<div>Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway produced chaos among the competitors in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on Sunday.Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a non-playoff driver, spoiled the day for those chasing the championship, as he edged Brad Keselowski and points leader William Byron at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.Despite not winning a race in the Round of 12, Byron’s 74-point advantage above the cutline has allowed the Hendrick Motorsports driver to lock into the Round of 8 prior to next week’s cutoff race at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL. Here’s how the standings look heading to the Charlotte ROVAL:<h2>Locked In</h2>1. William Byron (+74, advanced)Byron has been nearly perfect the last two races as he boasts an average finish of 2.5. That consistency allowed the HMS driver to lock into the next round.Byron reached the Championship 4 last season. <h2>Safe</h2>2. Christopher Bell (+57)Christopher Bell is all but assured a spot in the Round of 8 as he holds a 57-point advantage above the cutline. The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver finished sixth at Talladega and was seventh at Kansas Speedway a week prior. 3. Kyle Larson (+52)An 18-point cushion was all Kyle Larson had entering Sunday’s Cup Series race at Talladega. However, after finishing an impressive fourth aboard the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5, Larson holds a 52-point cushion over the cutline.Larson, who admitted he’s struggled at superspeedways since his Cup Series career began in 2014, snagged only his second top-five finish on a superspeedway.4. Denny Hamlin (+30)Despite a murky week following his race team’s (23XI Racing) announcement of a filing a joint lawsuit alongside Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR and its CEO, Jim France, Denny Hamlin had a solid outing at Talladega.Piloting Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 11 Toyota, Hamlin finished 10th, vaulting him from 11 points above the cutline to 30 points to the good. <h2>Safe For Now</h2>5. Alex Bowman (+26)A sixth-place run at Kansas, followed by a 16th-place effort at Talladega has Alex Bowman 26 points ahead of the cutline. While the Hendrick Motorsports driver appears safe entering the race at the Charlotte ROVAL, it may be a make or break race for Bowman.Bowman has tallied five top-10 finishes in five starts at the ROVAL, with a best result of second in 2019. 6. Ryan Blaney (+25)While Ryan Blaney scored stage points in the first two stages, the reigning Cup Series champion was involved in an accident which left him in 39th at Talladega.That dropped the Team Penske driver from second on the playoff grid (+28) to sixth, 25 points above the cutline.Blaney won the inaugural ROVAL event in 2018. 7. Tyler Reddick (+14)Tyler Reddick endured a subpar day at Talladega, finishing 20th. However, the 23XI Racing driver snagged stage points in stage one (five) to aid the regular season champion’s playoff cause. Despite placing 20th, Reddick jumped from four points below the cutline to 14 above. Reddick has a runner-up result at the ROVAL (2021) and two additional top-10 finishes. 8. Chase Elliott (+13)Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott was involved in a late-race accident as he finished 29th at Talladega, five laps down. Elliott’s nine stage points in Stage Two allowed the 2020 Cup Series champion to enter the ROVAL 13 points ahead of the cutline. Elliott earned back-to-back victories at the ROVAL in 2019 and 2020. <h2>Outside Looking In</h2>9. Joey Logano (-13)Joey Logano dropped out of the top eight in the playoff standings following a wreck at Talladega. Logano finished 33rd and is 13 points below the cutline.The two-time Cup Series champion will need a stellar result at the ROVAL to secure a spot in the Round of 8. The Team Penske driver has five top-10 finishes in six previous runs at the temporary road course layout. 10. Daniel Suárez (-20)After a solid Round of 16 where Daniel Suárez cruised into the next round, the Trackhouse Racing driver needs a victory or help from another driver’s misfortune to advance. He finished 26th at Talladega following a pre-race penalty pinned the driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet behind early. Suárez has an average finish of 27th at the ROVAL. 11. Austin Cindric (-29)Austin Cindric was wrecked out of the race at Talladega while leading with five laps to go. Cindric led 29 laps prior to the crash. The Team Penske driver will need a victory to advance to the Round of 8. Cindric finished 21st (2022) and 25th (2023) in his two ROVAL starts.12. Chase Briscoe (-32)Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe finished 30th after a wreck at Talladega, putting him into a must-win situation, 32 markers in the red.Briscoe finished ninth in 2022 at the Charlotte ROVAL.Briscoe and his No. 14 SHR team have experience of game-seven-like performances, however, as he earned a berth into the NASCAR Playoffs via a win at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in the final race of the regular season. </div>

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Playoff Update: Where Things Stand After Talladega

Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway produced chaos among the competitors in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on Sunday. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a non-playoff driver, spoiled the day for those chasing the championship, as he edged Brad Keselowski and points leader William Byron at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Despite not winning a race in...

Playoff Update: Where Things Stand After Talladega

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