This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
Kurt Busch dodged the wrecks and outmaneuvered the competition to score his first Daytona 500 victory. In the past, the veteran racer has pushed teammates to victory, but has been remarkably dry himself in terms of restrictor-plate victories until Sunday. He put himself in position to capitalize on a last-lap to win the biggest race of the season and ease into 2017 with instant confidence. To make things even better for the Stewart Haas Racing driver, NASCAR's new points system, which breaks each race into segments allowed him to earn another eight points that will count in his effort to add another championship to his resume.
The 2017 season is now underway and each of the sport's manufacturers has scored opening blows in the battle for supremacy. Fantasy players won't be any closer to knowing which driver or team will have the edge for the rest of the schedule, and the relative parity from the top teams and manufacturers will make picking a winner in Atlanta Motor Speedway this week even more challenging. Jimmie Johnson started his championship-winning season with a win there last year, but any number of contenders could claim victory this week.
UPGRADE
Kurt Busch – Arguably the best driver winless in restrictor-plate racing, Busch finally found Victory Lane in Daytona. He made a last-lap pass on Chase Elliott to score his first Daytona 500 win, and it was the only lap he led in the 500-mile event. He pushed teammate Ryan Newman to victory in the
Kurt Busch dodged the wrecks and outmaneuvered the competition to score his first Daytona 500 victory. In the past, the veteran racer has pushed teammates to victory, but has been remarkably dry himself in terms of restrictor-plate victories until Sunday. He put himself in position to capitalize on a last-lap to win the biggest race of the season and ease into 2017 with instant confidence. To make things even better for the Stewart Haas Racing driver, NASCAR's new points system, which breaks each race into segments allowed him to earn another eight points that will count in his effort to add another championship to his resume.
The 2017 season is now underway and each of the sport's manufacturers has scored opening blows in the battle for supremacy. Fantasy players won't be any closer to knowing which driver or team will have the edge for the rest of the schedule, and the relative parity from the top teams and manufacturers will make picking a winner in Atlanta Motor Speedway this week even more challenging. Jimmie Johnson started his championship-winning season with a win there last year, but any number of contenders could claim victory this week.
UPGRADE
Kurt Busch – Arguably the best driver winless in restrictor-plate racing, Busch finally found Victory Lane in Daytona. He made a last-lap pass on Chase Elliott to score his first Daytona 500 win, and it was the only lap he led in the 500-mile event. He pushed teammate Ryan Newman to victory in the same race in 2008 and has consistently proven himself to be one of the best when racing in the draft. He number was finally called on Sunday, as he became the first victor in the 2017 season and can now relax a bit as the other competitors work to secure a place in the playoffs. Busch also has three Atlanta wins and finished fourth at the track last season, leading 62 laps.
Ryan Blaney – After working through his rookie season last year, Blaney confidently ran to a runner-up finish in Sunday's Daytona 500. In addition to his second-place finish, he added points for a third- and 10th-place run in the first two segments of the race. That effort adds nine points to his total exiting Daytona, and now he must focus on Atlanta where he finished 25th from a 23rd-place start last season. The Georgia racetrack was a challenge for him last season, but his confidence should be high going into this week. He finished 20th in points last season with three top-fives and nine top-10s. He started off this season with a top-five and could be in store for a victory at some point this year.
Chase Elliott – Elliott showed himself to be a different driver than he was last season by starting the Daytona 500 from pole position. He was more aggressive, won his qualifying race and was in position to win the biggest prize on offer on the final lap when a veteran and former champion outsmarted him. Elliott continues to prove that he has a big future in this sport, and Sunday's performance was a significant step forward from his rookie season. Fantasy players should expect him to win this season. He finished eighth after starting 24th in Atlanta last season, and after the disappointment of losing the Daytona 500 he could be inspired to push hard to win this week in Georgia.
