In a NASCAR Cup Series playoff race that featured 77 lead changes among 27 different drivers, everything appeared to be aligning perfectly for Hendrick Motorsports ahead of an overtime finish at Talladega Superspeedway.
William Byron and Kyle Larson led the field to green for the two-lap dash and were in control until everything went awry on the final lap.
As the field exited turn two of the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked Lincoln, Alabama oval, Larson pulled below the racing surface as he ran out of fuel.
Moments later, Byron was spun from behind by non-playoff driver Carson Hocevar going through the tri-oval, while Chase Briscoe took advantage of a huge push from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs to win and advance to his first Championship 4. Byron and Larson, however, finished 25th and 26th, respectively.
For the 23-year-old Gibbs, grandson of Joe Gibbs Racing owner Joe Gibbs, it was some much-needed redemption from the round of 12 opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, when he drew the ire of teammate Denny Hamlin for racing him too aggressively outside of the top 10.
The same fortunes did not ring true for the Hendrick duo, who were in prime position to score their first wins at Talladega, and for Larson, his first win on any drafting-style track. After a blown opportunity at Talladega, the pressure is only heightened going to the round of 8 cutoff race at Martinsville Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports blew a major opportunity at Talladega
Let's not forget how everything looked heading to the high banks of Talladega. Larson was solidly above the cutoff line, but he could have been locked into the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway after settling for the runner-up position at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in a car that led a race-high 129 laps.
Byron bagged 18 stage points at Las Vegas, but he left with a 36th place DNF after plowing into the back of Ty Dillon when Dillon failed to provide any warning that he was coming into the pits.
As a result, neither driver was in a comfortable position going to Talladega. Byron (-15) and Chase Elliott (-23), who was hit with an uncontrolled tire penalty at Las Vegas, were in the most precarious positions, and things only got worse.
Elliott was caught up in the multi-car crash late in the first stage and finished last in the 40-car field, but Byron had an excellent shot to win for the second week in a row, only to lose more points and essentially be put in a must-win situation at Martinsville with a 36-point deficit to the Championship 4 cut line.
Larson (+36) is only one point behind Christopher Bell (+37) going to Martinsville as the two drivers cling to the final two transfer positions, meaning he is actually one point behind should a winner emerge from below the cut line.
Byron (-36) and Elliott (-62) are joined by the Team Penske duo of Joey Logano (-38) and Ryan Blaney (-47) fighting for their title hopes after a disastrous outcome in Alabama. Elliott is in a true must-win position, and the other three probably are as well.
The three Hendrick playoff drivers have each won at Martinsville, so it would not be a surprise at all if one of them won their way into the Championship 4 this Sunday. However, a disappointing outcome all around for the organization at Talladega has them in a vulnerable position with their title hopes on the line.