"I'm not happy for anything": William Byron makes his feelings known following NASCAR's Championship 4 ruling

William Byron expressed unhappiness following his 35th Cup Series race weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Byron is the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to secure his Championship 4 berth, as Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson failed to advance.

Ryan Blaney won the XFINITY 500. After storming past Elliott with 14 laps until the checkered flag dropped, the Team Penske driver joined his teammate Joey Logano for the title fight and opened the gates for his second consecutive Cup Series championship.

Byron entered the 500-lap event above the playoff elimination line. He kicked off his run from third place, climbed for a second-place finish in Stage 1, and settled in P5 during the second stage. The #24 Chevy driver led the Lap 407 restart, but the officials issued another caution as a tire came off Kyle Busch's #8 Chevy, making Larson the new leader. After a challenging battle, Byron finished sixth.

Christopher Bell unofficially finished 18th and could've punched his Phoenix ticket but a safety violation stemming from the JGR driver's wall-riding move proved costly. The #20 Toyota driver was put a lap down and a P22, paving the way for the HMS driver to fight for the title.

Still, William Byron wasn't content with how he got his advancement, apparently because he might've not made it had Bell not been penalized for his Ross Chastain's Hail-Melon resembling move.

"I'm not happy for anything but the rule is what it is for the crossover gate over there and ride the wall. So, it is what it is. I will go race and just proud of my team. We had a really hard fought day overall so proud of that," Byron said via NASCAR on NBC (0:31).

William Byron will lock horns with Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Tyler Reddick for his maiden Cup Series title.

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"I don't know what to say": Christopher Bell opens up on his move that contributed to William Byron's Championship 4 ticket

Bell was the highest-placed winless playoff driver in the Martinsville race. Unlike William Byron's front-of-the-pack start, Bell began his run from 16th place. Moreover, issues during the race plagued his efforts to outperform his rivals. The JGR driver suffered from a botched pitstop on Lap 264 and had to pit again on the next lap for a loose lug nut.

During the Lap 401 caution, Bell couldn't move to the front as multiple cars stayed out, blocking the driver from getting a wave around. The #20 driver was given a free pass, but that was soon taken away by Larson's overtake against Bubba Wallace.

Thus, Christopher Bell needed a big jump to better William Byron in the outcome, and his wall ride helped him jump multiple track positions. However, NASCAR slapped the driver with a safety violation, rendering his move useless.

Bell defended his move saying he didn't do it on purpose but rather got loose while entering Turn 4 following which the wall-slam occurred. He said via NASCAR on NBC.

"I don't know what to say...I understand the rule is made to prevent people from riding the wall but my move was completely different than what Ross' was. I got loose getting into the corner and slid right into the fence," Bell said (1:02).

None of the JGR drivers—Christopher Bell or Denny Hamlin—could secure a berth in the Championship 4.