All language subtitles for NASCAR.Full.Speed.S01E04.NF.WEB.h264-EDITH.en[cc]

[crowd talking]

[reporter] We are joined by Tyler Reddick,
owner of number 45.

[reporter 2] Do you feel
any added pressure knowing

you're always
one of the favorites?

[Tyler] It's a confidence booster if you
are favorite going into the weekend.

Do you feel like
a championship favorite?

I don't know yet.
That's for you guys to decide.

I just go out there and drive.

Every lap matters,
every position matters.

I want to keep gaining points,
get further away from that cut line.

[reporter] This is the tightest
I've seen a Round of 8 start.

It's gonna be tough.

It's closer than ever.

Gotta not make mistakes
and have good luck.

[reporter] Thank you.

[intense music]

[producer speaking]

I wasn't in that plan, was I?

[producer speaking]

Imagine that.

[intense music]

[Mike] When you talk about drivers
who could race into the championship race,

here's a question,

why aren't more people talking
about Christopher Bell?

He made it to
the Championship 4 last year.

He is rarely discussed
as a Joe Gibbs Racing star.

He's rarely in that spotlight.

Normally that spot's
held by Denny Hamlin,

but C-Bell is thriving,
had a strong qualifying effort.

He's gonna begin this race on
the front row alongside Kyle Larson.

[Kyle] In my eyes,
he's not an underdog.

I've raced with him for a decade

and seen how extremely good he is.

[intense music]

[Steve] It's now down to
eight drivers left to decide

who will be
the 2023 Cup Series Champion

as the NASCAR playoffs
roll into Las Vegas

for one of the biggest races
of the year.

A win for a playoff team today

is an automatic berth into
the Championship 4 in Phoenix.

[producer speaking]

I mean, like lap one.

[Steve] Place your bets.
We're ready to race in Vegas.

[crew member] 400 miles today,
let's be there at the end.

We got your back in here.
Let's go get 'em.

We're good, green.

[Steve] Green flag here in Las Vegas.

Christopher Bell with a push.

Martin Truex will lead
the field to turn one.

[engines rev]

[Rick] Larson with the momentum now.

He's got to the back bumper of the 20,
goes to the bottom of the track.

He's gonna take the lead.

[crew member] Still out there?
Still there and clear.

[Steve] They do drag race in Vegas,
but now we're on the oval.

It looks like a drag race.
Bottom of the track.

Here comes Christopher Bell.

[Dale] Side-by-side,
almost contact.

These guys race close and hard.

[Steve] They run five laps back and forth,
back and forth.

He... Oh, wow.

That looked like madness.

-[Cliff] Did you hit the wall?
-[Kyle] A little bit.

[Kyle] I'm mad at myself.
My race is over.

Barely nicked the wall,
and it helped straighten me out.

Okay, now I just gotta nurse it
to the next pit stop.

No matter what race you win,

it takes good fortune
along the way.

[Steve] He bounced off the wall,
gets it righted, and gets it rolling.

[Rick] Keselowski all the way
down to the apron.

Trying to stay in front of the 5,
but here comes Larson.

[Steve] Larson will move him up
just slightly there,

and Larson will have a lead on 4.

Kyle Larson leads this race
for the fifth time this afternoon.

[Rick] He won stage one and stage two
and has led over 100 laps today.

[Kyle] I was able to stretch out
a couple seconds,

then I could see those guys
start to close on me.

[Rick] Bell, pushing it
here at the end of the race.

[Christopher] I see Kyle slipping.

I started gaining on him.

[Steve] Bell, clearly the faster car.

Catching is one thing,
passing another.

Three miles to go
here in the South Point 400.

[Christopher] I didn't think
I was gonna have a shot.

He was so far out.
He was backing up in a hurry.

[Steve] Bell close enough to close in.

He's to the bumper.
They battle for the win.

Bell now can almost touch Larson,
Larson throws the block.

[Cliff] High, high, push it...
checkered flag, hell yeah!

[Steve] And he will win
the South Point 400.

-[Kyle] Yeah, good job, guys.
-[Cliff] Let's go to Phoenix, boys.

[Kyle] Honestly,
it's good to win a race.

The Cup Series is so tough.

Knowing you're locked into
the final four is a cherry on top.

[Rick] Larson advances
to the Championship 4,

but what an effort by
the 20 of Christopher Bell.

[Christopher] Man, that one was close.
That one was close.

Needed a little bit more...
Another lap, man.

Just another lap.

-[Morgan] Going to Charlotte?
-The NASCAR Hall of Fame?

-Yep, got it.
-All right, you ready? Let's go.

Thank you.

Did you drive in my grass?
No, you're good.

