While Ryan Blaney won the final, chaos unfolded behind him in the battle for the fourth and final transfer spot.

William Byron had two fellow Chevrolets behind him side by side, with Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain. Radio communications from Dillon’s No. 3 talked about “knowing the deal” and then someone asked, “Does the 1 (Chastain) crew chief know the deal.”

Neither driver ever passed the number 24, who was one point ahead of Christopher Bell.

Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace radioed that he had a blown tire and was quickly slowing down the track. In the final corner, fellow Toyota driver Bell approached and passed him. But Bell also entered the corner too hot and slid onto the track. When he hit the wall, Bell kept his foot on the gas and rode the wall to the checkered flag in a slower/casual version of what Chastain did two years ago in Martinsville – which is now illegal.

Bell and Byron were tied and Bell won the tiebreak, but there was no celebration. NASCAR spent a lot of time assessing the finish before ultimately announcing that Bell would not make the Championship 4 for the third straight year. He was kicked out for a safety violation, citing the wallride. Bell fell from 18th to 22nd in the finishing order and was placed at the end of his lap.

However, there were diminished emotions among the Byron camp, who remained stone-faced when interviewed by NBC. “I’m not happy about anything,” said the 2024 Daytona 500 winner. “But the rule is what it is for the crossover gate there and driving over the wall. It is what it is. I’m just proud of my team. Overall a very hard-fought day, I’m proud of that.”

Bell was despondent. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know… I understand the rule is designed to prevent people from hitting the wall, but my move was completely different from Ross’s. I got loose when I the corner came and slid right into the fence, I don’t know what to say.”

It was a stunning end to the Round 8 elimination race. Byron and Blaney will now battle Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano for the 2024 NASCAR Cup title.