Following his win Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. now leads the Cup Series playoffs by 34 points over Kyle Larson.
Truex entered the Round of 12 with an 18-point lead over Kyle Busch.
Busch leaves Charlotte in sixth, 51 points back after finishing 29th, six laps down following multiple accidents.
The bottom four drivers in the standings heading to Talladega are Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.