This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series drivers spent Sunday afternoon turning right and left in one of the two road course races of the season. In the Toyota/Save Mart 350, Kyle Larson charged to the top starting spot on Saturday and led the field to the green flag but couldn't hold on to the point. It was Kevin Harvick who used strategy to work his way forward, and he played the fuel strategy game to perfection to cruise to his second win of the weekend and his first Cup series win of 2017. The victory was important to his playoff hopes, as spots for nonwinners are dwindling, and the schedule now is entering the traditional second half. There are just 10 races left until the playoffs commence, and this week's race is a return visit to Daytona International Speedway where the field will battle for 400 miles under the lights in the Coke Zero 400.
UPGRADE
Kevin Harvick – Harvick cycled to the front of the field on Sunday through excellent driving and cunning fuel strategy. He found himself confidently in the lead in the final laps but needed to save fuel in order to make it to the finish. He did everything necessary in those closing laps and became a first-time winner in the Cup series at the track. He adds his name to the list of 2017 victors and can now rest a bit easier as he prepares for the second half of the season. Harvick has two
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series drivers spent Sunday afternoon turning right and left in one of the two road course races of the season. In the Toyota/Save Mart 350, Kyle Larson charged to the top starting spot on Saturday and led the field to the green flag but couldn't hold on to the point. It was Kevin Harvick who used strategy to work his way forward, and he played the fuel strategy game to perfection to cruise to his second win of the weekend and his first Cup series win of 2017. The victory was important to his playoff hopes, as spots for nonwinners are dwindling, and the schedule now is entering the traditional second half. There are just 10 races left until the playoffs commence, and this week's race is a return visit to Daytona International Speedway where the field will battle for 400 miles under the lights in the Coke Zero 400.
UPGRADE
Kevin Harvick – Harvick cycled to the front of the field on Sunday through excellent driving and cunning fuel strategy. He found himself confidently in the lead in the final laps but needed to save fuel in order to make it to the finish. He did everything necessary in those closing laps and became a first-time winner in the Cup series at the track. He adds his name to the list of 2017 victors and can now rest a bit easier as he prepares for the second half of the season. Harvick has two Daytona wins, but the last one was way back in 2010. He led 50 laps in the Daytona 500 earlier this season and is always a top prospect when the series visits one of the two superspeedways.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Earnhardt brought out Sunday's first caution when he spun attempting a pass on Danica Patrick into the hairpin. He slid through the apex, and Patrick made contact with his right side. Upon pitting to repair the damage he was also tagged for speeding on pit road. Still, despite all of that drama in the opening miles, he was fast enough to battle inside the top 10 in the final laps. He truly has become one of the best in the series on a road course. It's hard to believe, but this week will be Earnhardt's final race at Daytona as a full-time driver in the series. He will add one more race to an impressive resume at the circuit with four wins, 13 top-fives and 19 top-10s from 35 starts.
Jimmie Johnson – Johnson found his way to the front of the field in the second stage of Sunday's race through strategy, and it was enough to earn him the stage victory. He didn't feel as though he had a car that was capable of battling at the front, but he and the team leveraged what they could to get the most out of the weekend. Efforts like that win championships. In 31 Daytona starts Johnson has three wins, 11 top-fives and 14 top-10s. He crashed out of both of the last two visits to the track but scored top-fives in both of the races there in 2015. He led seven laps in the Daytona 500 in February, and fantasy players should expect him to add to that tally this Saturday night.
Austin Dillon – Dillon struggled through much of the weekend in Sonoma but turned everything around when it came to Sunday afternoon. He isn't a natural on the road courses and struggled until late in the race. Luckily that was the time it mattered most. Dillon was planted in the top 10 in the final segment and poised for a top finish at an unlikely venue. He slipped back slightly in the closing laps but should still walk away from the weekend with confidence. Dillon has five top-10s from eight career starts at Daytona and even led seven laps earlier this year in the Daytona 500. He's an astute restrictor-plate racer and should be an option that fantasy players consider this week.
Kyle Busch – After working hard to gain track position and setting himself up for later in the race, Busch was caught speeding on pit road. The penalty came early, which gave him a chance to recover, but he remained significantly behind the leaders on track through the second stage of the race. The strategy came his direction in the final stage, and that enabled him to battle through the closing laps to land another top-five finish to his 2017 resume. That first 2017 victory continues to evade him, and as the schedule heads into the second half, his chances are dwindling. Busch won the Coke Zero 400 in 2008 and has led at least 15 laps in each of the last three races at the track.
DOWNGRADE
Kyle Larson – Larson started Sunday's race from pole, but wasn't able to take one of the stage victories. He also missed out on the playoff bonus points to Ryan Newman in the second stage but was still fast enough in the race and throughout the weekend that the garage must take notice. The result on Sunday did not go his direction, however. He has shown that he should be a contender in the playoffs but sometimes has been unable to capitalize on his speed. With a little more luck he could have even more wins this season. His career at Daytona didn't start off great with four finishes outside of the top 30 and three DNFs, but he's picked up two top-10s since then.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Stenhouse was caught in someone else's problem on Sunday, and it happened to be Danica Patrick's car that dealt the deathblow to his afternoon. The damage was severe and forced him into the garage and out of Sunday's race. After consecutive top-15 finishes before heading to Sonoma, the result would have been deflating, as fortunes were rising. Stenhouse can look ahead to getting back some of that momentum in Daytona, however. He always has been a competent racer at the track and finished fifth in the July event last season. He crashed out of the Daytona 500 earlier this season but will be hungry to redeem that performance as well as Sonoma's DNF this Saturday night.
Danica Patrick – Patrick failed to live up to expectations again last week in Sonoma. All tracks have posed problems for her this season, and the situation doesn't appear to be improving. She had a car capable of turning in a decent result but was involved in multiple incidents that made for one long afternoon. While her luck this season hasn't been the greatest, she also has underperformed in situations where the opportunity to turn things around were there. She'll get another shot at it again this week in Daytona, but with three DNFs in the last four starts at the track and no finishes in the top 20 since 2014, fantasy players absolutely should look elsewhere.
Martin Truex Jr. – Truex won the first stage of Sunday's race and proved that no matter what kind of course the series visits, he will be a contender to grab playoff points. Everything was going perfectly for the no. 78 team, including leading the most laps on the afternoon, but Truex had engine problem while running second in the final segment. It's rare to see an engine failure these days, and it was a serious stroke of bad luck since Truex had what was arguably the best car on track. The team will need to regroup and focus forward for a completely different kind of racing this week. He led two laps at Daytona earlier this season and has only one top-five finish at the superspeedway.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Clint Bowyer – Bowyer has become a confident fantasy selection for road course races, and he proved it again with a top-five run at Sonoma on Sunday. The finish didn't come without his share of trouble, though. He was involved in a few incidents that damaged the aesthetics of his machine, but it wasn't enough to keep him away from scoring a top finish. Sunday's result also is a good boost for the team that stumbled in the few weeks leading up to the road course visit. Bowyer has four top-10 finishes from the last six Daytona races. Overcoming his recent slump in Sonoma could make him one for fantasy players to watch out for this week as the series revisits Daytona.
