Winners, losers from Homestead Cup playoff race

A look at the winners and losers from the Round of 8 playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

WINNERS

Christopher Bell — He overcame handling issues, took the lead from William Byron and went on to win his second race of the season. Bell locked up a spot in the Championship 4 for the second consecutive season after entering the race below the cutline.

Ryan Blaney — He entered the weekend 17 points out of the final transfer spot to the Championship 4. He scored 18 stage points and finished the race second behind Bell. Blaney is now 10 points to the good heading to Martinsville, a track where he has seven top-10 finishes in the past nine races.

William Byron — He started seventh, scored 16 stage points and finished fourth while other playoff drivers encountered significant issues. Byron left Florida 30 points above the first driver outside of a transfer spot. Next up is Martinsville, where he has two top-10 finishes and one win in the Next Gen era.

AJ Allmendinger — He started 25th but worked his way to the cusp of the top 10 before the end of stage 1. Allmendinger dealt with handling issues during stage 2 and throughout the final stage but worked his way up to fifth after his team made multiple adjustments. Allmendinger scored his fourth top-five finish of the season and set a career-best single-season mark.

LOSERS

Kyle Larson — He won the first stage and dominated for much of the second before being passed by Blaney and Byron. Larson hit the sand barrels at the entrance of pit road on Lap 213 as he tried to head to his stall for a green flag stop. He ended the day 34th.

Chris Buescher — He missed out on points in the first two stages while dealing with a car that lacked fire-off speed and maneuverability. He finished 21st and fell into a must-win situation heading to next week’s elimination race at Martinsville. Buescher’s best finish at Martinsville in the Next Gen era is 14th.

Martin Truex Jr. — He started on the pole and scored 11 stage points. Truex finished 29th after his engine expired during the final stage. He fell to 17 points below Blaney, who holds the final transfer spot to the Championship 4.

Denny Hamlin — He started 11th and scored 12 stage points. Hamlin worked his way into the top five during the final stage but ended the day 30th after hitting the outside wall. He also fell to 17 points below Blaney.