This October's NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway was certainly a memorable one, and pretty much all title contenders encountered issues except for the one already sitting atop the standings.
This race featured a bizarre opening stage where three cars drove off to a 40+ second lead amid fuel-saving shenanigans, a very persistent lapped car that nearly won the race, championship leader Kyle Larson claiming his first superspeedway victory in a stunning last-lap charge, and Joey Logano sliding upside down on his roof.
As you can see, there was plenty to discuss, and a lot drivers feeling sour after another unpredictable superspeedway race. Just two races remain in the 2026 season now, but before we move on to Martinsville, here's a look at the biggest winners and losers from Cup at Talladega:
WINNER: Kyle Larson for delivering a decisive blow in title fight
As Reddick, Blaney, Bell, Briscoe all crashed, and Logano went upside down, Larson enjoyed a nearly perfect day in Alabama. Even Hamlin failed to score any stage points and finished eighth as Larson took a dramatic win in the No. 5 HMS Chevrolet. After losing the lead off of Turn 2 on the white flag lap, he did not give up made a mad dash back to the front, moving from 11th to 1st to claim his first-ever superspeedway win. Larson is now on the cusp of clinching the title a week early, 73pts ahead of Hamlin with two races to go.
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Kyle Larson wins wild Talladega NASCAR Cup race after charging from 11th on final lapLOSER: Austin Hill & Ricky Stenhouse Jr. due to a heartbreaking loss
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet; Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Photo by: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
What could have been for these two drivers ... Hill very nearly had his first-ever Cup win in his hands, but stalled out and lost power right as he was attempting to make the pass for the race lead. He crawled across the line as the last car on the lead lap in 14th. Then there's Stenhouse, who was trying to get his first victory in two years with the small Hyak Motorsports team, but became a sitting duck in the tri-oval as the pack ran him down. He finished third, crossing the line in a three-wide finish with Hendrick teammates Larson and Byron.
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. explains why he lost Talladega Cup raceWINNER: Ross Chastain and his stunning comeback from one lap down
Kyle Larson wins, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
What a whirlwind day for this driver. Chastain went a lap down after speeding during the very first round of green-flag pit stops. He then spent almost the entire race trapped off the lead lap, but he also spent most of it near the front. Late in the race, he helped pull the third lane forward with Logano, and led the pack with the race leaders behind him. And Logano's airborne crash with just five laps to go put Chastain back on the lead lap. He restarted 14th at the tail-end of the field with just two laps to go, but quickly found a way through the disorganized pack. On the final lap, he hitched his wagon to Larson and the two of them rapidly charged up through the top ten, with Chastain placing fourth and moments away from taking the runner-up spot with the massive run he had. All that after spending 2/3rds of the race a lap down.
LOSER: Christopher Bell after costly error at pit entry
Bell entered Talladega as the driver closest to Larson in the standings, but it wasn't the 'Big One' that got him in the end. On the very first round of green-flag stops, he lost control at the entrance of pit road under braking and spun into the inside wall. Bell finished 12 laps down in 35th, losing 69 points to Larson in a single race to be -74pts in third now. That mistake is probably going to keep him up at night for quite a while...
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Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Talladega IIWINNER: RFK Racing for upending fuel-save game in Stage 1
RFK Racing teammates Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski, and Chris Buescher
Photo by: Scott Taetsch via Getty Images
During the first stage, drivers were running half-throttle at best as they engaged in some extreme fuel-saving methods, which did not impress those watching. However, RFK Racing had a different idea, as that small trio of cars mashed the gas and pulled away from the pack. They ended up over 40 seconds ahead, nearly catching back up to and lapping the field. They spent the rest of the stage by themselves, ending it 1-2-3 after catching their competitors by surprise.
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Ryan Preece on RFK nearly lapping the field: "You'll never see that again"LOSER: Joey Logano & Riley Herbst after being involved in frightening crash
Logano went from battling for the lead in one moment to sliding upside down on his roof in the very next. It was a terrifying crash and the first rollover of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season. Thankfully, he was okay, but his title hopes are essentially over. However, the scariest hit belonged to Riley Herbst in the No. 35, who lost brakes after slamming the outside wall and violently impacted into the inside wall in a nearly head-on -- still going about 130mph. He took his time getting out of the car, and it's a well-known fact that he was already sidelined by a concussion less than two months ago. Thankfully, he was checked and released from the infield care center with the only noticeable injury being a wrapped left wrist.
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Daniel Dye, No. 78, racing alongside Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 and Riley Herbst in the No. 35
Photo by: Jeffrey Vest of Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
When fuel-saving dominated Stage 1, some of the smaller underdog teams took advantage of it and put their cars out front for a bit. Cody Ware was a good example of that, but there were two drivers who got to lead laps for the first time ever in their Cup Series careers. Gray Gaulding, who made his first Cup start back in 2016 and has since made over 60 appearances, led five laps in the No. 66. Daniel Dye also led a lap for the first time, making his fifth career start in the No. 78. They both went on to earn top 25 finishes for their part-time open entries, but the top open entry was Joey Gase's No. 44 in P21.
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Official race results: NASCAR Cup Talladega Chase raceLOSER: NASCAR for not making yellow line rules clear enough
Kyle Larson passes Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for win
Photo by: David J. Griffin - Icon Sportswire - Getty Images
Another superspeedway race, another post-race controversy with fans debating yellow-line infractions. Larson's pass on Todd Gilliland as he raced through the tri-oval to claim victory came under scrutiny, as did Hill's pass under Larson at the exit of Turn 2 on the white flag lap. There were others too who flirted with the yellow line during a chaotic finish as well. NASCAR took no action and ruled all was good, but the vagueness of the rule and inconsistent calls in the past fueled online discourse that dominated social media in the hours immediately following the race. A more in-depth explanation from the Sanctioning Body was certainly needed, or perhaps changes to the rule itself in the long run so that we don't keep ending up in this sort of discourse following every superspeedway race.
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