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.
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.
WINNER: Erik Jones as the biggest mover in points after stage win
Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., HYAK Motorsports
Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images
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.
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.
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
Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images
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.
LOSER: Joey Logano after his race ends in pit road crash
Logano went from feeling relief after narrowly avoiding a direct hit with a spinning William Byron to watching his day end in a unfortunate pit road collision. During a set of pit stops after a near-miss on track, Logano was working his way down pit road when he came upon a near-stopped Cole Custer, who was attempting to squeeze into his pit box. Things were crowded, and Logano ended up running directly into the back of the Haas car, destroying both machines. Logano, whose last win came at Texas one year ago, was unable to continue, and finished 37th. The DNF has dropped the three-time series champion outside of the Chase for the time being.
WINNER: Corey Heim … despite late-race crash
Corey Heim
Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images
It’s strange to count a crashed car among the ‘winners,’ but we have to give Heim some credit. The part-time Cup driver was making his tenth start at the top level and his first at Texas. After qualifying 17th, he ran well, and ended up on an alternate strategy that saw him controlling the race through multiple restarts like a veteran, and leading 69 laps! Only the race winner ended up leading more. Unfortunately, his race came to an end late when he backed it into the wall. Even still, it was a glimpse at what Heim is capable of at the sharp end of the Cup grid.
LOSER: Ross Chastain for making an unforced error, spoiling solid day
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing
Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images
Trackhouse was in desperate need for a good day. Outside of drafting tracks, Chastain entered the weekend with zero top 15s. However, he had a decent day going at Texas, where he has finished second twice before. Approaching the final set of green-flag pit stops, Chastain was running eighth and had the pace to climb a little bit higher up the order. Unfortunately for him, he never got the chance due to a costly mistake. He sped on pit road, ruining the day for the No. 1 team and leaving him with 26th-place finish. As the drivers directly in front of him in points also had bad days, this was a real missed opportunity.
BONUS LOSER: Ryan Preece after the midweek penalty report
Ryan Preece had a solid day at Texas Motor Speedway, but there was problem. He got into it with Ty Gibbs, and voiced his frustrations with the JGR driver on the radio. He even indicated that he planned to wreck Gibbs if he got back to him, which ultimately did happen. NASCAR has responded, docking Preece 25 points and fining him $50,000. Preece was 63 points above the cutline, but now drops to +38 after the penalty. It was a costly lapse in judgement for the otherwise consistent RFK driver.
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