Here’s what the drivers had to say after Sunday’s playoff race at Martinsville Speedway.

Ryan Blaney – Winner: “I am tired. Difficult. I tried to save my hindquarters as much as I could in the last 70 laps because that’s where I started to struggle later in the runs. I hated having to tampon some guys, but I had to do it. It was nice to get (Chase Elliott) clean. I put tampons on a few guys that I wish I didn’t have to do that, but I had to go, so it was a long night. Thank you to everyone who recovered during the night. Thank God. I think this was the most tired I’ve been after a race in a long time. … Part of me was nervous because when I got to (Brad Keselowski) earlier, just like the previous run or two, I lost a lot of the rear push and couldn’t get under him. I felt like my hinds were holding up a little bit better on the last run and it started to look like (Kyle Larson) and (Elliott) were starting to struggle coming out of the corner and that’s where I was able to pull it off. We definitely made the car better and it allowed me to slowly move around the track and turn under in a way that I hadn’t been able to do much before. Credit to (crew chief) Jonathan (Hassler) for making the necessary arrangements for him.”

“Yes, there is a lot of momentum. It’s nice to have two Penske cars. It’s nice to be able to join (Joey Logano) and have a good chance to bring Roger another championship, a third championship in a row, I mean these guys are the best at what they do and it’s been a lot of fun to run with them and share wins and championships. “It’s very strong in our organization right now and I hope it continues.”

Chase Elliott – Second: “It was a great call. That brought us to this point and we saw an opportunity. Halfway through I made a few mistakes and our car sustained some damage. I think that hurt a little. The little things started to add up. I was trying really hard to reach (Kyle Larson). I felt like Ryan (Blaney) was really good. I was afraid to give him an opportunity to move up to 5th place first. I really wanted to try to take the lead. And then you never know, maybe there will be a warning or something. It didn’t work for us. We’ll go to Phoenix (Raceway) and try to have a nice weekend.
Yeah, I honestly don’t know what happened there (at the finish). “All I know is that we fell one point short and that was unfortunate.”

Kyle Larson – Third: “I’m proud of the effort of the No. 5 Chevy team. This entire Round 8 was truly a struggle. It was a struggle from the first stage in Las Vegas (Motor Speedway). I think we made the right decision to give ourselves the best opportunity. I’m proud of my team, my car, the pit crew and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. We just weren’t enough. Actually, when Chase (Elliott) came in second, I thought he was going to come towards me and pass me easily. I was surprised that I lasted this long, which gave me hope. But we fell in the last 30 laps.”

Austin Cindric – Fourth: “We started last. We had to go to the back to start the third stage and we had a really fast race car. It was a good strategy call delivered to me there by (crew chief) Brian (Wilson) on old tires. To be honest, we probably could have been third with a few more laps, so I’m proud of everyone’s effort. The cooperation of the whole team this weekend and most importantly getting Ryan to 4th place in the Championship. We have a 50 percent chance of Team Penske winning next week, which is great. “Everyone on the team deserved it and it’s a good feeling after my last three weeks, but we definitely had to work for it today.”

William Byron – The Sixth: “Yeah, I’ve never been a part of anything like this, so I don’t really know how to feel. I hate this for everyone involved, but I’m happy for this No. 24 Chevy team. I’m glad we’re moving forward and we’ll focus on Phoenix. I’ll think about it with my team in Martinsville. We had a lot of trouble in the second half of the race. Yeah, so we know what the rules are, right? So this is what happens. “I can’t say I’m happy, but I’m excited to compete for the championship, that’s for sure.”