Joey Logano – Despite not finishing the day in Victory Lane, Logano should have plenty of confidence leaving Daytona. The Penske Racing Fords were the fastest cars throughout the events at the superspeedway, and only poor luck on track held Logano from racing to victory. Despite the challenge of being involved in a crash, he still found his way to a sixth place finish. He also added nine points to his total for running second at the conclusion of the second segment of the race. He led 16 laps in total on Sunday and could be the early target for the rest of the garage this season. Logano has never won in Atlanta, but he started from pole at the track in 2015 and has two top-five finishes from his last four races there.
DOWNGRADE
Kyle Busch– Busch will have to wait another year to claim his first Daytona 500 victory. A tire problem caused him to spin in the second segment of the race, taking out teammate Matt Kenseth along with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Erik Jones. He finished the event 38th out of 40 with 18 laps led. It was not the start to the season he or the Joe Gibbs Racing team expected, but now they must focus on the remainder of the season. Busch does have two Atlanta wins, however. He missed the 2015 race but scored three top-10 finishes in his last four tries at the Georgia oval. The real racing season begins this week in Atlanta, and Busch will be hungry to turn things around quickly.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Earnhardt's return from missing half of the 2016 season didn't turn out as planned. After starting on the front row, the two-time Daytona 500 champion was caught in Kyle Busch's spin and crash, eliminating any serious chance for victory. Like Busch, Earnhardt must now quickly focus on the upcoming races in an effort to reverse an early-season setback. The schedule is long and arduous, but momentum is king and this veteran knows it. Earnhardt last won in Atlanta in 2004 and has finished 11th or better in each of the last five races at the circuit. His excitement to be back in the driver's seat must translate into a top result this week at the 1.5-mile oval.
Kevin Harvick – By winning the second stage under NASCAR's new stage format, Harvick earned 10 valuable championship points. He also finished second in the first stage, which gave him 19 extra points before the first race of the season was even completed. Gaining those points was huge since he was one of the drivers caught in a big crash at the start of the third segment of the race. The impact eliminated him from contention and he finished Sunday's race in 22nd position. In 26 starts Harvick has one Atlanta victory. He has led more than 100 laps in four of the last five Atlanta races and finished in the top 10 five of the last six races there.
Jimmie Johnson – The defending 2016 Monster Energy Cup champion didn't have the best start to his season in Daytona. The seven-time champion continued his streak of either scoring a top finish or crashing out of the season's biggest race when he was caught in an early melee that laid waste to his 2017 effort. He was classified in 34th position when all was said and done, which isn't a result representative of what he or the team is capable of. Results will have to come quickly, and given Johnson's past success on 1.5-mile ovals, that might be soon. The No. 48 team has won the last two Atlanta races and Johnson has five winner's trophies in total from the track.
Daniel Suarez – Suarez found himself thrust into the Monster Energy Cup earlier than he probably expected when Carl Edwards announced his shocking retirement from the sport. Suarez ran his first Cup race in the Clash two weeks ago and performed admirably. He was able to enter the 500 in a confident position with enviable equipment, too. He started Sunday's race in 19th but was unable to grab any bonus points and ended up in a crash that ended his first series start. While the first outing may not be his most successful, fantasy owners should pay attention to the 2016 Xfinity series champion. He has the potential to score top finishes but he'll have to overcome last week's disappointment first.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
A.J. Allmendinger – Sometimes keeping clear of trouble is all that it takes to score a top finish in restrictor-plate racing, but Allmendinger did more than that in the Daytona 500. The driver for the small JTG Daugherty Racing team started 38th in the 40-car field and raced forward early in the running. He drove aggressively and confidently, which rewarded him with a top-five finish in the first race of the season. He led two laps of the race and added an additional five points to his third-place finish for running sixth at the conclusion of the second segment of Sunday's race. Allmendinger has three top-10 finishes from 11 Atlanta starts, and confidence from his strong Daytona performance could make him a good deep option for fantasy players this week.
