NASCAR Barometer: Johnson Prevails in Texas

Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team did what they do best in Sunday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The team's success is built upon their ability to focus on the big picture and improve a car throughout an entire race distance. That was especially true at Texas where Johnson started 24th before coming into his own in the final segment. The team delivered him the perfect car with the track position to challenge leader Joey Logano. With fresher tires, it was no contest and Johnson cruised ahead after completing the pass for the lead. The win was Johnson's first top-five finish of the season and just his second top-10.

Next week the Monster Energy Cup series takes a well-deserved week off before packing up the transporters and heading to Bristol Motor Speedway. Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick were the Bristol victors last season, and after narrowly missing out of Victory Lane again last week, it will be Harvick who hopes to return with a vengeance. Kyle Larson will enjoy his break as he remains atop the championship standings as the only driver to eclipse 300 points from seven races so far this season.

UPGRADE

Jimmie Johnson – Things came together perfectly for Johnson in Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway. Despite starting deep in the field, the defending champion found himself battling Blaney for the second stage win in Texas. He ultimately had the freshest tires in the closing laps, which enabled him to pass Logano for the victory. Sunday's win was a shot in the arm after he scored just one top-10 in the first six races of the season. Preparations to fight for an unprecedented eighth championship now can get underway, meaning this team should only get stronger as the season moves on. Johnson only has one win at Bristol, which is where the next race will be, but he finished in the top 10 in four of his last five visits to the track.

Ryan Blaney – Blaney had a fast car all week in Texas, and his 12th-place finish on Sunday doesn't represent what he was capable of. The second-year driver started on the front row and went on to win the first and second stages of Sunday's race with a car that was clearly better than the competition. Everything changed in the final segment, however. He was caught in traffic after pitting, and then a disastrous pit stop late in the running dropped him all the way to the back of the field again. A win must be near for this driver. In three Bristol starts Blaney's average finish is 22.7, and his best result came in the spring race last season when he finished 11th.

Kevin Harvick – Last weekend was a good one for Harvick. The Stewart Haas Racing driver started from pole on the newly reconfigured track and fought among the leaders throughout the afternoon. At the end of the day he simply didn't have the equipment that would allow him to battle Johnson and hold off the charging Larson. Still, it was a weekend from which Harvick should gain confidence. That confidence is certain to translate to wins in the near term given his pace on Sunday. The former champion picked up his second Bristol win last fall when he led 128 laps. That was his third consecutive top-10 finish at the bullring, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him land another top-five in the next round.

Joey Logano – The Ford power Logano had at his disposal in Texas gave him the opportunity to win, and the right calls from his crew chief put him into the top five in the final laps of Sunday's race. The third-place finish was his fourth top-five from seven races so far this season; all that's missing is the win. The Penske Racing driver didn't come to the front of the field until the final segment, but that was the portion that mattered most. He has two Bristol wins and has finished in the top 10 at the track in four of the last five races. Bristol won't allow Ford to be as dominant as they were in Texas, but Logano should still be a top fantasy option.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – A quick car from Earnhardt on long fuel runs enabled him to score his first top-five of the season. His best finish before that was in Phoenix where he finished 14th, and his fifth-place in Texas is impressive considering he started 37th. It looked like the team was finally able to give Earnhardt exactly the car he wanted, and observers could see his confidence in the machine growing as the race progressed. It was an excellent result as he continues to make strides after sitting out much of 2016. Fantasy players should pay close attention to how he gets off of the truck in Bristol. He finished second the last time he raced there, and the faster he is early in the weekend, the more upside he'll offer fantasy rosters.

DOWNGRADE

Austin Dillon – Dillon's afternoon was over as quickly as it began in Texas. The Richard Childress Racing driver suffered a trailing arm failure and was forced to the garage for repairs before the race was even 10 miles old. He lost loads of time to the leaders, which turned his day into a test session instead of a race for any meaningful positions. He finished 33rd, which was his second finish outside of the top 30 so far this season. This season has been a rollercoaster ride for the team struggling to find consistency. Six career starts at Bristol have given Dillon just one top-five and one other top-10 finish. The top-five came last fall when he finished fourth, however.

Erik Jones – Jones was another car that wasn't able to set a time in qualifying for Sunday's race, and that meant the rookie started at the back of the field. His confidence was riding high before the race after winning in the Xfinity series on Saturday, but early contact caused damage that slowed him throughout the race at Texas. His 22nd-place finish was his worst in the series since a dismal Daytona 500 in February. A quick rebound could be in the cards, however. Jones started from pole three of four times he raced at Bristol in the Xfinity series, winning in the spring of 2016. He could use that kind of performance to help overcome the Texas speed bump.

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin was a shadow of his normal self in Texas on Sunday, and failed to come away from Texas with a result under difficult circumstances. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver wasn't as competitive as we know him to be, and a late pit penalty made his afternoon even worse than it should have been. He finished 25th in the character-building race, which was his second consecutive finish outside of the top 20. Things may get better for Hamlin since Bristol is the next race on the calendar. He has one win at that circuit and has started in the top five seven of his last eight races there. He finished third the last time and could use another top-five finish to recharge his season.

Kasey Kahne – Kahne had begun turning heads with a strong start to the 2017 season, but Texas was not a race to remember for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. In fact, his 38th-place finish was his first finish outside of the top 20 so far this year. It was a trying afternoon for the No. 5 driver as he works to implant himself into one of the playoff spots. Despite having a competitive pace for much of the year so far he has failed to finish in the top 10 in the last five races. The team needs to assess their situation in the off week to come back with improvements that will move them forward. Kahne has the capability to outperform expectations at Bristol, and he will need that kind of effort this time, too.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Kyle Larson – Starting deep in the field, Larson was behind even before Sunday's race began. The team failed to pass inspection successfully before qualifying, and the young driver failed to register a time. In the race on Sunday he was caught for a pit penalty early in the running that dropped him right back to the rear of the field again, but he had a car capable of challenging at the front. By the time the race ended he had worked his way back to finish an impressive second position to maintain the lead in the points. He hasn't finished in the top 10 at Bristol since leading 90 laps in the spring of 2015 when he finished seventh.