Winners and losers from a thrilling NASCAR Cup race at…

Two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers are guaranteed a spot in the Championship 4, while the remaining six drivers will be left to fight over the final two spots at Martinsville. NASCAR leaves Talladega after a dramatic race from start to finish, featuring an incredible number of lead changes and nonstop action.

In the end, Chase Briscoe passed Bubba Wallace on the final lap as Hendrick Motorsports imploded, taking the checkered flag and ensuring himself a shot at the title for the first time in his career.

Here's a look back at the biggest winners and losers from the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway:

WINNER: Briscoe and Small will fight for a title in their first year together

Do you know what happens when you take a driver and a crew chief with something to prove and pair them together? You get the No. 19 team in 2025. Chase Briscoe and crew chief James Small are going to the Championship 4 after a fantastic drive on Sunday, and an impressive season overall. Briscoe could legitimately become a champion in his first year as a Joe Gibbs Racing driver, and it feels deserved. That car has been wicked fast and these two have been executing every week.

LOSER: Hendrick 1-2 unravels in overtime

It couldn't have gone much worse for Hendrick Motorsports at the end of Sunday's race. They controlled both lanes with William Byron and Kyle Larson, and yet, not a single HMS driver placed higher than 25th. Larson's team miscalculated and he ran out of fuel while battling for the lead on the final lap. Byron was going to get a top five, but he got spun out mere seconds from the finish line. Now Byron is deep below the cutline, and Larson is on the bubble in a nervous week ahead for NASCAR's most successful team.

WINNER: The field for 27 leaders, 77 lead changes, and minimal carnage

The race itself was incredible. 27 different race leaders and 77 lead changes places it among the top five in both categories in the entire history of the sport. There was nonstop action and movement throughout the field. Despite that, there was only one multi-car accident, which happened during the first stage after a bad bump at the front of the pack. Beyond that, the driving was nearly perfect throughout the field.

LOSER: Penske somehow loses control of the race

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford (Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)

Before Hendrick's 1-2 fell apart, the Penske duo of Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney were in control of the race. Both of these superspeedway aces should have been hard to pass, but their line simply got slowly shuffled back through the pack until they lost all of their track position. It was an unusual showing from both drivers, who should have been contending for the win. Neither driver made it back to the front, and now one of them will have to win at Martinsville in order to keep Penske's championship win streak alive.

WINNER: Ty Gibbs is a team player at Talladega

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Photo by: Chris Graythen - Getty Images)

There has been some negativity around Gibbs and his inability to work with his teammates. There were flashpoints in the 2022 Round of 8 NASCAR Xfinity Series elimination race, and recently in a Cup race at New Hampshire. There, he drew the ire of teammate Denny Hamlin and got himself wrecked, but Sunday was a very different story. He followed Briscoe closely as he cut a path to the front, sticking with him and pushing him out to the win. He was a true team player, and Briscoe praised him for it during his winner's interview.

LOSER: Chris Buescher crashes out of the lead with less than two to go

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford (Photo by: Chris Graythen - Getty Images)

RFK Racing has had several chances to visit Victory Lane this year, but they keep coming up short. Buescher was in a perfect position on Sunday, leading the race with two laps to go after taking a monster run from the outside. He then blocked a run from Byron, but an aggressive bump sent the No. 17 spinning wildly into the inside wall, ending his race. He finished 30th in a frustrating result after battling for the win.

WINNER: Front Row Motorsports shines at Talladega

Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford (Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images)

Talladega is the location of FRM's greatest triumph, earning a shocking 1-2 finish there in 2013. For a moment, it looked like history might repeat itself as Zane Smith and teammate Todd Gilliland led the race in the closing laps. While they didn't ultimately hoist the trophy, both cars still finished strong with Gilliland placing second to race winner Briscoe, and Smith finishing ninth. It's the first double top ten result since March at COTA.

LOSER: Allmendinger's hatred of superspeedways is reinforced by big hit

AJ Allmendinger crash, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Photo by: David J. Griffin - Icon Sportswire - Getty Images)

AJ Allmendinger does not like superspeedway racing, even though he's won at such tracks before in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. And Sunday's race only reinforced his hate, as he was cruising out front with the race lead in Turn 1 when he got hooked into the outside wall. The veteran driver said the hit knocked the wind out of him, and there were scary scenes as he lay on the ground beside his smoldering race car. Thankfully, he was okay, but he certainly didn't gain any love for Talladega after that one.

WINNER: Casey Mears with a quiet top 20 in the No. 66

Mears made a surprise return to the Cup Series this year as he pursues 600 career starts across all three national divisions and 500 in Cup alone. The part-timer was quiet at Talladega, and finished 18th without a scratch on his No. 66 Ford. It's his best result since competing fulltime in the Cup Series in 2016, and the team's best showing in any Cup race over the last five years!

LOSER: Chase Elliott didn't even get a chance

Chase Elliott with damage, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Photo by: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Elliott needed to make up points in Sunday's race, but he never got the chance. He was running in the back of the lead pack when the only multi-car crash took place, and while he should have been able to make it through, the unlucky No. 9 got pushed into the wreck, ending his day. Elliott finished 40th, scoring just one point. He faces a must-win at Martinsville, and if he wants to advance into the Championship 4, he's going to have to fight his teammates for it.