2023 NASCAR Cup Series Head-to-Head Playoff Results

Originally published on Apr. 30, 2025

By Zane Miller

First round

(8) #8 Kyle Busch v. (1) #19 Martin Truex Jr.

(7) #17 Chris Buescher v. (2) #11 Denny Hamlin

(6) #6 Brad Keselowski v. (3) #24 William Byron

(5) #5 Kyle Larson v. (4) #20 Christopher Bell

In an overtime finish at Kansas to start the postseason, Denny Hamlin scored an impressive runner-up finish to start his playoff run on the right foot, holding off former teammate and seventh-place finisher Kyle Busch despite the latter coming back from a 35^th-place starting position. One driver who was not as fortunate was Hamlin’s current teammate in Martin Truex Jr., as his race ended in a fluke single-car crash on lap three. Chris Buescher struggled during the race, but was easily able to claim the series lead with a 27^th-place run. Brad Keselowski fared far better than his teammate/employee, finishing ninth to outdo William Byron’s 15^th-place finish. Finally, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell each had competitive cars, but Larson ultimately got the fourth spot with Bell trailing behind in eighth.

The first round continued at Bristol, where Larson and Bell battled in close quarters for the second half of the race. Although Bell was able to sweep both stage one and two, Larson began creeping into the picture as the night went on. Larson made his move around Bell during yellow flag pit stops, but Bell remained in hot pursuit. However, as the laps went on, Larson was able to pull away, taking the checkers in second while Bell was nearly three seconds behind in third, ending his championship aspirations. Also eliminated was Byron, who took a solid ninth-place finish, though it wouldn’t be enough to take down Keselowski as he held off Byron’s charge in eighth. Buescher’s playoffs came to a halt after taking the fourth spot, as Hamlin picked up the race win after leading the final 135 laps. The only undecided series was between Busch and Truex Jr., as both drivers ended a long evening two laps down, but Truex was able to fight another day thanks to a 19^th-place finish to Busch’s 20^th. At Texas, Truex’s mediocre postseason continued with a 17^th-place finish after enduring yet another accident, but luckily for him Busch was already out of the event due to a single-car crash of his own on lap 75, which the #8 crew was unable to repair despite their best efforts.

Semifinal

(6) #6 Brad Keselowski v. (1) #19 Martin Truex Jr.

(5) #5 Kyle Larson v. (2) #11 Denny Hamlin

The semifinal round started off with a bang at Talladega Superspeedway, as Hamlin captured a third-place finish while Larson could only muster a 15^th-place result. Truex finished outside of the top-10 once again, taking the 18^th spot, though this was plenty good enough as Keselowski was involved in a multi-car wreck with 25 laps to go. His once promising day in which he won the first stage ended with him being credited with a 32^nd-place finish.

All four of the championship hopefuls struggled at the Charlotte roval, though some struggled more than others. Larson was the best of the group, taking a 13^th-place finish after nearly starting dead last on the grid, though Hamlin was out of the race long before the checkered flag fell. Coming off of turn 17 with 35 laps remaining, Hamlin spun his Toyota through the infield turf before being hit by road course ringer Mike Rockenfeller. Hamlin attempted to keep going, but the team was unable to make the necessary repairs prior to the expiration of the Damaged Vehicle Policy clock, leaving him dead last in the final running order. The bout between Keselowski and Truex was closer, but Keselowski still had the upper hand, nabbing an 18^th-place finish while Truex could only watch from 20^th.

Both series were up for grabs at Las Vegas, but Larson would ensure that his stretch of lackluster runs was over. On the final restart with 45 laps to go, Keselowski and Larson were side-by-side on the front row with Larson holding down the inside line. Although Keselowski briefly poked his nose ahead of Larson going into turn one, the blue-and-white #5 had a massive run thanks to a big push from Christopher Bell. Once he was clear, Larson never looked back, taking the race win as Keselowski held onto fourth. Truex and Hamlin rounded out the top-10 in ninth and 10^th respectively, as Larson and Keselowski would duke it out for the title.

Final

(6) #6 Brad Keselowski v. (5) #5 Kyle Larson

At Homestead, it initially appeared that the Larson-Keselowski battle would be one for the ages, as they finished one-two in stage one and both were in the top-five in stage two. However, with 53 laps to go, Larson brought out the red flag after colliding with a cluster of sand-filled plastic barrels in a botched attempt to come down pit road. Larson’s race was done after leading 96 laps, but coincidentally Keselowski was caught up in another wreck on the ensuing restart. The wreck left him battered but able to continue, as he finished five laps down in 28^th with Larson behind the wall in 34^th.

When the championship fight moved to Martinsville, however, Keselowski’s luck ran out. Shortly after a restart just past the event’s halfway point, the #6 Ford was again tangled up in a multi-car accident. Ty Gibbs was spun by Keselowski’s ex-teammate Joey Logano, causing a reactionary spin by Daniel Suarez which left Keselowski nowhere to go but into the side of Suarez. With heavy front end damage, Keselowski could only manage a 33^rd-place finish as Larson gladly took a solid sixth-place result.

The championship trophy would be handed out at Phoenix, but it was evident right from the jump that Keselowski’s car was nowhere near as strong as Larson. For starters, Keselowski began the race deep in the field, while Larson scored a top-five spot on the grid. Keselowski was able to make his way up through traffic, but was unable to stay in the top-10 for long as Larson was a mainstay inside the top-five. At the end of the 312-lap race, Keselowski was well behind the leaders in 15^th, as Larson collected a third-place finish for his second career Cup Series title.

Kyle Larson’s stats for 2023 included four victories, 15 top-fives and 18 top-10s, finishing runner-up in the real-life championship to Ryan Blaney.