NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Talladega

Oct 23, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) , driver Brian Scott (44) and driver Denny Hamlin (11) race out of turn four during the final lap of the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /

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Oct 23, 2016; Talladega, AL, USA; Smoke come out of the car of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) during the Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

Loser: Engines

We knew Talladega presented challenging obstacles before the race began, but sometimes those obstacles don’t come in the form of dodging wrecks–sometimes they come in the form of mechanical issues.

That was the case for Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski in Sunday’s race as they both suffered from issues that ultimately ended their runs at the title.

First up was Truex. While him and Denny Hamlin served as the only two Chase-eligible Toyotas that actively competed for the win, the No. 78 car had an issue roughly 41 laps into the race. With shades of past failures from the team, Truex rolled his car down pit road and went to the garage, where he would stay for the rest of the afternoon.

The story was a little different for Keselowski. He had already won at Daytona and Talladega in 2016 and easily had the best car on the track on Sunday. On Lap 144, he suffered the same fate as Truex, but Keselowski had led 90 laps before his day ended.

The Chase showed us more of its unpredictability as two four-win drivers had early exits in their run for a championship.

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