Winners and losers from a roller coaster NASCAR Cup race at Texas

After 267 laps of racing and seven cautions, just four tenths separated Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin at the checkered flag as the two drivers finished 1-2 for the second time this year.

It was a race with a lot of movement throughout the field and ever-shifting strategies. Stage finishes were hectic, fast cars were eliminated in strange ways, but in the end, it was some of the top drivers in the championship standings all battling it out for the win.

Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from Texas:

WINNER: Chase Elliott for delivering Team Hendrick another win

Watch: Elliott breaks down how No. 9 team controlled the race

This is the earliest in a Cup season Elliott has ever reached multiple wins, and so far, he is the only member of Hendrick Motorsports to reach Victory Lane this year. The ever-consistent driver of the No. 9 is now third in points, and knocking on the door of second in the standings. Despite starting 14th at Texas, he led the most laps (87) in a very impressive drive. He never really put a wheel wrong, held off Denny Hamlin in a tense final restart, and the strategy from the pit box was on point even with the chaotic nature of Sunday’s race.

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LOSER: Christopher Bell after shocking Stage 1 exit from the lead

Bell thought he had a car that could compete for the win at Texas, and for good reason. He led 22 laps early, and was battling teammate Denny Hamlin for the Stage 1 win. However, that’s when it all came apart as Todd Gilliland spun just in front of the leaders. Bell tried to go low, but that’s where the spinning car was heading as Gilliland tried to keep it off the wall. Bell got clipped and his No. 20 slammed the wall, leaving him with a last-place finish and just a single point on the board. The disastrous exit dropped him four spots in the standings, making him this week’s biggest loser in the championship.

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WINNER: Erik Jones as the biggest mover in points after stage win

Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., HYAK Motorsports

How about the No. 43 team? Jones stayed out with four other cars near the end of Stage 1, and managed to hang on to secure a stage win for the first time in his entire career. Those points were critical in making him the biggest mover in the championship standings this week, jumping for positions from 26th to 22nd. He also finished a solid 12th in the final running order.

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LOSER: Kyle Busch after great day comes apart in Nemechek clash

What a bad ending to such a positive weekend for the No. 8 RCR Chevrolet. Busch qualified sixth, and ran inside the top ten for most of the race. However, after restarting 11th with four laps to go, he ended up getting tangled up with John-Hunter Nemechek. Nemechek believes Busch cleared himself off his nose, while Busch believes Nemechek came down off the wall. Regardless, the result was the same, and Busch suffered some damage. Moments later, he intentionally door-slammed Nemechek and wrecked him into the outside wall, worsening the situation. Busch limped home to finish 20th, a far cry from where he was running all day.

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WINNER: Spire as Hocevar and Suarez bring home double top ten

Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports, Daniel Suárez, Spire Motorsports, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing

After their first front row sweep, many wanted to see if the Spire cars could stay up front all day. It wasn’t that simple, as Carson Hocevar lost the lead early, and Daniel Suarez just cratered down the running order. However, they persevered, and Suarez fought back to finish a strong sixth while Hocevar was right behind him in seventh. This is the third time Spire has secured a double top ten in just the first eleven races of the 2026 season.

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