NOTE: This article was written before post-race inspection at the Charlotte Roval. NASCAR ultimately disqualified Alex Bowman, which put Joey Logano back into the Round of 8.
CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson celebrated his sixth win of the season while two of his teammates just expressed a mix of happiness and relief about avoiding playoff elimination.
These were not emotions shared by Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, and Daniel Suarez after they all saw their championship dreams end at the Charlotte Roval.
"I could have finished seven spots better," a frustrated Logano said on pit road after the race when asked about what he could have done to keep his season alive.
Logano finished the race eighth overall.
The two-time Cup Series champion had capitalized early in Sunday's race. He had scored 17 stage points and put himself above the Round of 8 cutline in the final stage. It appeared that he would move on to the penultimate round once again while eliminating Reddick, the regular-season champion.
This was not the case as Austin Dillon threw a wrench into Logano's plans for the second time this season.
The Richard Childress Racing driver lost a wheel and brought out the caution. Reddick used the opportunity to make a pit stop and throw on fresh tires. It was a Hail Mary after his team made repairs from an early incident in Turn 7.
Logano stayed out while running in the top five.
Reddick used the tires to race his way from 26th to 11th. Logano fell to eighth as his tires failed to hold off multiple drivers. Reddick passed him in points to take the final spot in the Round of 8.
"Yeah, we fought hard for sure," Logano said. "Paul (Wolfe, crew chief) and the guys did a good job executing the strategy of what we needed to do today. We just didn't get quite enough at the end there. We fell off a little too much that last run.
"Honestly, the 45, Tyler, and those guys did a good job driving up through the field and scored more points. It is hard not to think about Richmond (where Dillon wrecked Logano on the final lap) a little bit right now."
Like Logano, Cindric just fell short on points. He finished fourth overall in the race after scoring five stage points, but he was in a must-win situation entering the playoff elimination race.
Cindric's downfall was due to a 34th-place finish at Kansas and a 32nd-place finish at Talladega to start the Round of 12.
"That is what this format is," Cindric said after the race. "It is difficult. I think for us, having a better regular season, having a bit better of a buffer would definitely help."
Logano and Cindric both had late opportunities to punch their tickets to the Round of 8. They were in contention as the laps clicked down.
This was not the case for Briscoe and Suarez, two drivers who were eliminated from playoff contention much earlier in the race.
Briscoe had a brutal day at Charlotte as he tried to keep the Stewart-Haas Racing Cinderella story alive. He qualified outside of the top 20 and then he made an unscheduled pit stop due to a flat tire. This was after Briscoe struggled with a car that wouldn't turn the direction he needed in the chicanes.
The day grew worse after the pit stop. Contact with other cars in Turn 7 broke the steering rack in the No. 14 Ford. This was the final issue that ended Briscoe's day and his dreams of delivering a title to SHR before the organization shut down.
"It stings. Not even really for myself, just all the employees at Stewart-Haas," Briscoe said. "They were all kind of living through the 14 car, and the environment we have had these last few weeks has been really exciting to be a part of. I hate that it is coming to an end.
"I know what that means for Stewart-Haas not to be racing for a championship anymore. That was keeping a lot of people, honestly, in the building. Hopefully, the repercussions aren't too bad, but we have four races left, and we are going to give it everything we've got."
For Suarez, Sunday's race at the Roval played out in an eerily similar manner as the 2022 elimination race at the part oval/part road course.
The Trackhouse Racing driver entered the 2022 playoff elimination race with a cushion to the cutline and an opportunity to move on to the Round of 8. All he had to do was perform at a style of track where he had previous success.
Suarez's power steering failed and led to a 36th-place finish. He failed to advance while Briscoe and others moved on.
This season, Suarez had to make up some lost points at the Roval, but he was confident in his opportunity due to the speed in his car and the unpredictability of the track.
Once again, a mechanical issue ruined his race. Suarez had lingering brake issues throughout the day that led to extended time on pit road as his team tried to diagnose the problem. They ultimately determined that the only fix would be to go to the garage.
This was not an option for Suarez and Trackhouse Racing, so he continued limping the No. 99 Chevrolet around the track. He crossed the line 29th and failed to advance in the playoffs once again.
"It's painful to be out the of the playoffs this way," Suarez said. "That's the part that's more painful than anything.
"If we would have finished fifth and I was out of the playoffs, I would be happy. We worked really hard, but for some reason, it didn't show today."
Larson, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell will move on to the penultimate round of the playoffs and continue their quest for the Cup title.
Briscoe, Suarez, Cindric, and Logano can only move forward and try to play playoff spoiler in the remaining four races.
