A look at the winners and losers from Sunday’s Cup playoff race at the Charlotte Roval:
WINNERS
Christopher Bell -- Years from now, teams might be studying videos of how Bell and crew chief Adam Stevens pulled their Sunday victory from the ashes. Bell had to win Sunday to advance to the next round. His best finish in two previous runs on the Roval was eighth, and he admitted he didn’t have the best car Sunday. But a late-race stop for tires gave him a shot, and he took advantage, pushing to the front and leading the final two laps to claim one of the eight playoff spots.
Kyle Busch -- In the search for playoff spots Sunday, Busch, long removed from the championship chase, was largely forgotten. But he ran through the chaos at the end and came home third, ending a five-race streak of finishes of 20th or worse.
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Chase Briscoe -- Briscoe rallied late to finish ninth and claim a spot in the Round of 8.
Kaulig Racing -- For the first time, Kaulig put two cars in the top 10. AJ Allmendinger finished fourth, and Justin Haley was fifth.
LOSERS
Kyle Larson -- The defending champion finished 35th after hitting the wall and failed to advance to the next round of the playoffs. After the race, he blamed himself for Sunday’s error and others during the season.
Austin Cindric -- Cindric’s 21st-place finish was not enough to get another Team Penske car into the Round of 8.
Daniel Suarez -- Suarez was here, there and everywhere during the afternoon, dancing around the cutline and wrestling with power-steering issues until finally finishing 36th and dropping out of the playoffs.