[Morgan] If I drove in your grass,
you directed me.

-My grass has been a...
-[Morgan] Project.

It's been a project.

[Morgan] I don't know what finally
made you be a grass guy.

This is the first house
that we had with a yard.

Christopher strictly envies this guy

on the corner up here on our right.

He envies his grass.
It is beautiful.

One day... One day, we'll get there.

I am Christopher Bell,
and I drive race cars.

There was no plan B,
I was gonna make it happen,

whether dirt track racing
or NASCAR racing.

I didn't think it was
gonna be NASCAR.

I was committed. Ever since
I was in my early teens,

wanted to be a race car driver,

and Morgan was dedicated
to being a Cup wife.

That's all she wanted to be,
a Cup wife.

Stop it.
Don't even start.

[Christopher] You know,
I'm very quiet, reserved.

I keep to myself, I don't want
to be known for social media

or known for doing dumb stuff.
I wanna be known for winning races.

Wonder if the kids
are gonna know who I am.

I haven't won enough to be
that guy yet. One day I will.

All right, so,
we got two teams here.

We got team one, the driver,
then team one, the loser.

[producer speaking]

No, I'm not an underdog
in my eyes.

Who's strong
and who can jack the car?

We'll go you,
you're gonna be my jackman.

All right.

I think that we,
as in the 20 car,

are capable
of being the best team.

This year, have we been the best,
week in and week out?

We have not,
but I think that is our own doing.

Yeah, there we go, we beat 'em.

I successfully got beat by a fifth-grader.

Our ceiling is as high as any other
team's ceiling in the industry.

-You're 11 left.
-I'm 11.

Thank you for the ride, Denny.

[Dennis] They stole my name,
I'm back to Dennis again.

-I've always been Big Denny.
-[Denny] Big Denny.

[Dennis] Yeah. Big Denny, Little Denny.

James Dennis Allen Hamlin Jr.

-[Mary Lou] He's not a junior.
-He is a junior.

-James is a surname.
-We have this argument all the time.

A junior has to be
the exact same name.

Not in my book, it don't.

So it's my son, my rule,
I'm living with it.

[Mary Lou] Okay.

My name is Dennis Hamlin,
and I'm Denny Hamlin's daddy.

[producer speaking]

I am very proud of that fact.

Not because of
the race car driver he is,

more of the young man
he grew up to be.

He made my whole life.
He's my heartbeat.

[Mary Lou] If you find out that your kid
is interested in something,

you support it 100%.

This is my '32
that I sold to keep him going.

And this one is the '40 Ford
I had, and I sold that one,

and there's
a '69 I had, and I sold it.

[Mary Lou] We refinanced our house to
get out money to buy the next engine.

I don't recommend people do that.

Just so happens
that it worked out for us.

But the majority of people,
it does not work out for.

[commentator] On the pole,
Denny Hamlin to the outside.

[commentator 2] Hamlin running
a really smooth line.

[commentator 3] Right from the green,
it was Hamlin.

[commentator 4] He's one rising stars of
the NASCAR Nextel Cup.

[commentator 5] Sweeps at Pocono.

[commentator 4]
Hamlin, the race winner.

Denny Hamlin wins
his second Daytona 500.

Denny Hamlin gets the win,

the new point leader
in the Sprint Cup Chase.

You know, fate's gonna
decide this chase.

it's gonna happen...
someone's gonna have bad luck.

We're in right now.
We're trying to stay there.

-[reporter] Congratulations.
-[Denny] Thank you.

[Dennis] Him and Michael Jordan
are friends and partners.

So he pulls up in his Lamborghini.

He reaches down to the side door,
pulls out this cigar.

Michael Jordan signed it for me
and wrote a little letter says,

"Break it when we win
the championship."

I'm supposed to break that
and smoke that cigar.

That's what I'm gonna do.

And I'd give you everything I own,

every car in this garage,
a house, whatever,

if I could make that happen.

[Mary Lou] To have
the satisfaction of working

for it his entire racing career,

I would like him
to win the championship.

But if he doesn't,
it's not meant to be.

[Mike] Miami, one of the most popular
vacation destinations in the world.

For the eight drivers in the playoffs,
there's no relaxing.

Just two chances left to grab
a seat in the Championship 4.

[Denny speaking]

-[producer] You caught a fish?
-Yeah, a little large-mouth bass.

-How many did you catch?
-None. Caught weeds.

[producer speaking]

[Denny] It's ice and compression.

So I have a hereditary,
degenerative condition

that essentially my collarbone

has grown into my rotator cuff.

I've officially knocked
off all four fenders.

So both ACLs, this one.
Now I've gotta get this one fixed.

It's a hereditary problem
I thought I could put off.

