NASCAR Cup Series

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Two of the heavy favorites to win the championship going into the Chase won't continue on in the pursuit of a championship in 2016 following mechanical failure in Alabama.

BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion – YOU HAD A DOMINANT CAR. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE END? “It looks like we lost an engine. I’m pretty confident I lost a rod or something in the lower end. That’s just the way it goes.”

After running in the top-10 for a majority of the race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove his Zest Ford to a fifth-place finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Talladega Superspeedway after a late-race caution sent the race into overtime.

With his finish in Alabama, Hamlin advanced into the ‘Round of 8’ in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship along with fellow Camry drivers Matt Kenseth (28th), Carl Edwards (29th) and Kyle Busch (30th).

An engine failure in the early stages of Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway not only knocked Martin Truex Jr. out of the race but also out of the Chase playoffs.

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- A jack getting stuck under the car of Joey Logano on his first stop didn't stop him from rallying back to score the victory in Alabama.

In his Sprint Cup debut Roush Fenway driver Ryan Reed brought his No. 99 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford Fusion home in 26th-place at Talladega Superspeedway.

Greg Biffle had a fast No. 16 Cheez-It Ford at Talladega. Biffle started the race fifth, led for a total of 13 laps until debris on the grille cost him the lead. As Biffle was drafting his way back towards the front he suffered heavy damage in a mid-race accident, but was able to rebound back and improve 12 positions in the closing stages to earn a 15th-place finish.

Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 AdvoCare Ford Fusion, took the final restart of the afternoon from the 18th position and battled five-wide before recording a 17th-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) event at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon.

RYAN BLANEY – No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion – "We had a strong Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion all day. I could have made better decisions in lane selection there toward the end but you never know how that's going to work out. It's too bad Brad didn't get to finish. We tried to give him as much help as we could there when he was leading."