After claiming Trucks and Xfinity series wins at Texas, Busch failed to complete the sweep, finishing a disappointing 10th. Busch still leads the Monster Energy Cup points standings, holding an 8-point lead over Denny Hamlin.
"I went winless in 2018," Hamlin said, "so naturally, I started to question myself. I also had other questions at Daytona, like 'When is this race going to start?' and 'When is this race going to end?'"
1. Joey Logano: Logano won the Ford EcoBoost 400 to claim his first Monster Energy Cup championship. - "I won the battle," Logano said, "and I won the war. But I'd still probably lose a fight to Martin Truex, Jr."
1. Kyle Busch: Busch started sixth at Phoenix and took the checkered flag in the Can-Am 500 to advance to Homestead with a chance to win his second Cup championship. - "Kevin Harvick got in when Denny Hamlin knocked out Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott," Busch said. "Either Kurt or Chase could have played the spoiler, and the last thing Harvick needed is another troublesome spoiler." - Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started third in the AAA Texas 500 and passed Ryan Blaney on an overtime restart to take the win and qualify for the finale at Homestead.
The 2024 Coca-Cola 600 champion from Norman, Oklahoma, erased a 33-race winless drought and commenced the 2026 Chase with his second career crown-jewel victory, the Southern 500, in Darlington, South Carolina.
Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team started their championship title-defending campaign with a strong top-five finish in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
