NASCAR Barometer: Logano Wins, Advances to Homestead

Joey Logano used his quick short-track pace to stay out front for much of Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway and to fight off Martin Truex Jr. in a last-lap pass to book the first spot in the final four championship contenders at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Penske Racing driver showed speed throughout the race weekend but was forced to make a controversial move on Truex on the final lap to come out on top. The pair had been dueling for the lead in the final laps, but last lap contact put the two side-by-side off of the final turn. Logano came out on top, while Truex walked away frustrated, saying he wouldn't let Logano win the championship after the move. The close and hard racing is exactly what NASCAR has been working to produce given the emphasis on winning in the final races of the season, and Logano's win sets up a titanic battle for the remaining seven playoff participants in the final two races before the winner-take all finale in Miami.

This week sees the second visit to Texas Motor Speedway of the season. This will be the second race in the final round of championship eliminations before the Miami finale,and could be a good chance for some championship contenders to Logano in the championship battle. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are the two most recent winners at the circuit, and both will be hungry to lock up their championship efforts early with another victory at the circuit.

UPGRADE

Joey Logano – Logano put in a tremendous effort Sunday at Martinsville, and booked himself a spot among the final four championship contenders at Homestead Miami Speedway by moving Truex out of his way in the final laps in Martinsville. The Penske Racing driver led more than 200 laps before he found himself in the lead ahead of teammate Brad Keselowski with less than 30 laps remaining in the race. He had to overcome Truex to claim one of the most important victories of his career. He now finds himself in his third championship finale as a result. Logano's only Texas win came in 2014, but has only finished outside of the top 10 at the track once in the last seven starts.

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin leveraged his speed at Martinsville to race to the first stage win of the race on Sunday. While he remained in contention for the win throughout the remainder of the race, he was only able to work his way up to second for the finish. His last step to the runner-up position came as a result of Logano's contact with Truex, but the result was representative of his pace throughout the afternoon. Despite being out of the championship hunt, Hamlin still has plenty to prove. Hamlin has two wins at Texas but crashed out at the track earlier this season. His speed that weekend was formidable, though. He started that contest fifth before the crash.

Kyle Busch – Busch drove well throughout the weekend at Martinsville to come within just a few seconds of booking a spot in the championship finale. Busch took the pole on Saturday and was a dominant figure throughout Sunday afternoon's race in Martinsville. However, in the final segment he didn't have the pace or track position to work his way into the lead. A solid top-five finish puts him in a strong position heading into the final two races to decide the four championship contenders in Miami. Busch has won at Texas three times including the spring visit earlier this season. His average result at the track is 11.6, and those statistics should make him an early favorite for fantasy rosters this week.

Martin Truex Jr. – Despite starting in the rear after failing prerace inspection, Truex worked his way forward in Sunday's race and was in contention to win before Logano forced his way back into the lead in the final laps at Martinsville on Sunday. The defending champion had harsh words for Logano and suggested he would do what he could to keep him from winning the championship. In the final laps Truex found himself climbing the running order to challenge for the victory, but it just wasn't enough. In 26 tries, Truex has just four top-fives at Texas Motor Speedway. He finished 37th at the track earlier this season after crashing out but continues his quest to land a second series championship.

DOWNGRADE

Kyle Larson – A mechanical failure ended Larson's day early at Martinsville. In the third stage of Sunday's race, he ended up billowing smoke and up against the outside wall after the failure, which ultimately put him deep in the finishing order with no chance to redeem his premature playoff exit. It was a frustrating exit for the driver who many fantasy owners would have picked as a dark-horse candidate to make it all the way to Homestead as a contender. Three races remain for Larson to prove that he should be there, however. He has yet to notch a Texas victory after 10 Cup starts, and his best finish at the track was fifth back in 2015, which isn't a strong vote of confidence for fantasy owners.

Jimmie Johnson – Johnson was an early casualty Sunday after a flat rear tire sent him spinning during the first stage. Typical of his team, he continued to battle back, though. The team rallied for a 12th-place finish on a day most others would have easily faded outside of the top 20. Continuing to dig deep has become the hallmark of the team, but it hasn't been enough to replicate the championship success of years past. Johnson's Texas record is a good one, but he'll have to overcome his current woes to replicate that past success. He has won seven times at the 1.5-mile track but hasn't finished in the top 20 since his last victory in the spring race last season.

Clint Bowyer – Contact with Johnson late in Sunday's race at Martinsville dropped Bowyer out of position with less than 50 laps remaining. That didn't give him much time to recover, and his finish outside of the top 20 was reflective of that. His struggles at the short track dropped him to seventh in the championship standings, which is not where he hoped to be leaving one of his favorite circuits. The chips are stacked against him finding his way into the final four championship contenders, but he has two races remaining to prove doubters wrong. Bowyer has just three top-five Texas finishes in 25 starts, however. His average finish at the track in that time is 15.8; with the ninth-place finish this past spring being his best result at the track since 2014.

Erik Jones – Jones found himself outside of the top 20 looking in yet again last week at Martinsville. The playoff contender has struggled with consistency this season, and Martinsville was an example of one of the areas Jones needs to improve before he can truly be considered a championship contender. The young driver has plenty of runway to get things squared away, though. Texas is a venue at which he can start to turn things around. In four races at the circuit, Jones has snagged two top-10s and finished fourth despite starting 21st earlier this season. The current season is now just a testing session for Jones to prepare for his efforts in 2019. Fantasy owners should recognize his chances, but hedge against the unpredictability.

Bubba Wallace – It would be hard to imagine a driver who had a worse weekend at Martinsville than Wallace. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver should have been a driver on whom fantasy owners could rely, but his situation began unraveling as early as Saturday. The rookie driver crashed in qualifying, which forced him into starting at the back of the field. That should have give him the opportunity to grab finish differential points for fantasy rosters, but the race produced more of the same underperformance. Rookies make mistakes and must use circumstances as learning opportunities, but Wallace has been showing he has more runway to go than most. He did get a rare top-10 at Texas earlier this year, though. His eighth-place finish will give fantasy owners something to consider this week.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Daniel Suarez – Suarez finds himself on the outside looking in on the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series season, but his top-10 run at Martinsville on Sunday should give him confidence that he can compete at this level. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver finds himself without a ride for next season despite being an Xfinity series champion, and he now has to prove his worth all over again. His results since joining the Cup series have been mixed, but potential shines through at times. Martinsville was one of them. He has just three races to audition for a full-time role next season. He has yet to score a top finish at Texas. In three starts, his best finish at the track is 14th, but doing better this week could turn some heads in the garage.