This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
Kevin Harvick outdrove the raindrops that plagued both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway. After a rain delayed start, the race barely was underway, when the skies opened again to postpone the majority of the race to Sunday afternoon. When the time came to fire the engines on Sunday, the track was still under rain clouds. Ultimately, the race was completed in the scheduled distance despite one further stoppage, and it was Kevin Harvick who had the fastest car throughout all of those periods of racing. He led 128 of 500 laps, and truly took command of the field in the final quarter of the race. His win at Bristol was a breakthrough, as he has struggled there in the past and had started in a challenging position.
UPGRADE
Kevin Harvick – Harvick didn't have the best record at Bristol, but you wouldn't have known that by how he raced on Sunday when he took command and drove straight into Victory Lane. The former champion was one of the fastest cars throughout the afternoon following the rain delay and was in the lead when the skies started sprinkling on the track once again with less than 70 laps remaining. Harvick has had many more strong races at Michigan. He finished second in five of the last seven races at the track and landed the fifth position there earlier this season when he started back in 29th. Performances like Sunday's could go a long way toward him lifting
Kevin Harvick outdrove the raindrops that plagued both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway. After a rain delayed start, the race barely was underway, when the skies opened again to postpone the majority of the race to Sunday afternoon. When the time came to fire the engines on Sunday, the track was still under rain clouds. Ultimately, the race was completed in the scheduled distance despite one further stoppage, and it was Kevin Harvick who had the fastest car throughout all of those periods of racing. He led 128 of 500 laps, and truly took command of the field in the final quarter of the race. His win at Bristol was a breakthrough, as he has struggled there in the past and had started in a challenging position.
UPGRADE
Kevin Harvick – Harvick didn't have the best record at Bristol, but you wouldn't have known that by how he raced on Sunday when he took command and drove straight into Victory Lane. The former champion was one of the fastest cars throughout the afternoon following the rain delay and was in the lead when the skies started sprinkling on the track once again with less than 70 laps remaining. Harvick has had many more strong races at Michigan. He finished second in five of the last seven races at the track and landed the fifth position there earlier this season when he started back in 29th. Performances like Sunday's could go a long way toward him lifting another Sprint Cup.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Yet again at Bristol, Stenhouse was able to outperform expectations and match his best finish at the short track. He started the race deep in the field, but worked his way into the runner-up position after the final raindrops fell on the speedway. It was a fantastic performance on one of Stenhouse's best tracks and continues to provide evidence that Roush Fenway Racing is making the right adjustments to climb back up the Sprint Cup pecking order. The top-five finish was just the third of the season for Stenhouse and gives him some positivity to take into the final races of the season. If the same type of effort continues, Stenhouse could see his first top-10 finish at Michigan this week.
Chase Elliott – Before the race was stopped for rain it was Chase Elliott who was able to jump up front and mix things up with the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota drivers. He had a standout performance in his first visit to the Tennessee track, and showed more of the same Saturday night, even though he faded a bit as the miles were completed on Sunday. The young driver continues to improve as his rookie season wears on, and he seems to recognize the heights of his potential with Hendrick Motorsports. Earlier this season at Michigan, Elliott had yet another standout performance by finishing second and leading 35 laps. Fantasy players should expect more of the same from him again this week.
Denny Hamlin – Hamlin successfully wrestled the lead from teammate Carl Edwards in the early laps of Saturday night's race, and asserted the speediness of the Gibbs team early, just as they had done throughout the weekend of practice and qualifying. After the rain delay, Hamlin successfully raced himself into the top five and was battling Kevin Harvick for the lead when the skies opened again. After the racing resumed, Hamlin managed to maintain his position in the top five and finished third Sunday evening. Hamlin has two Michigan wins, but his last was back in 2011. He crashed out at the track earlier this season but had two top-10 finishes in the three races prior to that disappointment.
Joey Logano – Logano complained heavily of his machine's front end once Saturday night and Sunday's rain cleared and the race truly got underway at Bristol. He was doing all he could to hang on to a decent position in the first half of the distance, and like normal, the Penske team made the correct adjustments to push him farther up the running order. In fact, Logano rebounded in the final segments of the race to finish 10th to score his 15th top-10 finish of the season. Logano won the latest Michigan race from pole and has two career wins at the circuit. He could leverage Sunday's scrappy effort to propel himself even farther up the finishing order.
DOWNGRADE
Kyle Busch – After the halfway mark, Busch felt something break. The rear end of his car gave way while turning, causing him to spin and be collected by some cars behind him. The resulting damage to the front of Busch's car put an end to whatever chances he may have had of repairing the initial problem. Yet again, Bristol was a hurdle the Busch couldn't clear, and only time will tell how much of an impact this loss of momentum will have on his championship charge. Next week is another race, and Busch does have a Michigan win. However, just once in the last six races did he manage to finish inside the top 30. In fact, he has failed to finish in two of his last three Michigan attempts.
Kyle Larson – The damage Larson endured after being spun and then getting caught in Busch's crash wasn't what he needed to keep his championship dreams alive. Larson sat on the cusp of a Chase spot prior to Bristol and he faced nothing but roadblocks on Sunday. He's in desperate need of a victory in order to keep any thoughts of a championship alive. Michigan could be a place that ignites that dream again, however. Larson finished third there earlier this season and finished eighth in his first visit to the track. He needs to keep out of trouble, avoid mistakes and focus on completing this week's race in order to be in contention for that long-awaited win.
Brad Keselowski – Momentum didn't count for much in Bristol for Keselowski. The Penske driver had been running at the front of the field when Kurt Busch lost control ahead of him and caused other drivers to collect the No. 2 car as they tried to avoid the carnage. Keselowski suffered heavy damage to his Penske Ford in the contact and finished the race 33rd with a battered machine after the team futilely attempted to make repairs. Michigan could provide a great opportunity for Keselowski to regain some swagger, however. He has finished in the top 10 each of the last five races at the circuit but has yet to pick up the home-track win of which he dreams.
Matt Kenseth – Kenseth was one of the top cars caught up in a problem not of his making. The spinning Kurt Busch caused Kenseth to be run into from behind, and then t-boned by Ryan Blaney in the resulting melee. It was a terribly disappointing outcome for Kenseth since he has been so strong at Bristol and continued to show speed through practice. The 37th-place finish wasn't representative of what he's capable of. Instead, he now must set his sights on Michigan and the final three races before the Chase begins. Kenseth won from pole in this week's race last season. He finished 14th at the track earlier this season but hopes to get back on track as the Chase approaches.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Chris Buescher – All Buescher needed from Bristol was another top-30 finish to help him etch away the final deficit ahead of his spot in the top 30 in points. An effort like that would earn him a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup by virtue of his victory at Pocono. He did much more than that on Sunday. He started Sunday's race right where he needed to, in 12th position. Instead of coasting around to collect the few points he needed, he raced hard and scored just his second top-five finish of his young Sprint Cup career. Buescher has outpaced a number of top rookies ahead of him and looks much more likely to be in the season-ending championship playoffs.
