rule in his last-lap pass of William Byron. Bell hit the wall and rode a portion of it for momentum — the same thing Ross Chastain did two years ago in a move that has since been banned. Bell’s pass of Byron left them tied in points for the final spot in next week’s title-decider at Phoenix Raceway. Bell’s move was deemed illegal and Byron was given the final spot.
