NASCAR Barometer: Logano Scores Million-Dollar Payday

Joey Logano survived the mayhem and confusion that reigned supreme in Saturday's Sprint All-Star race and took home a seven-figure paycheck for the effort. Qualifying for the race was rained out, and the Sprint Showdown was run Saturday morning instead of Friday night due to the weather. The race's biggest talking points ended up being the confusion created by NASCAR's new rules and the race format for the marquee event.

To put it bluntly, Saturday night's Sprint All-Star race may have been the most confusing race in NASCAR history. Rain played havoc with the weekend schedule, causing drivers, teams and fans confusion simply trying to determine how the field would line up. That confusion only built after the race got underway. Required pit stops, scoring after the red-flag breaks, penalties and crashes caused mass confusion. Teams tried to figure out the rules dictating where and how they were scored, making their strategies a complete guess. Mid-race interviews with crew chiefs and drivers gave fans a window into the hysteria, as everyone tried to sort through the mess.

That said, Trevor Bayne and Greg Biffle both won segments in the Showdown to advance into the final, but it was Kyle Larson who had the best night among drivers advancing from the preliminaries. The Target driver battled hard with Chase Elliott and put a strong foot forward in the closing laps of the All-Star race before being overtaken by a faster Logano.

UPGRADE

Joey Logano – Logano and Penske Racing had plenty of speed Saturday in Charlotte. The team kept their nose out of the trouble that befell others and made a fantastic restart to the final segment to chase down and pass Kyle Larson for the win. Logano had the pace that Larson simply couldn't match, and once Larson scraped the wall, it was Logano's race to lose. The No. 22 also dominated the fall race at this track in 2015 to lead 227 of 334 laps and win his first Sprint Cup race at the track. He'll head into this week's 600-mile race with an extra $1 million in his pocket and could be one of the favorites Memorial Day weekend as a result.

Kyle Larson – Larson held off a strong charge from Chase Elliott to win the third segment of the Showdown to advance into his first All-Star race. The pair battled heavily, bouncing off one another all the way to the finish. His Showdown speed carried him forward in the All-Star race to set up a similar finish with Logano, too. He was leading at the end of the second segment and had four new tires for the final 13-lap sprint to the finish, but couldn't hang on to his car in the closing laps and scraped the wall. That incident ended his race for the win and leaves him wondering what he needs to do to score that elusive victory. Larson's only top-10 Charlotte finish came in the fall race of 2014.

Kyle Busch – It seems as though no matter what's going on in a given race, Busch is able to rise to the top. The 2015 champion was even tagged for speeding on pit road, but recovered nicely amidst all of the confusion and joined Jimmie Johnson on the front row to start the final 13-lap segment. Not being able to change tires for the final segment meant Busch dropped like a rock at the final restart, however. That rule tweak from NASCAR kept Busch from victory. Last year's champ has never won a Sprint Cup race at Charlotte, but he does have an impressive 10 top-fives and 14 top-10s from 24 starts. With fresh tires next weekend, he should be difficult to beat.

Greg Biffle – Biffle dominated the second segment of the Showdown, winning the sprint to advance into the All-Star race for the second year in a row. The Roush Fenway Racing team made the early opportunities to advance count, and Biffle was the second team driver to break through to the big show. The All-Star race was less of a boon for the No. 16, though. Biffle ran mid-pack through most of the race and caught some damage from Matt Kenseth's crash. However, he finished second in last season's Coca-Cola 600 after a similar performance in the All-Star weekend last year. That could be a good omen for Biffle and for Roush Fenway.

Trevor Bayne – A late restart in the first segment of the Showdown gave Bayne the window of opportunity he needed to make a three-wide pass into Turn 3 and narrowly edge Elliott at the finish line to win the first segment. That move earned him a surprise spot in the main event for a shot at the $1 million. Roush did a fantastic job of putting two cars into the All-Star race but didn't have the speed to contend Saturday night. In seven Charlotte points race, the team has a best finish of 16th, but, based on the lack of pace Roush has, in order to best other teams, they'll have to rely on strategy to leapfrog to a top finish.

DOWNGRADE

Carl Edwards – Failure to secure all the lug nuts on the final pit stop ruined any chance Edwards had to win Saturday night's All-Star race. He would have started the final segment third among the cars with new tires but instead started the short 13-lap sprint at the back of the field due to the loose lug nut. That hill was just too big to overcome for the No. 19. Despite Saturday's disappointment, Edwards has been consistently good at Charlotte. He hasn't failed to finish in the top 11 there since the 2011 Coca-Cola 600, which is an incredible streak of good results. That consistency in Charlotte points races could make him quickly forget Saturday night's disappointment.

Ryan Blaney – Blaney appeared likely to win a segment of the Sprint Showdown, but a borderline call from NASCAR, which indicated Blaney jumped a late restart, sent him to the back of the field for the second segment's start. The No. 21 almost completed a recovery and finished third in the final segment but, do to the penalty, ran out of time to get to the front. It was a shame for the team because it looked as though the No. 21 would easily have won one of the segments to make it into the All-Star race. Blaney has two Sprint Cup starts under his belt at Charlotte, and it looks increasingly likely that his first series win is coming soon.

Matt Kenseth – A number of Joe Gibbs Racing cars were waiting until the last second to make their required green-flag pit stops in the first segment, and a late yellow meant that Kenseth missed his opportunity. Not pitting was a breach of the rules, and Kenseth was penalized a lap for not making that stop. Ultimately, losing control and crashing late in the second segment put an end to his night and forced the team to focus on the 600-mile race coming up next week. Kenseth started both Charlotte races from pole position last season but hasn't won at the track since the fall of 2011. Fantasy players will have to answer if the momentum from his recent win is now gone with last week's crash.

Jamie McMurray – A rear tire problem caused McMurray to spin, which brought out the first caution period in Saturday's All-Star race that lead to much of the confusion for teams. McMurray didn't hit anything, however, and surviving without damage gave him a chance to soldier on and fight back to the lead lap. He was in last place, two laps down, when the second segment began and finished the night 17th. While it was a disappointment for the team, McMurray could recover in the next race at the circuit. He has an impressive Charlotte resume with two wins, both in the fall race, and two top-five finishes in the last four races at the track. His average finish at the track is 16.5 from 27 career starts.

Tony Stewart – Stewart's final All-Star race ended in crumpled sheet metal and a giant plume of smoke. The veteran driver in his final full-time season was caught against the wall when Matt Kenseth lost control and crashed coming through some very tight racing. Kasey Kahne also tagged the No. 14 as Stewart slid toward the inside of the track, which ended the veteran's night with significant damage. Stewart will have two more chances to end his career at Charlotte on a high note. He has raced there 33 times in his career, winning once in 2003. However, Stewart hasn't had the greatest recent history at the track, scoring just one top-10 finish in his last seven attempts.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Chase Elliott – This young rookie, like Ryan Blaney, shows each week that he's a driver to beat. He appears closer to winning a race every week and did nothing to disrupt that trend in the Showdown and All-Star races last week. Not only did Elliott narrowly miss out on winning a segment of the Showdown but he also put himself into contention to win the All-Star race after advancing to the event by fan vote. Elliott finished sixth in the marquee event but drove impressively to display the speed he'll likely carry into next week's 600-mile race. Elliott's pace last week should be a signal to fantasy owners that he could have a chance to win this week.