My crew chief's
not very happy with me.

I thought I could get
through one more season with it.

Now the numbing shots and all
that stuff don't even work anymore.

I can't get my arm up,
so I had issues, you know,

adjusting brake bias,
flipping switches.

All that's a little bit of a hindrance.

It forces me to change my style.

That's difficult,
but in the end, no excuses.

I gotta just go out there and do it.

[Ryan] A lot of times in these playoffs
you've seen one or two points

determine if you get
into the next round.

Everyone feels the pressure
of these situations.

If anyone tells you there's
no pressure, they're lying.

This is your whole season,
this is your year.

[Rick] There's tension here
at Homestead Miami Speedway.

It is two races to go in the Round of 8
for the NASCAR Cup Series.

[Steve] No track on the NASCAR calendar
is more high-risk/high-reward than this.

[Jeff] You don't wanna let down
in this race

and then think you can
pick it back up in Phoenix.

You've gotta keep that pressure
on the rest of the field.

[Christopher] It's a huge, huge race.

It's the difference between
being under the cut line

or being locked in to Phoenix.

[Jeff] Green flag in the air,

and we are racing NASCAR
Cup Series-style at Homestead.

[Rick] It's the second race
of the Round of 8.

[Ryan] Super hard to accomplish
winning in this sport.

It's those little things that can
build up and get momentum rolling.

[Jeff] Side-by-side for the race lead,

it's Ryan Blaney going to
the point in lap traffic.

[Steve] Kyle Larson
hanging on by his fingernails.

[Jeff] 12 just barely got in front
of the 5 there.

[Kyle] My driving style
is super aggressive.

Sometimes too aggressive,
which is why I make mistakes.

[crew member] Road's open, we're pitting.

[crew member 2] This time, do not speed
your second gear light.

[Rick] Here comes
Kyle Larson back out...

Larson flies, he hits
the barrier to the driver's right!

Sand flying.

[crew member] 5 hit the barrels
behind you. Caution's out.

[Kyle] He was well ahead,
so my goal was, "If I could just get

to his bumper and ride
behind him down pit road,

we'd have a faster pit stop
and I'd come out in front."

When I realized
I'm gonna run into him,

I locked my brakes up,
and that's when I hit him.

It broke my left-front steering
and shot me into the barrels.

I did not expect him
to slow down that much.

[Cliff] Our ride's through.
We're done.

[Steve] Day over for Kyle Larson.

Hamlin the race leader
under the caution flag.

[Ryan] There are adrenaline-filled moments
and tense moments.

It's hard to beat these guys,
to be competitive.

How do you change your driving style
week-to-week to stay relative?

[Rick] Ryan Blaney got in the lead
and the win of the stage.

-[Jonathan] 11 tight at your door.
-[Steve] Blaney will challenge.

Bell wants three wide,
he'll get three wide.

Blaney at the top.
Hamlin's gonna crowd him.

Here comes Bell
for the lead to the inside.

[Adam] Clear, take it.

[Steve] What a move by Christopher Bell
from third to first.

[Rick] They're side-by-side,
door to door, up high.

[Steve] While all that's going on,
Bell is waving bye.

He's checked out by five car lengths
over this three-wide battle.

They come off the corner,
stacked up behind the leader.

[Dale] The 11 almost hit
the side of the 12 again off of two.

They're upset at each other.

[Denny] My car's faster than his,
so he's fighting

to keep it up front as long as he can.

He's grinding on my right.
I'm up against him.

[Steve] Hamlin, Blaney
giving each other the business.

[Ryan] Fuck you, dickhead.

[Denny] Neither one of us wanted
to give the spot up.

What do you expect me to do?
I'm trying to race for a Final 4 spot,

but something that was
outta my control happened,

and I feel like if I have
something bad happen,

I want it to be in my control, my fault.

[Steve] Hamlin hits the wall,
and he hits it hard!

He has pancaked the entire
right-side of that machine.

[Denny] Something broke in the steering.

[Chris] We're done, bud.
Good work, everybody.

Great day, great fight.
That's fucking racing.

[Steve] It gets worse for Hamlin.

He has already fallen below the cut line
on the championship points.

[Rick] Twenty-five laps to go.

[Steve] A trip to Phoenix
hangs in the balance.

You can tell it
the way Byron's driving,

by the way Bell, Blaney,
everybody that is up for contention,

driving as hard as they possibly can.

[Christopher] I believe that
my car is the fastest car.

Was able to get some clean air
on the restart, and my car woke up.

[Steve] Now the 20 throttles up.

[Rick] Now for the lead,
Bell on the inside.

Byron gassing it up,
trying to keep momentum

as he goes almost
all the way up to the wall.

