This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
Aric Almirola came out on top of a four-way Stewart-Haas Racing battle through Sunday's 500 miles at Talladega Superspeedway to earn his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series victory. The four teammates dominated the race after locking out the first two rows in qualifying and then linking up successfully in the race to command the race from the front. The four drivers executed their race strategy to perfection unlike any other team fantasy owners have seen in recent memory. It was a master class in race management, and one that may never be seen again, as NASCAR's rules package for future superspeedway races will eliminate the restrictor plate that has become the hallmark of Daytona and Talladega over the past few decades.
Kansas Speedway stands between drivers and their hopes of advancing into the final eight of the championship in this week's final race of the round of 12. Kevin Harvick dominated the prior visit to the track earlier this season. Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman will all need a little help to see their way through, while Almirola joins Chase Elliott with an assured place in the next round of championship eliminations.
UPGRADE
Aric Almirola – Almirola grabbed his chance at victory Sunday at Talladega in a dramatic overtime finish. It was just the second win of his career and is his second victory on a superspeedway. Almirola punches his ticket into the final eight championship contenders with the win, and his chance at
Aric Almirola came out on top of a four-way Stewart-Haas Racing battle through Sunday's 500 miles at Talladega Superspeedway to earn his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series victory. The four teammates dominated the race after locking out the first two rows in qualifying and then linking up successfully in the race to command the race from the front. The four drivers executed their race strategy to perfection unlike any other team fantasy owners have seen in recent memory. It was a master class in race management, and one that may never be seen again, as NASCAR's rules package for future superspeedway races will eliminate the restrictor plate that has become the hallmark of Daytona and Talladega over the past few decades.
Kansas Speedway stands between drivers and their hopes of advancing into the final eight of the championship in this week's final race of the round of 12. Kevin Harvick dominated the prior visit to the track earlier this season. Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman will all need a little help to see their way through, while Almirola joins Chase Elliott with an assured place in the next round of championship eliminations.
UPGRADE
Aric Almirola – Almirola grabbed his chance at victory Sunday at Talladega in a dramatic overtime finish. It was just the second win of his career and is his second victory on a superspeedway. Almirola punches his ticket into the final eight championship contenders with the win, and his chance at the title are looking more and more likely. He has been competitive throughout the season but just now seized the opportunity to visit Victory Lane. At Kansas he finished ninth, but that was his second top-10 in a row at the track. As the calendar approaches the final eliminations in the championship hunt, Almirola could become a spoiler. With as many near wins as he has had so far, he has to be considered a serious contender to make it to Homestead.
Kurt Busch – Busch grabbed his first restrictor-plate pole on Saturday, and then dominated from the front with his teammates assisting to win the first stage on Sunday. The four Stewart-Haas Racing teammates were the class of the field on Sunday and only the late overtime restart saw Busch lose his advantage in a close-fought battle with teammate Almirola. Busch is one of the best restrictor-plate racers in the field, and only narrowly missed out on his second win in the format on Sunday. It was an impressive showing from the team, and Busch was just a little short on fuel. He has three top-fives and nine top-10s from 25 career Kansas starts, and finished both of the last two races at the track in the top 10, including second last fall.
Kevin Harvick – Harvick and his teammates were the story of Sunday's race at Talladega. The quartet dominated the running, and it was Harvick who found himself out front for the win in the finish of the second stage. At that point, just two laps had been run without the teammates running first through fourth in a commanding display. Things got a bit more mixed up in the final stage, and fuel mileage robbed Harvick of the chance to fight for the win, as he pitted just as the field came to the green flag for the overtime restart. It was a lackluster ending to an otherwise bright day for the former champion. Harvick won the Kansas race from pole position earlier this season. His average finish from 25 starts is 9.6, which makes him a confident early selection.
