Kyle Busch Wins NASCAR at Martinsville 2017, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finishes 11th

Kyle Busch won a tense First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, as he held off Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap to claim the checkered flag.

Busch passed race leader Denny Hamlin following an overtime restart and beat Truex by roughly a car length as he crossed the finish line. With the victory, Busch assures himself of a berth in the four-driver championship round.

With his career quickly drawing to a close, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished in 11th place.

NASCAR on NBC shared a replay of the final two laps as Busch masterfully passed Hamlin and blocked off Truex:

Below are the top 10 finishers, with the full results available at NASCAR.com:

First Data 500 Top 10

1. Kyle Busch (18)

2. Martin Truex Jr. (78)

3. Clint Bowyer (14)

4. Brad Keselowski (2)

5. Kevin Harvick (4)

6. Trevor Bayne (6)

7. Denny Hamlin (11)

8. Ryan Blaney (21)

9. Matt Kenseth (20)

10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17)

While Busch's win was the biggest development from Sunday, most fans will likely be talking about Hamlin's wrecking Chase Elliott when Elliott was leading with three laps remaining.

Elliott, who led 123 laps, reclaimed the lead after passing Brad Keselowski following an excellent restart. Elliott didn't get to enjoy it for very long, as Hamlin spun him out less than a lap later. NASCAR on NBC shared a replay of the sequence:

Some may argue Elliott was a victim of his own hubris since he made plenty of contact with Keselowski to nudge the No. 2 car aside in order to pass him after the restart. Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg thought Elliott's wreck was an example of karma's coming around:

Elliott's anger was evident after the race, as he and Hamlin exchanged words on the track, courtesy of NASCAR's official Twitter account:

According to NASCAR writer Jeff Gluck, at least one fan showed their displeasure with Hamlin:

NASCAR also shared both drivers' thoughts (warning: Hamlin interview contains profanity):

"

"This is a ticket to Homestead." - @dennyhamlin to @chaseelliott #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/CRArQq9mxP

— #NASCARPlayoffs (@NASCAR) October 29, 2017"

Hamlin would later apologize for the crash on Twitter:

"I've raced nearly 10,000 races since I was 7. Today was the first time I've ever spun the leader. I regret the outcome because it was not intentional the way it turned out but I'm responsible for my own car and take blame. Nothing I say now can turn back the clock but it's a life lesson and hope no kids out there who aspire to race thinks that's the way you should do it. It's becoming a normal in our sport now and I hate that I'm now in the discussion as a guilty party but I'll move on and hope Chase, his team and fans will accept my apology."

Hamlin finished in seventh place, while Elliott was all the way down in 27th. And given the stakes of Sunday's race, Elliott's frustration was understandable.

The 21-year-old went from being three laps away from qualifying for the Championship 4 to sitting in last place among the eight drivers still in the hunt for the title. Twenty-six points stand between Elliott and fourth-place Kevin Harvick:

Monster Energy Cup Playoff Standings

1. Kyle Busch (4,100 points)

2. Martin Truex Jr. (4,117 points)

3. Brad Keselowski (4,079 points)

4. Kevin Harvick (4,053 points)

5. Jimmie Johnson (4,050 points)

6. Ryan Blaney (4,047 points)

7. Denny Hamlin (4,045 points)

8. Chase Elliott (4,027 points)

The situation is somewhat reminiscent of Matt Kenseth's wrecking Joey Logano at the exact same track two years ago; granted, Kenseth's intent was clear, whereas Hamlin was arguably just overly aggressive during a vital part of the race.

Either way, the result is likely to be the same.

Logano had won three straight races heading into Martinsville but was unable to recover from his 37th-place finish, followed by a 40th-place showing the following week.

Given his inexperience relative to the rest of the field, Elliott was always an underdog for the 2017 title, and Sunday's incident with Hamlin may have been the beginning of the end for his championship campaign.

Only three races remain in the 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series season, and two events stand between drivers and the championship race Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.

The series will shift to the Texas Motor Speedway for the AAA Texas 500 on Nov. 5. The race will offer drivers a nice change of pace from Sunday since the Texas Motor Speedway is nearly a mile longer than Martinsville Speedway.