[Jeff] In the lead,
Bell pulling away from Byron.

Fourteen laps to go.

[Steve] An hour ago, Bell didn't
think he could run 20th.

[Rick] Christopher Bell
goes down the backstretch

and the 28-year-old
is gonna lock himself

in the Championship 4,
he's won at Miami.

[Christopher] Yes!

[Steve] He needed to win,
and he's done it.

[Adam] That's why you never give up.
Great job.

Way to pull us out a one this weekend.
That's how champions are made.

[Christopher] Thank you, guys.
You guys are amazing.

[Steve] At least one Joe Gibbs Racing
driver will be in the Championship 4.

But, man, what a rough turn
of events for Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin coming into Miami, plus-two,

after Miami, minus-17.

[Mike] Huge disappointment
for Denny Hamlin today.

He's got one more shot next week
to make the Championship.

Shoulder and the heart
about equally broke.

Frustrating because
I feel I'm running well

and doing everything I need to do,

I just can't get the result
I'm looking for.

[Rick] What a day for Blaney.
He's above the cut line now,

but he was in striking distance
of getting the win here.

[reporter speaking]

He tried to slide me
and failed miserably,

then decided to juice me up.

If you're gonna slide
somebody, commit.

What did he say, "Hack?"
I think he was that today. So, yeah.

Blaney, the one thing for him is
managing the emotions inside the car.

He's a volatile guy.
He's a bit short-tempered.

In these final rounds,
can he let go of that

then go out and make it happen?

I texted Ryan after the race
and said, "You talking shit?"

This is a end-of-the-race
scenario for a final four spot.

Like I don't get it, why,

you know,
everyone's so soft nowadays.

Now it just gives me
a fire to go to Martinsville

and just put a total ass-kicking together

that nobody will be able to overcome.

[Ryan] I have a short fuse
when I have a helmet on,

especially if someone doesn't
think they did anything wrong.

Now I'm going to race you
the same way you raced me.

We're not gonna have
a friendly relationship.

So, it's kind of all situational.

[Mike] Ryan Blaney is
ten points above the cut line.

That's the good news.

But he's never gotten past
this point in the playoffs,

to the Championship 4.

With some momentum, is this
the year he takes the next step?

[Ryan] Wednesdays are the days...

this week's push is a bit later
'cause it's a close race.

We probably won't load up
till Thursday night.

It gives you an extra day
to work on your stuff.

Seeing where Jonathan's
at from where we talked earlier,

what changes we made
and a little bit of strategy talk.

If those opportunities arise,
it depends where you are.

If you can get
five stage points, take them.

Take them, right?

[Jonathan] For me, our personalities
really jibe a lot.

We're pretty calm, cool,
laid-back people.

He puts a helmet on

and there's no fiercer competitor.

He's out there to win.

He's giving it 110% all the time.

There's no one else I'd rather work with.

Hello? Thanks for having me.
I'm well.

I appreciate it.
Yeah, it was a good weekend.

It's no secret maybe we didn't
have the speed we wanted

in the summer
months leading to the playoffs,

but I reference this sport
as a big circle.

For a while, you'll be on top.
Everything's working for you.

Your cars are fast.
But sometimes your cars are off

and nothing seems to go your way.

And it's all about like
peaking at the right time. And...

[Roger] Blaney has been a product
of ours since he walked in ten years ago

as a young, skinny kid with his old man.

He's been a charger, been fast.
But I think what I've seen

in the last few months
is he's really matured.

When I was a kid watching Dad,
that's what you wanna be, right?

You see the champions of the sport,
all these greats, right?

You wanna be that guy.

So that's what you aspire at as a kid.

And we're close to doing it.

Just gotta dig down deep here
the next couple weeks.

-[Mike] Thank you.
-[Ryan] Welcome.

It's the first time
I've seen IROC quarter midgets.

That thing's pretty long.
Like, long as...

[Dave] It wasn't a quarter midget.

-It was something else.
-[Ryan] Really?

[producer speaking]

I'd say nine or ten.

-Nine was when it originally got built.
-Yeah.

[Dave] From the start he was
incredibly fast, incredibly good.

He had the skills, but you never
know if it's gonna happen.

[reporter] Where do you
see him in the next 20 years?

I don't see him anywhere.
It's up to him what he wants to do,

if he's got the desire to keep doing it,
it's up to him.

Yeah, right then it was obvious.
It was obvious to me.

Once he had a little success,
it took off from there.

So, yeah, the teaching days
ended when he was 14, so...

Now it's just pump him up days,
that's all.

He proved himself immediately
in every car he got in.

Every one he wins,
it's another level of confidence.

It keeps going up, and that's
what it takes to get to the top.

