NASCAR Barometer: Harvick Sweeps Stages, Claims Dover Victory

Kevin Harvick passed teammate Clint Bowyer to add the AAA 400 Drive for Autism race win to his two stage victories in a clean sweep of Sunday's running at Dover International Speedway. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver showed his strength early and seemed to improve as the race went on. A brief rain delay threatened to give the win to Bowyer, but Harvick worked his way past again once the track was dry and racing resumed. The Stewart-Haas Racing cars were the class of the field with their one-two finish, while Kurt Busch added his name to the top-five as well.

Everyone's attention now turns toward Kansas Speedway and a return to the 1.5-mile ovals. The visit could be Toyota's chance to beat Ford at its own game. Martin Truex Jr. swept both races at the circuit last season, and Ford hasn't visited Victory Lane there since Joey Logano took the checkered flag in 2013.

UPGRADE

Kevin Harvick – Harvick saved fuel early Sunday, which gave him the legs he needed to get the stage win while others coasted to the segment finish. He then tracked down Brad Keselowski to retake the lead and ultimately sweep both opening stages. From the rain delay to the finish it was a battle between him and teammate Clint Bowyer as the pair dueled for the win. With the victory, he claimed his second grand slam by winning both opening stages as well as the race. Harvick has two Kansas victories and has only failed to lead a lap once in the last nine starts at the oval. He appears well positioned to continue his tremendous season, and that should appeal to fantasy owners.

Clint Bowyer – Bowyer's fortunes have continued to improve since he scored his first win with Stewart-Haas Racing. That roll continued in Dover where he was quick throughout the weekend and then came back from a broken air hose to wrestle his way into the lead with about 100 laps remaining. He was near another victory when rain halted the race, and he couldn't hold off Harvick once the battle resumed. It has been a remarkable turnaround for him. Another test of his improvement will come this week in Kansas. Bowyer only has one top-10 finish there since the spring of 2013, and that was ninth in the spring race last season. Another strong run this week would cement his return to the front.

Kurt Busch – Busch worked methodically Sunday to put himself in position to take advantage of any mistakes made by the top runners. It was a veteran's performance that is the hallmark of a former champion. He did not have the raw speed of his teammates, but improved consistently throughout the race distance to claim a top-five finish. Races like Sunday's are valuable for fantasy owners as it gives them a reliable option that can deliver points that make the difference from week to week. Busch should be able to deliver those players more of the same this week in Kansas, too. He finished second there last fall.

Brad Keselowski – Keselowski had one of the fastest machines in the first half of Sunday's race. He nursed his fuel mileage just long enough to get through the opening segment, and worked his way back into the lead in the second. He lost his edge in the final segment, but was still quick enough to hold down a top-10 spot until the finish. While Penske Racing couldn't match the SHR cars, the organization did well to put all three in the top 15, led by Keselowski in the No. 2. He won at Kansas in 2011, and finished second in this race last season. He also led 18 laps before finishing 13th in the fall, and could be a top fantasy pick early this week.

Ryan Blaney – After a series of sub-par finishes Blaney appeared to take a step forward last week in Dover with a confidence building eighth-place finish. The Penske Racing driver ran inside the top 10 for the entire race, and avoided the mistakes that befell others. Races like Sunday's can serve to propel the team to even better results. This team in particular is working its way back to being in contention for wins, too. That should continue this week where Kansas could serve as yet another step forward. In six series starts he has three top-fives and four top-10s. A top-five next could very well be in the cards, and would go a long way toward making Blaney a contender for wins.

DOWNGRADE

Kyle Larson – Larson's afternoon was a salvaged disaster despite qualifying on pole Friday. The team failed inspection and was forced to start at the rear of the field, then suffered an uncontrolled tire penalty after going off cycle to get back to the front of the field. The penalty dropped Larson off of the lead lap where he languished, barely missing going two laps down at the end of the second stage. He eventually worked his way back inside the top-10, but will wonder what could have been without the drama. Larson suffered an engine failure at Kansas last fall, but did finish sixth in the spring visit. This season has largely been one of frustration, and fantasy owners should be expecting better.

Paul Menard – Menard continues to search for footing with Wood Brothers Racing. On Sunday he suffered a loose wheel in the first stage, and was forced to the garage to get that wheel removed. The team put a spacer in the wheel earlier, and the lug thread was the culprit of the issue. From that point on the only hope the team had was to make laps to pick up the handful of points from other drivers that would eventually drop out. Menard has five top-10s from 18 career starts at Kansas Speedway, but hasn't finished higher than 12th there since 2014. He is taking longer than expected to settle in at the organization, and fantasy owners may want to choose him sparingly until that occurs.

Joey Logano – Logano was poised to have another strong afternoon last week in Dover, but a late mistake mired him in traffic that he was unable to overcome. The Penske Racing driver had been a fixture in the top 10 throughout the afternoon, but didn't get his right-front wheel secured completely during his stop following the rain delay. That mistake put him outside of the top 15 for the restart, and relegated him to a 13th-place finish after looking like a lock for a top-10 just a few miles earlier. Logano has two Kansas wins, but had a miserable season there in 2017 finishing 37th and 21st. His win a few weeks ago will keep him motivated, but he'll know mistakes must be banished.

Kyle Busch – Busch was having a good afternoon in Dover, but complained about a vibration early. That issue ultimately didn't go away, and resulted in a mechanical failure in the final segment. The driveshaft was the problem, and Busch left a big chunk of it on the track after coasting into the garage and out of the race. He was running third at the time and was doing well to keep Harvick and Keselowski in touch as the race wound to a close. Busch and the team now have a DNF to overcome this week in Kansas. He finished fifth and 10th there in the two races last season, leading 171 combined laps, and has five top-fives in the last six.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Daniel Suarez – Suarez drove an impressive race on Sunday, and scored his career-best finish on an oval with his third-place finish behind the SHR teammates. The sophomore driver was a quiet resident inside the top runners all afternoon, and found himself inside the top five with less than 70 laps remaining. The Toyota racer did not have the equipment that would allow him to mix things up with the top running Fords, but he was certainly the best of the rest with that career finish. In two Kansas starts he has a best finish of seventh from last years spring race. His race ended prematurely in the fall with a crash, but it will be interesting to see what he is able to accomplish after last week's success.