Stenhouse Jr. Wins Talladega; Byron Advances in Playoffs

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. secured his first win of the season at Talladega Superspeedway, narrowly defeating Brad Keselowski by 0.006 seconds. William Byron advanced to the third round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a significant points lead. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Sammy Smith clinched the United Rentals 250 victory at Talladega, securing his spot in the Round of 8. This marked Smith's second career Xfinity win and first with JR Motorsports. Chandler Smith led the Xfinity Series points standings after finishing fifth, highlighting his consistency throughout the season. The race saw multiple lead changes and caution flags, with Jesse Love leading the most laps but failing to capitalize on his advantage.