Long known as the NASCAR Cup Series’ most unpredictable track, the Talladega Superspeedway was all that and more during Sunday’s YellaWood 500. A 28-car pileup in the closing laps of the race served as the highlight, and for the second week in a row, a non-playoff driver won as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. beat Brad Keselowski by 0.006 seconds.
Several playoff contenders got caught up in the chaos, leaving them in precarious points situations entering the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s infield road course. Four drivers will be eliminated from title contention following that race, so let’s take a look at who has momentum and who doesn’t.
1. Kyle Larson (Last week: 1)
Larson was overdue to benefit from a chaotic finish, and he did just that by coming home fourth at Talladega after avoiding the huge wreck in the closing laps. That puts him in an ideal points position entering Charlotte (52 points in the clear). The full-season points leader and winningest driver of 2024 should easily advance to the Round of Eight.
2. Christopher Bell (Last week: 2)
For whatever reason, Bell has a knack for finishing up front on superspeedways even when he doesn’t contend for the lead throughout the race. He did it again Sunday, finishing sixth after escaping from the Big One with minimal damage. He’s 57 points above the cutline. Considering the maximum number of points that can be earned in a week is 60, he should be able to breathe easy.
3. Ryan Blaney (Last week: 3)
One driver in a slightly less comfortable position is defending series champ Blaney, the defending fall Talladega race winner who was taken out in a wreck coming to the flag in Stage Two. Blaney still earned himself stage points as he slid across the line, and because of the handful of playoff drivers who were wiped out later on, he enters Charlotte 25 points to the good.
4. Chase Elliott (Last week: 5)
Elliott was swept up in the massive late accident Sunday, a gut punch for him and his No. 9 team. At the time, he was running inside the top five and had a shot at the win. Instead, he finished 29th and is only 13 points ahead of Joey Logano for the final transfer spot. On the bright side, Elliott has won twice at the Charlotte Roval and should be considered among the favorites there.
5. William Byron (Last week: 8)
With non-playoff drivers winning each of the past two races, only one man enters next week knowing he is safe to advance to the Round of Eight. That would be Byron, who backed up his runner-up finish at Kansas with a third in Talladega and has clinched his way in on points regardless of how he fares in Charlotte. The No. 24 team is flying under the radar despite remaining winless since Martinsville in April.
6. Denny Hamlin (Last week: 6)
Perhaps no driver had more luck Sunday than Hamlin, who was set to finish in the 30s before the Big One allowed him to pass, literally, more than half the field en route to a 10th-place finish. Instead of sitting on the bubble with his weakest track type looming, Hamlin will carry a 30-point cushion into the Charlotte elimination race.
7. Ross Chastain (Last week: 4)
Chastain’s luck finally ran out at Talladega. He took the brunt of the impact in the wreck with Blaney and finished last after winning last week in Kansas. Chastain remains the leader of the non-playoff drivers in points, but Chris Buescher has closed the gap to only three markers.
8. Tyler Reddick (Last week: 7)
A recent slump continued Sunday for Reddick, who didn’t back up his win from the spring Talladega race when he, like many others, got caught up in the Big One. His 20th-place finish marked his fourth consecutive result of that number or worse, but if it’s any solace, he improved his points situation. After entering the day in the red, Reddick jumped to 14 points above the cutline after Elliott and Logano finished well behind him.
9. Joey Logano (Last week: 11)
Logano was in the mix for the win at Talladega before suffering significant damage in the Big One. Unable to continue, he finished 33rd, 13 points on the wrong side of the line to advance. Given Logano’s rather pedestrian road-course history, he’s probably going to need help to keep his season alive in the next race.
10. Bubba Wallace (Last week: 12)
Wallace isn’t in the playoffs, but he enjoyed a solid afternoon at Talladega (ninth). More significantly, because of the much weaker finishes of Chastain and Buescher, the driver of the No. 23 machine closed to within 24 points in the “best of the rest” race. There remain plenty of positives to take away from Wallace’s season.
11. Ty Gibbs (Last week: 9)
Gibbs was extremely quiet Sunday, which isn’t surprising because he is only racing for points after his elimination from the playoffs in the first round. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, though, as he was far enough behind when the Big One occurred and squeaked through for a solid finish (13th). A strong road racer, he’ll look to continue the trend of non-playoff winners in the Round of 12 in Charlotte.
12. Alex Bowman (Last week: 10)
Bowman’s hot form in the playoffs ended in Talladega when he suffered damage in the Big One and limped to a 16th-place finish. However, that was still ahead of most playoff drivers, and he remains in a solid spot entering Charlotte (26-point advantage over Logano). Barring disaster, Bowman will be the surprise of the Round of Eight.
13. Martin Truex Jr. (Last week: 14)
Like his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Truex didn’t make much noise Sunday but finished solidly at Talladega. In a season marred by bad luck, the retiring veteran will gladly take his 11th-place finish in what could be his final race at NASCAR’s biggest superspeedway. Given his career-long winless mark on this track type, he probably won’t miss pack racing much.
14. Kyle Busch (Last week: 15)
Busch was again in the mix in the final laps of a superspeedway race in 2024, but yet again, he came up just short. His 19th-place finish is not at all indicative of his performance, as he made a move for the lead in the first turn on the final lap but didn’t have drafting help and got steamrolled by the field. It’s a microcosm of Busch’s season.
15. Chris Buescher (Last week: 13)
Buescher won the first stage at Talladega, giving him 10 valuable points as he tries to chase down Chastain in the race for 17th. That position was also where he finished Sunday. Because of Chastain’s last-place finish, he closed to within three markers and made up for the ground he lost in Kansas.
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Last week: not ranked)
Earning the final spot this week is Stenhouse, who deserves a shout-out after his exciting win. He suffered damage in the accident but raced on after being slammed in the door. Amazingly, his 0.006-second victory margin is only the third closest this season.
Dropped out: Chase Briscoe