William Byron returns to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, but had trouble celebrating Sunday night at Martinsville Speedway.

Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team secured the final transfer spot when NASCAR penalized Christopher Bell. Bell was believed to have crossed the wall on the final lap, which was banned after Ross Chastain made that move in 2022.

At the finish, Bell beat Byron in the tiebreak, but the penalty negated the move and he was moved from 18th to 22nd.

Byron finished sixth.

“I don’t know what to think,” Byron said. “It's hard for me to feel happy in this situation. We just rode as hard as we could and followed the rules and stuff like that, so at this point it is what it is.

“We were tied and like I said, the wall ride is what it is. We just had to fight through it. I don't know. I’m happy to be racing for a championship, that’s for sure.”

It took 27 minutes for the decision to be announced. Byron and Bell both remained in pit lane with their teams as the finish was checked. Crowds gathered around both drivers, capturing the moment when one of them was broken the news that they would be racing for a championship.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Byron said. “It was definitely a drama because normally I can go home by now. I don’t really know what to think about all of this, but I’m grateful that NASCAR looked at it, that there are rules, and that’s exactly what it is.”

Byron thought it was clear what had happened. Although he has considered such a move, he knows there is a rule against it.

The finish was set as the No. 24 ran in the top 10 throughout the afternoon, earning 15 stage points while Bell earned none and was sunk in the field due to several errors. In the final laps Byron tried to maintain a slim one point lead over Bell.

He also had wingmen behind him to support the cause. There were three Chevrolet drivers behind Byron, none of whom made a pass that would have taken away a point.

“Nobody moved me and they gave me room to get to my car,” Byron said. “They gave me a tough race. I just didn’t have enough rear tires anymore, so I needed the entire race track and used it completely.”

Byron said no one behind him lifted him up so he could maintain his position.

It is the second year in a row that he has appeared in Championship 4.

“I'm excited; I can't wait to race for a championship next week,” said Byron. “I know we'll fire a bullet there. We had a great car today, it had a little damage, but I was really happy with it. I'm thrilled.”