Turning Point: How Talladega shakes up playoff race; Texas wilder than you think

Here's what's happening in the world of NASCAR with Talladega Superspeedway in the rearview and Texas Motor Speedway (Sun., 3:30 p.m. ET, FS1) up next.

1. How Talladega dramatically changed playoff fortunes

Cindric's win last Sunday tightened up the playoff bubble, but how will DQs affect Preece, Logano?  We're only two and a half months through the season, but with Austin Cindric's triumph at Talladega, it now feels like the playoff picture is beginning to ramp up with both Josh Berry and Cindric securing postseason berths as outsiders looking in coming into 2025. Six of 16 playoff tickets have been punched so far with Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell snagging multiple checkered flags already. Daytona 500 winner William Byron, Cindric and Berry each have one with 10 races complete. Cindric's victory moved him up eight spots in the Cup standings to 14th, overtaking Preece, AJ Allmendinger and Kyle Busch. Allmendinger has shown the speed to contend for one of the coveted 16 playoff positions so far this season, but finished 24th at Talladega to pin him to the last provisional spot on the grid -- just six points ahead of Busch. This year is shaping up to be a similar predicament as last season for Busch. Winless and so close, yet so far at the same time. The two-time champ turned in a season-best performance at Circuit of The Americas to score his lone top five this year but has only scored one top-10 result in the last five races (Darlington). With three straight points-paying 1.5-mile ovals coming up (Texas, Kansas, Charlotte), that will likely be the all-telling sign of where the No. 8 RCR Chevrolet team will end up come September. MORE: How Preece, Logano shake out in standings after DQs As for Preece and Logano, two top-five results were stripped away after their respective disqualifications post-race, and comfortable points positions went out the window. The original runner-up finish for the No. 60 RFK Racing driver would've been a career-best for Preece, solidifying him as a true bid stealer as the race to September amplifies, but collecting just one point from Talladega now puts him 19th on the grid and 14 points off the provisional elimination line. Without a top five thus far, stage points and that fifth-place finish would've been a huge shot in the arm for the defending Cup Series championship No. 22 team, but these odd-numbered years continue to snakebite the camp and three-time titleholder. Now Logano is flirting with his worst season since his rookie campaign in 2009 when he had an average finish of 20th. After 10 races this year, that number stands at 19.7. Logano's become accustomed to being an opportunist and striking when least expected, but the No. 22 needs to find the speed first. MORE: 38 cars entered in Sunday's race at Texas Elliott once again finds himself in the midst of another drought with his last victory coming at Texas. That race was almost 13 months ago, and while the No. 9 driver and 2020 champion is sitting pretty in points (fourth), we know how tight a driver's playoff position can get when more and more unique winners emerge (ask Martin Truex Jr. in 2022). Then, there are drivers like Wallace looking for redemption after letting a win slip by them at the intermediate track. Sure, the winners at Texas have been chalk more than not, but with the flair for unpredictability, don't be surprised if another win like Berry's at Las Vegas throws the next twist in the playoff picture.