[Ryan] Confidence is always great,
and that's what you need.

That makes you better.

That's what makes you
believe you can do it.

Any playoffs in any sport
you've ever watched,

once you get to the playoffs,
anything can happen.

You can get on a hot streak,
you can have not a great year,

but you can find something,
and little confidence boosts,

it fucking propels you
to the stratosphere.

[Rick] ...Wallace come up
and challenge the 20 of Bell,

but Bell has moved
to that second spot,

and now Bubba Wallace on
the inside trying to get third.

[William] You're coming to watch with me?

You normally just...
[laughs]

-What?
-Normally go in the other room

-when I start watching.
-No, I don't.

In fairness,
I just watched the whole race.

Yep.

I like to watch it
when it's fresh because I like to know

if like what I felt,
is what happened, you know?

[Dale] Looks like William Byron's
got a really fast car taking off,

not quite as good on a long run.

I've thought about what it would
feel like to win a championship.

I dream about that moment,
but I've never had the negative to it:

"What's it gonna be like
if you don't win?"

I don't think like that.

[Rick] William Byron's so good at
sneaking into race-winning potential.

He is right there.

[William] When you go into the playoffs,
the intensity's higher.

In the third round,
you've gotta perform,

in the top five all three races
to be in at Phoenix.

This is my one shot.

As close as I got.

There's obviously
a points path for us to get in,

but I think the best way
for us to advance is to win.

[Rick] Christopher Bell is gonna
lock himself into the Championship 4!

He's won in Miami!

I kind of taste it.

I was like, "Damn."

I can smell it.

[William] I crave that feeling of winning.

It's a sense of relief,
a sense of accomplishment that

you just don't get from anything else.

[Steve] Does it come down
to a Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson battle?

[Jeff] They're gonna have to figure out
how to beat William Byron.

I am on the William Byron
train right now.

[Steve] It is time to determine who will
be racing for a championship next week.

[Jeff] Everybody's gonna do all they can
to win a grandfather clock trophy.

[Rick] It's gonna take the complete
package here at Martinsville Speedway.

Two drivers have punched their ticket.

They know what they're doing
next Sunday,

and that is to race for a championship.

Six other drivers, two open spots.
How's this gonna play out?

[Jeff] I have no idea.
I'm excited to find out.

[Ryan] We're plus-ten on the cut line,
so we're in.

Definitely not in a comfortable spot.

I mean, ten points can vanish quickly.

Try not to let anything surprise me.

Crazy things can happen,
but I got momentum from last week.

We're the ones they might
need to be worried about.

[Tyler] You're gonna be racing
the best of the best.

We've just gotta make it
outta this round.

[Alexa] There you go.

[Tyler] Personally, yeah, it's stressful.

One second's notice
everything can change for you.

[Denny] Tyler and myself
are first two guys out

that have gotta work
their way back in.

Kind of a feeling that
I've got two chances at it,

you know, between me and him
to try to get into that final fours.

I mean, would I be as happy
if Tyler made it and I didn't?

No.

I'm rooting for myself first.

This is my life work.

[producer speaking]

You know, slowly
getting the range back,

the strength's not there,
but it's something I can't

fix until the season's over.

But I can't think of
another track I'd rather be

going to than Martinsville.

[fan] Do my arm.
I'm gonna get it tattooed.

[Denny] Look at the success
we've had there.

This is my wheelhouse.

[PA announcer] Driving number 11,

Denny Hamlin.

-I'm trembling. Can you sign here?
-Absolutely.

We've been waiting since Charlotte,
but it rained out,

and then we went
on our honeymoon on Monday.

You're right here.
You're officiating...

-Are y'all sure?
-Yep, we're sure.

We're so sure.
We just need Denny for the winny.

Denny for the winny, baby.
Let's go, Denny.

-Thank you.
-We love you, brother.

Congrats.

-Thank you so much.
-Congrats, y'all.

Thank you so much.

Ain't nobody better.

Let's... Let's go.

You only get so many shots.

We only get so many shots.

We will race respectfully,
but we will race hard as fuck.

I'm proud of what you've done,
getting yourself in this position.

Y'all have a lot to be
proud of this season.

-It's gonna be a good day.
-I think it's gonna be a good day.

-I love you. Good luck.
-Thanks.

Be safe. I'm proud of you.
Be Ryan Fucking Blaney.

-I hope you win.
-Thank you.

[Rick] A gorgeous Fall day
in Martinsville, Virginia,

and the fans have showed up.

Sold-out crowd here to see this.

The elimination race.

Only four drivers
after today's race will have

a shot at the championship.

It all comes down to
500 laps here at Martinsville.

[announcer]
Drivers, start your engines!

-[crew chief] You all set?
-[driver] Yes, sir.

