Sunday’s Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway caused some early chaos due to cautions that took out top drivers like Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Joey Logano. On a day that saw plenty of surprises at the front of the field and in terms of DNFs, there’s a lot to take away.
Let’s take a look at our winners and losers from today’s NASCAR race.
Winner: Chase Elliott takes his second win of 2026

Even if Chase Elliott couldn’t get to victory lane on Sunday, potentially missing out on the win due to a late caution with about 10 laps remaining, it was going to be a great points day. Thanks to the No. 9 team, the work put into building the fastest car at Texas Motor Speedway was rewarded on the final restart as Elliott raced to victory. Elliott has now given himself a nice cushion in the top four of the points table through 11 races.
Loser: Christopher Bell’s bad luck continues in Texas

Texas Motor Speedway has not been kind to Christopher Bell and the No. 20 team. Coming into the Wurth 400, Bell had finished 17th or worse in three of his previous nine races at the track. Things were looking promising early on Sunday, with Bell leading 22 laps and moving closer to the Stage 1 victory. Unfortunately, as he worked to pass teammate Denny Hamlin, Todd Gilliland broke loose and went straight into the No. 20. Bell’s car suffered damage at the end of the race, resulting in a last-place finish at Texas with only 1 point.
Winner: Riley Herbst starts proving she belongs

The day Corey Heim led 69 laps, rekindling calls for him to get a full-time ride with 23XI Racing next season, Riley Herbst needed a strong performance at Texas Motor Speedway. mission accomplished. Herbst scored 3 stage points in the second stage and secured his third top-20 finish of the season. While we believe Heim will drive the No. 35 car for 23XI next season, Herbst is doing enough to potentially earn a ride with Legacy Motor Club in 2026.
Loser: Fate got Joey Logano’s number 22

The day didn’t start well for Joey Logano, who finished 23rd in Stage 1. Fortune seemed to be on their side, however, when on lap 94, William Byron spun out and Logano narrowly avoided colliding with the No. 24 car. After a few moments, fate found him. Coming out of his pit box, Logano hit Cole Custer hard in the back when the No. 41 stopped on pit road to try to let Ty Gibbs out so he could get into his pit stall. The driver of the No. 22 car had his front end torn off by the impact, ending his day in 37th place.
Winner: Eric Jones delivers season-best points day

Coming into today’s NASCAR race, Erik Jones had not scored more than 16 points in last month’s race. He was losing 14 points in three consecutive races and after the first caution in Stage 1, thanks to the No. 43 team’s strategy, Jones took his first Cup Series stage win of the year and finished the day in 12th place with a season-best 35 points.
Loser: Ryan Blaney’s Pit Road Experience

The good news for the No. 12 team is that this time the pit crew was not at fault. Ryan Blaney lost 11 places on his first pit stop in the Wurth 400 because his car left the pit box and stalled when he put it in the wrong gear. It came after Blaney had earned double-digit placings after poor qualifying on Saturday. Unfortunately, the problem with qualifying poorly is that it leaves you with one of the last options for a pit stall. He later came back to bite Blaney. When Erik Jones came into his pit stall in an awkward position, Blaney had to retreat after his stop to turn the car around. It’s been that kind of season for Blaney on pit road. What’s remarkable, and a testament to Blaney, is that despite all this he’s still ranked 10th.
Winner: Alex Bowman Getting Back on Track

We still believe the chances of Alex Bowman appearing on The Chase are next to zero. That said, the driver of the No. 48 car has shown since his return why he could be the best option for Hendrick Motorsports next season. A third-place finish at Talladega gave Bowman a ninth-place finish on Saturday, giving him his second consecutive top-10 finish. He has scored 72 points over the last two races, which is a great score for someone who only had 24 points upon his return to Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago.
Loser: Kyle Larson has another bad day

The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion comes to Texas Motor Speedway with two DNFs this season and three finishes of 32nd or worse in 11 races. Unfortunately for Kyle Larson, the No. 5 car had more problems on Sunday. He was already having trouble handling the car and then he lost it while taking a roundabout to take caution. Damage to No. 5 forced him behind the wall for repairs, resulting in him falling out of the top 30 for the fourth time this season.
Winner: Daniel Suarez leaves Trackhouse in the rearview

All three Trackhouse Racing drivers finished outside the top 15 in today’s NASCAR race at Texas. Meanwhile, the driver they didn’t want scored his third top-10 finish of the season through just 11 races. After qualifying in second place on Saturday, Daniel Suárez earned 5 stage points in Stage 2 and remained in the top-10 for sixth place for the rest of the day. Suarez is clearly demonstrating that he belongs in the Cup Series, which will make things even more interesting when NASCAR’s silly season arrives. It’s also clear at this point that the problem was Trackhouse, not Suarez.
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