Kyle Larson admits all eyes on NASCAR rival at Martinsville

Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson had admitted it's all eyes on Joe Gibbs Racing rival Christopher Bell at Martinsville this weekend.

Following Chase Briscoe's victory at Talladega last weekend, two drivers are locked into the Championship 4 (Briscoe and teammate Denny Hamlin), with two further drivers set to advance after Martinsville on Sunday.

Whilst it will be jubilation for those stars, it will be heartbreak for others, with four drivers set to simultaneously be eliminated from contention for the 2025 championship.

Kyle Larson previews Martinsville

Larson (+36) heads into the race sitting fourth in the playoff standings, with Bell (+37) in third, both comfortably above the cutoff line on points.

However, should any of the current bottom four - William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott - win on Sunday, they would advance automatically, meaning only one spot would be up for grabs via points.

And, given the two are separated by a single point heading into Sunday's race, Larson is clear who he's racing against this time out.

“I think the [No.] 20 is the most important car for us on the track, and probably vice-versa,” Larson told reporters on Wednesday.

“If either one of us outscores the other, we’re guaranteed a spot in the final four, regardless of who else wins.

"You don’t want to spend too much focus on him either, but I think the majority of it revolves around Bell.”

NASCAR Cup Series standings post-Talladega/pre-Martinsville

Here is how the full playoff picture looks ahead of this weekend's elimination race.