[Denny] Everybody have a good day.
Finish her off. I know we can do it.

[Steve] We are under the green flag.

[Rick] Will fight for that second spot
is Denny Hamlin in the 11.

Looking good.

[Denny] The shifting was painful.

We had to try to do things
with the steering to make it easier.

It was a pain in the ass.

[Steve] Here comes Denny Hamlin!

[Denny] But you know how good your car is.

Gonna have to earn it.

[Steve] He opens the door,
and he'll take the lead away.

[Bubba]
Is anybody coming?

[Bootie] The 12's coming.

[Dale] For this day
to be successful for Blaney,

he needs to continue to
drive through this field.

[Rick] A lot of sheet metal
and contact being exchanged.

So a little shove,
and then the pass was made.

[Mike] Ryan Blaney, who started
this race in eleventh position,

has climbed to seventh,
and he's making a huge push here.

[Rick] Blaney has caught that 5.

Blaney looking very strong already.

[Jeff] Bubba Wallace's teammate,
Tyler Reddick, qualified 19.

Well, he has only gotten up to 18.

[Steve] Tyler Reddick is not happy.

[Jeff] 45 slid all the way through
turns three and four.

[Steve] How patient is
the young man gonna be right now?

[Steve] Tyler Reddick and Eric Jones

are knocking the slobber
out of each other.

They've exchanged everything
but Christmas cards so far.

Daddy needs to find that gas pedal.

[Denny] You're leading the race,

and you know the only thing
that can end your race

is getting caught up
in someone else's mess.

You have to tread lightly.

[Steve] Black cars tangled right
in front of Denny Hamlin.

That was as close a call
as you'll ever wanna see

for a leader trying
to dodge the lap traffic.

[driver] I don't know what
I'm supposed to do now.

[Denny] I had a front-row seat.

You had one guy trying to
knock the other out of the way,

but then the guy who got knocked
outta the way said, "Fuck you."

It's a bit of catching your breath
in those moments for sure.

[Rick] Green flag.
Hamlin on the inside,

Blaney on the outside,
and we're underway.

Denny's gonna get the lead yet again.

[Steve] Tremendous break for Hamlin.
He'll get away.

Denny Hamlin's out in front.

He has already led
113 laps today at Martinsville.

[Denny] There's an extra fire in your gut,
something extra you dig out

and get to raise your game
when it really counts.

The 12 second.
Keeping the 12 behind us.

That's composure.

Four-hundred stick.

[Steve] Here comes Blaney.

[Jeff] Ryan Blaney
driving for Team Penske.

He's all over the back bumper now
with race leader Denny Hamlin.

[Rick] Fight is on between the 11 and 12.

Blaney takes the high entry
into turn number one.

He's gonna try it the long way around.

[Denny] The bottom is
the preferred lane in Martinsville.

When you get past on the outside
of Martinsville, it's a kick in the dick.

Your superpowers are taken away.

[Rick] Blaney's gonna take the lead away.

[Steve] You can do all kinds of work
with the math.

You can twist the numbers,

but it's simple
for Ryan Blaney at this point.

He's in the lead, and if he can
hold it and finish first, he's in.

[Ryan] I felt confident we had
a shot to win it.

Good about where your car's at,
but you still have to put together

500 laps on that place,
which is hard to do.

One mistake ruins your race.

[Steve] Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin
and William Byron are tied.

Do not mistake that as a lock for Byron.

This has not been his day.

[Denny] I shifted my focus
to thinking that we had to win.

[Jeff] Blaney by maybe
half a car length on the inside.

Hamlin's gonna duck to the bottom.
He gets into Blaney.

[Rick] Contact is made.

Blaney fishtails three, four times
getting into the corner.

[Denny] I see the 12 wiggling
in front of me.

What that tells me is that,
"Okay, he's vulnerable."

[Rick] Hamlin already roughing him up.

[Denny] You know
that's my opportunity to pounce.

[Rick] Denny Hamlin will take advantage
to jump to the bottom.

[Ryan] Well, shit. That was not helpful.

[Rick] Blaney, though,
is gonna power back

around the outside,
and he'll take the lead.

[Denny] Fucking 12 tried to break down
the backstretch

to keep me on the outside.

[Dale] Denny was trying to get in behind
the 12 and just misjudged it.

[Ryan] That was a close moment.
I thought the worst at that time.

[Denny] He wants to play games,
we can play games.

[Ryan] Caught me right when I shifted.
Kind of scared the shit outta me.

[Steve] Right now, Denny Hamlin's
got a bigger problem, and that's Ty Gibbs.

Gibbs is all over his bumper.
Oh, he gets hit by Joey Logano!

