Winners and losers from NASCAR’s dramatic weekend at Indianapolis

NASCAR’s annual visit to the hallowed grounds of IMS did not disappoint. On Saturday, JR Motorsports earned a very special victory, despite Justin Allgaier’s heartbreaking loss, and Austin Hill is likely going to face the wrath of NASCAR officials for some reckless driving.

On Sunday, strategy was the name of the game in the Brickyard 400, but it still came down to double overtime as Bubba Wallace defeated Kyle Larson and claimed the biggest victory of his NASCAR career. He is now locked into the playoffs, and nearly everyone in the garage seemed excited about it. Ty Gibbs also won the $1 million in-season challenge, defeating Ty Dillon in the finals.

As NASCAR moves on from Indianapolis, here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from the Brickyard… 

WINNER: Bubba Wallace for silencing the doubters

Watch: Bubba Wallace overcome with emotion after Brickyard 400 victory

Even after qualifying on the front row, few were looking at Wallace as a true threat for the win. And yet, his team played the strategy perfectly to put him in a position to win one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events. He had to fight for it as well with the race ending in double overtime and defending Brickyard 400 winner Kyle Larson right next to him. But Wallace held on, snapping a 100-race winless streak and taking the now-charterless 23XI Racing team to Victory Lane for the first time this year.

LOSER: Penske for losing out on Brickyard glory due to tire issues

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

Penske hasn’t had great luck at IMS this year, in both IndyCar and NASCAR. They looked strong on Sunday, but Austin Cindric fell out of contention after cutting a tire while leading the race. Later on, Joey Logano was in control and looked like he was about to win before the same right-rear tire issue derailed his day. It was a disappointing ending for Penske at the track he owns, but one that could have likely been avoided with some less-aggressive air pressures.

WINNER: RFK for securing a double top five out of nowhere

Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

Photo by: Justin Casterline / Getty Images

In the chaos of the finish, one team that made the most of it was RFK Racing. Both Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski appeared near the front at the very end, and Chris Buescher was right with them before a mistake on the final restart. It’s the first time RFK has gotten two cars inside the top five in the same race this year, and with Wallace’s victory, it’s now a points battle between RFK teammates for the final spot inside the playoffs.

LOSER: Legacy Motor Club for a promising weekend that fell apart

Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images

Legacy Motor Club brought impressive speed to IMS, topping the charts in practice and qualifying on the second row. However, the execution wasn’t there for LMC. After John Hunter Nemechek contacted the wall while on a pole-contending lap, he had to fight his way from the rear of the field and ultimately finished 12th. Erik Jones did start up front, but a crash due to a loose wheel ended his day early.

WINNER: Katherine Legge for outperforming her equipment (again)

Katherine Legge, Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

Despite a rocky start to her NASCAR career, Legge has shown incredible improvement, and is now outperforming her equipment. The IndyCar and IMSA veteran now has two top 20 finishes in the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet, including a career-best finish of 17th in the Brickyard 400. That is now the team’s best ever finish on a non-drafting track.

LOSER: Ross Chastain for continuing his summer slump

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Justin Casterline / Getty Images

Since winning the Coke 600 in an incredible last-to-first drive, Chastain’s summer has been far from pleasant. In the past five races, he has had three DNFs due to crashes, including the last two races. He has fallen outside the top ten in points, and the latest incident is perhaps the most annoying for the No. 1 team. Chastain qualified 33rd and while saving fuel in the mid-30s, he got hit from behind just 17 laps in the race. Chastain slammed the wall, ending his day and leaving IMS with just one point. With the playoffs rapidly approaching, Trackhouse needs to get the ship righted and fast.

WINNER: Dale Jr. for getting a milestone win as a team owner

Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports Chevrolet, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

Looking to the Xfinity Series, it was a bittersweet outcome for JR Motorsports. Justin Allgaier, who is responsible for 25 of the team’s wins, was looking strong to get the team’s 100th victory. Unfortunately, contact from Kyle Larson robbed him of that chance, but the young phenom Connor Zilisch jumped in to pick up the torch. At just 19 years old, he went on to collect the checkered flag for JRM in his third consecutive win this year.

LOSER: Austin Hill for letting things spiral out of control

This is a story that dominated the weekend at Indianapolis before Wallace’s stunning victory in the Brickyard 400. Austin Hill got moved out of the way in the battle for fourth during Saturday’s Xfinity race. He pulled off an impressive save, but he then appeared to abruptly turn to the left, intentionally wrecking Aric Almirola head-on into the outside wall. It was a dangerous move that resulted in a five-lap penalty for Hill. To make matters worse, he started hurling expletives at NASCAR officials over the radio while denying any wrongdoing. The incident could result in a suspension for the RCR driver, who once claimed he could be a role model for the younger drivers coming up through the ranks.