Clint Bowyer – Bowyer would have wanted to walk away from Talladega with a victory, but teammate Almirola was the one who got the job done. Still, it was not a poor day for Bowyer, who finished runner-up to help his championship cause. Bowyer isn't in the most comfortable position in the playoff standings, but Sunday's second-place finish means he is 21 points above the cut line to make the final eight in this season's championship battle. He was one of the four Stewart-Haas Racing teammates that dominated Sunday's race, and the team's pace throughout the season so far has to give the driver of the No. 14 machine plenty of encouragement heading into Kansas. Bowyer has 20 starts at his home circuit, with two top-fives and six top-10s.
DOWNGRADE
Alex Bowman – Bowman was scrapping for every point he could grab on Sunday, but he and his drafting partners didn't have what it took to challenge the Stewart-Haas Racing teammates. As Bowman was jockeying for position in the final laps, he spun and crashed, which puts him in a must-win scenario for this week's race at Kansas. He finished 33rd in the final standings at Talladega, and he's well behind the cut line to make the final eight in the 2018 championship battle. Bowman started fifth and finished seventh at Kansas in this race last season, but his situation is more desperate now than it was then. He will be doing anything he can to put himself in position to win, and almost any result other than that will end his championship hopes.
Kyle Larson – A blown tire in the second stage at Talladega dug Larson and his team a deeper hole to climb out of in the championship hunt. The trouble damaged his car in one of the first incidents of the race and put him a lap behind the lead with just a handful of laps remaining in the second stage. After squeaking by in Charlotte, Larson now faces the exit door in Kansas. He worked his way back to the 11th position for the finish in Talladega, which puts him 26 points behind the cut line to make the next round of eliminations. In nine starts at the track, he has two top-fives and three top-10s. He finished fourth after starting 22nd there earlier this season.
Jamie McMurray – A penalty for pushing another car below the yellow line lost McMurray his spot at the front of the field, and then a crash put him even further behind the competition. He ended the day classified in the 35th position. That's a terrible result from having been running in contention among the top 10 before his missed steps. McMurray has been a marginal option among fantasy rosters this season, and the chances of selecting him in 2018 are become fewer and fewer with each passing week. His 23 Kansas starts have produced just four top-10 finishes. He started 24th and finished 31st there earlier this season, which doesn't make him a driver fantasy players want to seek out early this week.
Ryan Blaney – Perhaps the most curious move, or lack thereof, at Talladega on Sunday came from Blaney. Late in the final stage, he found himself linked up with his teammates with a run fast enough to make a challenge on the Stewart-Haas Racing teammates. Blaney's two teammates took the opportunity, but Blaney held position. That move let the only alliance capable of challenging the SHR dominance slip away. It was an inexplicable decision from the young driver who only finished 29th on a day he should have had a top-10. Blaney has three top-fives and four top-10s from seven Kansas starts, but taking advantage of the opportunity presented him last week in Talladega could come back and haunt his championship hopes.
Brad Keselowski – A loose wheel put Keselowski behind the leaders in the first stage of Sunday's race. The Talladega favorite had been running well until that vibration forced him into an unscheduled pit stop, dropping him a lap behind the lead. That dip didn't last long, though. Almost before you knew it, the No. 2 car was back inside the top 10 and ultimately became the challenger trying to rally the troops to attack the Stewart-Haas teammates. In the end, he dropped behind in the final restart, and that loss of position puts him in a precarious position heading into the final race of the round of 12. Keselowski has one Kansas win from 2011 with just one top-10 (a runner-up in 2017) in the last four Kansas races.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Jimmie Johnson – Johnson is this week's biggest surprise, not only due to his spin and return for a top-10, but also for the announcement that he and Chad Knaus will be ending their partnership for the 2019 season and beyond. Sunday afternoon started strongly for Johnson with a top qualifying effort, but an early spin left him behind the field. He ultimately recovered due to the team's ability to recover and finished seventh. However, the team's ability to persevere and find their way back against adversity will be different next year, as Knaus moves over to be the chief for William Byron's car. The dynamic duo will be no more, and now the question becomes which of the former pair will be first to claim the next championship?