He checks up going into the corner

and around goes Gibbs,
and he gets labeled.

Daniel Suarez slams into him.

Everybody else scatters.

[Mike] And William Byron barely avoids
getting caught up in that crash.

If William had gotten
caught up in that,

roles would've been reversed,

and Denny Hamlin would've
been in the catbird seat.

[Rick] Joey Logano just tattooed
the rear bumper of Ty Gibb.

[crew member] Be smart. Be smart.

[Denny] Fucking Joey.
He's such a piece-of-shit human.

[Rick] Green flag is out.

Denny Hamlin, he'll start outside row one,
Blaney on the inside.

[Steve] These two have
had a spectacular battle

for the lead at various
times this afternoon.

We'll see if they
have another one here.

[Jeff] Ryan Blaney
will clear Denny Hamlin.

[Rick] Tyler Reddick in the best position
that he's been in all day long.

Right now, Reddick running eight.

[Steve] Still in a must-win situation.

I just wish I could shake him

because I want to be like,

"Just fucking drive through him."

Drive through him.

Like do what you need to do.
Stop being so nice.

[Tyler] Been struggling...

the damn car is just kind
of doing that same shit.

[Mike] It's been one of
those days for Tyler Reddick.

He cannot find a path to the front.

His championship dreams are
slipping away one lap at a time.

And by the way,
speaking of rough days,

William Byron isn't having
the best of days either.

He's clinging onto
that last playoff spot,

but he is dealing with
some horrendous conditions

inside of that race car right now.

[William] It is so hot.

I don't know why our car
is so hot around other cars.

It's ridiculous.

[Steve] This place
is brutal when it's hot.

[William] The exhaust in the fumes
around the car were

creating a pretty bad situation for us.

And on top of that,
the helmet fan wasn't working.

[Steve] William Byron especially said
when he's beside a car,

it is so hot in his race car.

[William] The heat inside the helmet
is blowing hot air

and really feels like a blow dryer.

It fricking sucks, but just
fight your ass off for me.

[Rick] Every spot on the racetrack
now is worth a point.

William Byron has had a long,
long afternoon.

[Steve] It's been pretty much miserable
from start to finish.

We gotta finish in this spot
no matter what.

[William] If he's leading,
what's the situation?

We're still plus-three,
but he can go four.

[William] As hot as it was in the car,
it was just not worth giving up.

[Steve] Time is running out
for Denny Hamlin.

Every lap that passes,
a shot at the Championship 4

is fading just a bit more.

Blaney and that team are doing
what they have to do.

They're driving away with this thing.

[Rick] Twenty-two to go.

[Gianna] Very nerve-wracking
going through all of the emotions,

the ups, and the downs,
and the nervousness.

[Steve] It's still now a points
battle between Byron

and Hamlin for that final spot.

[Rick] Hamlin can't get enough points
unless he wins this race.

It has to be Byron falling back
for Hamlin to be able

to advance based on points.

[Steve] I mean,
they're on pins and needles.

They are driving around on ice.

[Rick] Digging deep for everything
they could get right now,

trying to muscle these cars
around this half-mile.

[Steve] Three points is what separates

the 24 and the 11
from a Championship 4 run.

[Jeff] This is getting very tense.

[Rick] Byron just lost the spot.

Denny Hamlin just picked up a spot.

[Rick] White flag
is in the air for Ryan Blaney.

One lap to go.

[Jonathan] White flag.

So 3 in front, 15 back of the 10.
Don't have to force it.

Coming back to the checkers.

[Rick] To the back straightaway.
He's got a playoff first

and a Championship 4 run in hand.

Into turn three for the final time.

It's Ryan Blaney.

[Jeff] To the bottom
of a racetrack off turn four.

Checkered flag is out.

[Rick] Ryan Blaney wins in Martinsville.

[Ryan] Yeah, baby, let's go, fellas!
Let's go!

[Rick] Joining Ryan Blaney
of course will be Christopher Bell

and Kyle Larson

and by eight points
over Denny Hamlin,

William Byron will join the other three

and race for a championship next week.

[Ryan] It's all about peaking
at the right time.

It happens in every single sport...
and that's what we're doing right now.

I just wanna attack him.

I'm so proud of you.

I'm so proud of you.

[Chris] Way to fight, man.

Yeah, good work.

Finished third there.

Yet another year we should
have made it, and didn't.

[Mike] We're here again.

Denny Hamlin falling short of

that opportunity to become
a NASCAR Cup Series champion.

[Denny] What else am I supposed to do?
I drove as good as I could.

There's...
I can't second-guess anything

that I did on the track today.

Us and the 12 are just
better than everyone else.

That was the one car
we didn't need to be outstanding,

and they were,
and they deserved it.

