As NASCAR hops around the country from one playoff location to another, the series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.
Here’s a look at who has some extra baggage after Kansas and who shed some baggage heading into the mid-race of the second round (NBC’s coverage from Talladega begins Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET):
Kyle Larson
At least Larson’s humor remained Sunday. He crashed in Atlanta in the opening race of the first round. The second round opener didn’t start much better. Larson cut a tire and hit the wall in Kansas on Sunday.
How did he describe his race in Kansas?
“Better than Atlanta,” he told NBC Sports.
He’s right.
At Atlanta, Larson finished 37th and scored one point, falling out of the points and moving into 10th place.
At Kansas he came back after falling from the lead to finish 26th on a day when he made 13 pit stops – most for repairs. Larson dropped from the points lead to fourth. He is 18 points above the cut line.
Now comes Talladega and a drafting style song. Larson has said he has gotten better at the style of racing seen at Talladega, Daytona and Atlanta. But he hasn’t finished in the top 10 in his last 14 starts on a draft circuit, dating back to April 2022 in Talladega.
In nine of the eleven drafting races since last year, Larson has been involved in an accident. Five times he rode in the top 10. Four times he was in the top five.
“At some point,” crew chief Cliff Daniels told NBC Sports after Kansas, “the law of averages is going to apply to us if we’re in the top 10 and we’re not going to break down and we’re going to come home. with a top-10 day at a speedway. That’s on the horizon. We will continue to try to control what we can control.”
How Larson gets through Talladega will be crucial after scoring just 11 points at Kansas.
“In the playoffs you just have to fight every round,” Larson said. “So far we are definitely being tested.”
Alex Bowman
The playoffs began with Alex Bowman denying rumors that he would be leaving the No. 48 car at Hendrick Motorsports after this season. Car owner Rick Hendrick later confirmed that Bowman would be back in the car next year.
Bowman responded to the drama by scoring the most points in the first round.
Winners, losers after the NASCAR Cup playoff race at Kansas Speedway
Ross Chastain wasn’t the only driver who left Kansas Speedway with a good feeling.
On Sunday he finished sixth. His 43 points were the fourth most points scored in the race. That took him from below the cutline to sixth place in the standings. It is eight points above the intersection line.
Bowman has three top 10s in the four playoff races. That’s his best streak of finishes since May.
Also importantly, he has scored points at every stage of all four play-off races. No one else has done that. This is the first time he has scored points on every stage in four consecutive races this season; his previous best streak was two races in a row.
“We had a little better pace in the playoffs than before and it made my job a little easier,” Bowman told NBC Sports after Kansas. “We are definitely not perfect. There is a lot we need to improve. We’re kind of going in the right direction and doing the right things.”
William Byron
Kansas was a big day for Byron. The Daytona 500 winner looks to carry that momentum through Talladega.
After winning three of the first eight races this season, the No. 24 team has had its ups and downs. Sunday showed what this team can do. Byron won a stage, scored 17 stage points in the race and finished second. He scored a race-high 52 points to take the points lead heading to Talladega.
“These guys have worked hard,” Byron said of his Hendrick Motorsports team. “We just have to keep putting together weeks like this.”
That’s been the problem. Since June, he has only finished back-to-back races in the top 10 once. Talladega might be the perfect place for him.
Byron ranks third among playoff drivers in points scored on the draft circuit this season with 166. He trails only Team Penske teammates Austin Cindric (181 points) and Ryan Blaney (169).
Denny Hamlin
It was a frustrating day in Kansas for Hamlin, who lost several spots on pit road.
He gave up 11 positions during a stop on lap 101 when the right rear tire needed tightening.
Hamlin had to return to pit road on lap 148 to tighten a wheel, moving him from sixth to 31st.
He lost 11 positions during a slow stop on lap 240, dropping him to 16th.
“They know today was one of their worst days ever and they will work to clean it up,” Hamlin said after the race.
Hamlin finished eighth in a race instead of having a chance to win.
“We just missed an opportunity,” crew chief Chris Gabehart told NBC Sports.
Still, the team moved up to fifth place in the points. Hamlin is 11 points above the cut line. But it could have been better.
“We gave up at least eight or 10 points and there’s no doubt we gave up an opportunity to race for the win,” Gabehart said.
The great thing about a 36-race season is that another race will take place in a few days. The crew gets a chance to redeem themselves in Talladega.
Hamlin is also looking for better fortunes. He has scored the fewest points among the remaining playoff drivers in draft circuit races this season. He scored 59 points. The next lowest among the playoff drivers is Chase Briscoe with 86 points.
Ross Chastain
After his win at Kansas, Chastain could be seen as more of a helper for teammate Daniel Suarez or a Chevrolet playoff driver at Talladega.
At Talladega, the emphasis for the manufacturers was often on ensuring that their playoff cars would perform well and that one would win to advance to the next round. Not being in the playoffs, Chastain’s win in Kansas meant no one has advanced to the next round yet.
During last year’s playoff race at Talladega, non-playoff driver Riley Herbst helped fellow Ford racer Ryan Blaney to victory, moving Blaney one lap closer to winning the championship.
Of course, anything goes in the final round.
“If we can help (Suarez) along the way in the draft, then that’s what we’re going to do,” Chastain crew chief Phil Surgen said. “But you know, our focus is on winning at Talladega.”
