William Byron and Kyle Larson dropped to 25th and 26th, respectively, on the final lap of the Cup Series race at Talladega after issues.

At face value, it looks like Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson are safe but they are going to be racing each other at the Virginia half mile to avoid the worst-case scenario. That scenario would be one of the four must-win drivers doing just that, winning, and moving above the cutline.

As Team Penske lost its grip on the Talladega race, both Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano head into Martinsville next Sunday with their backs against the wall in a must-win scenario. Blaney, despite being 47 points below the elimination line and nine more than Logano,

NBC and Peacock will have coverage of the final three NASCAR Cup playoff races of the season, beginning with Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. Talladega is the middle race in the Round of 8 — which will set the field for next month’s championship race.

Rajah Caruth advances in Rajah Caruth NASCAR Truck Series after Talladega, gaining key playoff points despite a frustrating race finish.

Trackhouse Racing sensation Connor Zilisch has confirmed a mooted GM-orchestrated wildcard for the Supercars Championship races isn’t going ahead. GM

Earnhardt would go on to win what would turn out to be his final Winston Cup race (and a cool million dollars thanks to the No Bull 5 bonus), but would tragically lose his life just four months later at the 2001 Daytona 500.