3 winners and losers from the NASCAR Playoff race at Talladega

NASCAR's visit to the Talladega Superspeedway yielded plenty of action on and off the track as the Cup Series and the Truck Series drivers continued their playoff journey.

The 2.66-mile tri-oval in Talladega, Alabama hosted the second playoff race in the Round of 12. As the 188-lap race unfolded last Sunday, October 1, a few playoff drivers improved their chances of advancing to the next round, while some drivers returned home with a disappointing result.

Before NASCAR heads to the Round of 12 elimination race at Charlotte Roval, let us take a look at three winners and losers from the Yellawood 500.

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3 Winners and Losers from NASCAR's playoff race at Talladega

Winners

#1 Ryan Blaney

Following a disappointing result at Texas Motor Speedway, Blaney arrived at Talladega 11 points below the cutline. The #12 Team Penske driver delivered the result he needed the most as he went on to win the first stage and later took the checkered flag in his typical photo finish.

Ryan Blaney's second win in 2023 came at a crucial time as he advanced to the Round of 8, carrying Penske's championship hopes.

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#2 Denny Hamlin

The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver used his years of experience to make a stunning recovery at Talladega as he claimed a third-place finish despite being a lap down and mired at the back of the field for most of the race.

While the speeding penalty almost ruined his weekend, Denny Hamlin rallied through the field while none of the Toyota drivers were able to do the same. Hamlin, the title favorite, is currently 50 points above the cutline.

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#3 Chase Elliott

While NASCAR's most popular driver is not in the driver playoffs, Chase Elliott has been putting together solid performances to help his team secure the owner's championship. Although he wrecked out on the final stretch, he was classified seventh putting the #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy team fourth in the owner's standings.

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Losers

#1 Kyle Busch

The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion's dreaded playoff run continues as he is currently last of the 12 playoff contenders. After wrecking out in Texas, Busch was below the cutline heading to Talladega and remained there as a 25th-place finish with no stage points putting him 26 points adrift of the cut-off mark.

Busch is in a must-win situation at Charlotte Roval but the odds are stacked against him as his last road course win came in 2015.

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#2 Brad Keselowski

The #6 RFK Racing driver couldn't replicate his past success at Talladega as he wrecked out of the race while pushing Carson Hocevar late in the race. Keselowski accepted the blame for the incident as he reckoned he was too aggressive while pushing.

Keselowski currently occupies the final spot to advance to the next round two points above the cutline. However, the #6 Ford doesn't have a good record on road courses.

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#3 Bubba Wallace

Returning to Talladega Superspeedway, Bubba Wallace was hoping to emulate his past success on the track where he won his first NASCAR Cup Series race. However, the #23 Toyota driver was stuck with the Toyotas unable to charge to the front, scoring 0 stage points.

Although Wallace led the field for a short while, he ended up finishing 23rd and is currently nine points below the cutline.