A look at the winners and losers from the Round of 12 playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway.
WINNERS
Ryan Blaney — He entered the race weekend 11 points below the cutline. He scored 10 points early by winning stage 1. He then won at Talladega for the third time in his Cup career. This sent Blaney to the Round of 8 and kept his championship dreams alive.
Denny Hamlin — He fell one lap down after speeding on pit road. Hamlin got back on the lead lap after a caution on Lap 162. He then went from 15th to fourth in the final laps. Hamlin was credited with a third-place finish after post-race inspection disqualified another driver. He is now 50 points above the cutline heading to the Charlotte Roval.
Kyle Larson — He entered the race weekend with seven DNFs this season, four of which were on drafting tracks. Larson went out and scored 12 stage points while avoiding incidents early. He finished 15th after getting collected in a multi-car crash at the finish line. Larson heads to the Roval 15 points above the cutline.
Chase Elliott — He did what he needed to keep the No. 9 in contention for a spot in the next round of the owner championship. He scored 13 stage points and finished seventh. Elliott’s Chevrolet is now fourth in the owner standings with one race remaining in the Round of 12.
LOSERS
Kevin Harvick — He crossed the finish line second behind Blaney. This was his first top-five finish at Talladega of the Next Gen era. NASCAR disqualified Harvick after the No. 4 failed post-race inspection for a windshield assembly violation. His final start at Talladega became his first last-place finish at the track.
Ross Chastain — He entered the Talladega race above the playoff cutline. He finished 37th after crashing on the final lap of stage 1. Chastain is now 10 points below the cutline heading to the elimination race at the Charlotte Roval.
Bubba Wallace — Talladega represented a prime opportunity for Wallace to win and move to the Round of 8. He was not a factor. Wallace missed out on points in the first two stages before finishing 23rd. He lost three points to Brad Keselowski and the final transfer spot to the next round. Now he faces a nine-point deficit heading to the elimination race at the Roval.
Kyle Busch — He was below the cutline heading to Talladega due to a crash at Texas last week. He remained there after a 25th-place finish in which he missed out on stage points. Busch sits 26 points below the cutline with one chance to move on to the Round of 8. He may need a win to move on. His last road course win was Sonoma in 2015.
