A look at the winners and losers from Watkins Glen:
WINNERS
William Byron — He set another career-best mark with his fifth win of the season. He took Hendrick Motorsports to 298 Cup wins, and took the No. 24 to 102 Cup wins. Byron also snapped a streak of five consecutive races in which he finished 14th or worse. It was the perfect time for him to achieve this considering the playoffs are only two weeks away.
Brad Keselowski — He missed the playoffs in 2022, his first season as a driver-owner at RFK Racing. He is now back in championship contention after a consistent regular season. When he joined RFK Racing, he made it clear that his goal was to get both cars in the playoffs. He also achieved this during the final month of the regular season.
Bubba Wallace — He lost roughly half of his points cushion after finishing 18th at Indianapolis with no stage points. He went to Watkins Glen and delivered a strong performance. He ran inside the top 10 all day, scored points in the first two stages and crossed the finish line 12th. Now he is 32 points above the cutline heading to one of his best tracks – Daytona.
Kevin Harvick — He finished 21st in a quiet day for the No. 4 team, but he locked up a spot in the playoffs with Byron scoring the win. Harvick now gets to pursue a championship for the 17th time since NASCAR adopted the playoff format.
Denny Hamlin — He started from the pole for the third time on a road course this season. He ran inside the top three all day long while scoring 17 stage points. He kept Martin Truex Jr. within reach, and he set himself up to contend for the regular-season championship.
LOSERS
Chase Elliott — He entered the Watkins Glen weekend with two previous wins at the road course and an opportunity to punch his ticket to the playoffs. He finished 32nd after running out of fuel during the final stage. There was only one caution at Watkins Glen, so Elliott never could get back on the lead lap. Now his only path forward is a win at Daytona, which he compared to going to Las Vegas and needing to hit a jackpot on the nearest slot machine.
Alex Bowman — Like Elliott, he needed a win to reach the playoffs. This did not happen during a day when the No. 48 team struggled. Bowman didn’t have the lateral grip he needed, which contributed to him missing out on stage points. He finished 23rd after receiving a penalty for stopping for fuel and tires when pit road was closed.
Daniel Suarez — Headed to Watkins Glen with an opportunity to build on his third-place finish at Indianapolis. He spun at the exit of the bus stop on Lap 5, and he spent the rest of the race trying to recover. He missed out on stage points and left Watkins Glen 43 points below the cutline.
Austin Dillon — Started 16th and scored one stage point while running inside of the top 20 at multiple points of the race. He took part in a heated last-lap battle with Kyle Larson that led to contact between their cars on the final turn. They both spun. Dillon finished 31st.
Drama on the final lap!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 20, 2023
Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson got together in the final two corners. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/C7E3VSvn1M