-Yeah.
-Appreciate you.

-Yeah, you too.
-Yeah.

They can do whatever they want.

You and I will do it
until we're done doing.

[Denny] I can't draw any conclusions
of why year after year

things out of my control
have happened

that has taken us
from in control to out of it.

It's just been bad luck, honestly.

I am the black cat of death.

I'm fucking cursed.

[Mike] And edging out Denny Hamlin
somehow, some way,

in a car that must have felt
like a furnace,

William Byron hangs on.

He will indeed race
for a championship next week.

[Jeff] Holy cow, buddy.

Let's get all the stress
outta the way this weekend.

That's awesome.

-Good job.
-I told you it wasn't easy.

[William] My heart rate on my watch
after the race is 189.

You know, that wasn't
a good situation.

That was the worst race of my life,
but the best result.

-I know.
-I've never been that hot.

I was gonna pass out.

Hey, thanks, babe.

When you get to the playoffs,
guys step their game up.

We've gotta do the same thing.

It's not supposed to
be that hard, man.

-Good job.
-Thank you. Appreciate you.

-Proud of you guys.
-Thank you.

If we bring what we've brought
at certain points of the season,

I think we'll win the championship.

We knew what to...

Hey, buddy, thanks.
Appreciate it.

Yeah, thank you.

We knew...

I don't know what I was saying.

-What were you asking me?
-How difficult it was this weekend.

[Kyle] My mind is already
switched over to the next race.

I would love to keep
stacking championships, you know.

It's gonna be a tough race,

and these guys
are all really tough competitors.

[producer speaking]

Absolutely. I definitely think
that people underestimate me.

I like it.
I like proving people wrong.

I certainly like
proving people wrong.

-Congrats, man.
-Appreciate that.

-Yeah.
-You did good.

Yeah, thank you.

Cheers.

["Daylight" by David Kushner plays]

♪ Telling myself I won't go there ♪

♪ Oh, but I know that I won't care ♪

♪ Tryna wash away
All the blood I've spilt... ♪

[Kim] Unfortunately, Tyler Reddick
won't move on to the championship

for a 26th-place finish
here at Martinsville.

I know you guys struggled all day.

[Tyler] There's so many parts and pieces
of the race car that are perfect.

So, you know,
the human element is...

it's a variable, right?

When you don't get

the most out of what
you have underneath you,

it's frustrating for sure.

It's really kind of how I've been
wired my whole life.

Anytime I do one little thing wrong,

I self-reflect on it pretty,
pretty immediately.

Pretty, pretty harshly.

[song continues]

♪ Oh, I love it and I hate it
At the same time ♪

♪ You and I drink the poison
From the same vine ♪

♪ Oh, I love it and I hate it
At the same time ♪

♪ Hidin' all of our sins
From the daylight... ♪

[Ryan] Fired up that we won this race.

But you know, you understand
there's still a job to do.

It's awesome you're...
we're in this spot,

but it doesn't mean jack shit
if you don't go do it next week.

-Phoenix, baby.
-Yeah.

-What's up?
-Thanks, brother.

-Appreciate that.
-No problem, man.

-Fuck, yeah.
-Fucking awesome, man.

Thank you.

-Appreciate it. Thanks.
-I love you, brother.

[Denny] It's different than in years past

because they were
never old enough

to understand my emotions
or why I was having a bad day.

Ramifications of what
happens on the racetrack.

They just know that dad raced
and that was it.

But now that they're invested,
and understand what's going on,

and they know how hard Dad works at it,

they understand that
this is my life's work.

I'm trying to get to the peak

and the pinnacle of my profession.

["Daylight" by David Kushner continues]

♪ There's darkness in the distance ♪

♪ I'm beggin' for forgiveness ♪

♪ But I know I might resist it ♪

♪ Oh, I love it and I hate it
At the same time... ♪

[Denny] I remember Michael
saying to my dad,

"When your son wins
the championship,

we'll crack open that cigar case
and we'll smoke it together."

I hope my dad's health hangs
in there long enough for him

to be able to experience that.

Because I'd love to see the excitement
on my dad's face

if he gets to break open
that case with Michael.

[Joey] Blaney!
You're the fucking man!

-Thanks, bro.
-Good job.

Thanks. Appreciate it.

[Ryan] My main focus right now is,

is how do we repeat this in seven days,

and then we can let loose a little bit.

How do you measure success?

Personal perspective,

is it 70 wins and no championships,

or 15 wins and two championships.

I'd probably take the championships
if I had to pick.

[Mike] And then there were four.
What a race it will be

when NASCAR's Championship
wraps up in Phoenix.

["Wake Up" by Jonas Martin plays]