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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 05: Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 Leidos Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 05, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
The NASCAR playoffs got wild in Vegas. Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Kyle Busch fought hard to stay in the game. The race was messy, with crashes, smoke, and the bright sun made it tough to see. But they made it through. Now, with Talladega up next, the pressure’s about to get even crazier.
Christopher Bell: “It Feels Like Last Year”
Bell, who drives the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for Rheem, finished third. For him, the race felt familiar.
“Kind of déjà vu as last year,” Bell said. “At the beginning, we were all off a bit, but in the second half, I had what I needed to win. I just didn’t do a good job on the restarts.”
Bell had a close call when William Byron and Ty Dillon crashed late in the race. “That’s just being blessed,” he said. “The sun was right there, tire smoke everywhere. I couldn’t see anything. I hit the brake and went left, hoping to miss it. Somehow, I did.”
Even though he didn’t win, Bell stayed positive. “We didn’t get a Rheem win this year, but we came really close,” he said. “Now we’ll roll the dice at Talladega.”
Bell’s third-place run keeps him in the playoff fight. He knows execution will matter most in the next two races.
Chase Briscoe: “I Was Hanging On.”
Chase Briscoe fought hard, too. Driving the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, he brought home a strong fourth-place finish. But it wasn’t easy.
“I was hanging on,” Briscoe said. “For a few laps after the restart, the car felt good. But as the run went on, I was absolutely sideways.”
Briscoe came close to stealing a win while others battled ahead. “For a bit, I thought I might sneak one,” he said. “But I was just too loose at the end.”
When Tyler Reddick took the win for Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe looked at the bigger picture. “Now we go to Talladega,” he said. “That’s where the biggest points swing can happen. We didn’t use our mulligan today, so hopefully we’ll come out on the plus side. Maybe even win it and move on to Martinsville.”
Kyle Busch: From 32nd to 8th
Kyle Busch had to climb. He started way back in 32nd but finished eighth in his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. It was a solid comeback.
“I’m proud of the No. 8 Chevrolet team,” Busch said. “We worked hard to fix rear grip issues and a loose car. By the end, we had a good pace. Now it’s about being consistent and finishing strong.”
Busch’s steady drive showed the power of teamwork and patience. With the playoffs so tight, every finish matters.
Next NASCAR playoffs stop: Talladega
Reddick’s win in Las Vegas shook up the playoff picture once again. Now, everyone’s looking ahead to Talladega, the track where anything can happen and usually does.
For Bell, Briscoe, and Busch, the mission’s simple: survive the madness and stay in the fight. In these playoffs, one strong run can flip everything upside down.
Dogli Wilberforce is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce
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