Ryan Blaney wins instant classic at Talladega to secure spot in Round of 8

Riley Herbst got turned sideways by Corey LaJoie behind the leaders, collecting Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and many others as the field raced to the line. It was the second big wreck of the afternoon, following this incident in the tri-oval that red-flagged the race late in the going.

The race was a thriller from start to finish, with 70 lead changes between 24 drivers. Joey Logano's 48 laps led were the most of any driver, with no one else leading more than 15. Harvick, William Byron, Austin Cindric, Herbst and Stenhouse all led in double figures. 

For all the fan complaints regarding superspeedway racing with the Gen 7 car, this one saw three-wide action all race long and plenty of maneuverability, with numerous drivers slicing through the field with relative ease. It's hard to find any reason to be upset with the on-track product on Sunday, unless you're looking for one.

Where the playoff picture is concerned, title hopefuls Larson and Martin Truex, Jr. survived potential disaster at one of the sport's most unpredictable tracks. Both are now comfortably above the bubble, with the Charlotte Roval next week set to narrow the field from 12 to 8. 

Ross Chastain, however, was involved in an early accident and has fallen to -9 behind the cut line. Brad Keselowski also has to be nervous, with only a +2 advantage over Tyler Reddick. Reddick will be one of the favorites on the road course, a track type where Keselowski has struggled in recent years.

Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch, who both fought for the win in the first Talladega race in 2023, will also be on the outside looking in next week. Meanwhile Blaney, the other driver who was involved in that finish, can breathe a sigh of relief as he went from the outside looking in, to being locked into the Round of 8.