This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
Kaulig Racing and AJ Allmendinger grabbed victory in their first visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course for the NASCAR Cup Series. After relatively clean first stages of racing, the race devolved into a demolition derby of both the cars and the track. The numerous incidents produced one red flag for track repair and two attempts at an overtime finish. Allmendinger ultimately inherited the lead on the penultimate lap, as Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe banged wheels multiple times for the lead, which ultimately left both drivers languishing outside of the top 20 at the checkered flag. The win was the second in the series for Allmendinger, who also took the checkered flag at Watkins Glen in 2014.
Allmendinger's win did little to disrupt the playoff picture, as he is a full-time Xfinity Series driver for Kaulig. The battle for the 16th and final playoff position remains between Richard Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon. Reddick's gap of 15 points over Dillon stretched a bit further to 28 with two regular-season races remaining before the elimination rounds commence. Up next is a visit to Michigan International Speedway where Kevin Harvick swept the victories in a double-header race weekend in the most recent visit to the track.
UPGRADE
AJ Allmendinger – Allmendinger announced that Kaulig Racing's entry into the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series on a full-time schedule will be a competitive one. The Xfinity Series regular battled throughout the afternoon to overcome multiple issues, ultimately putting himself
Kaulig Racing and AJ Allmendinger grabbed victory in their first visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course for the NASCAR Cup Series. After relatively clean first stages of racing, the race devolved into a demolition derby of both the cars and the track. The numerous incidents produced one red flag for track repair and two attempts at an overtime finish. Allmendinger ultimately inherited the lead on the penultimate lap, as Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe banged wheels multiple times for the lead, which ultimately left both drivers languishing outside of the top 20 at the checkered flag. The win was the second in the series for Allmendinger, who also took the checkered flag at Watkins Glen in 2014.
Allmendinger's win did little to disrupt the playoff picture, as he is a full-time Xfinity Series driver for Kaulig. The battle for the 16th and final playoff position remains between Richard Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon. Reddick's gap of 15 points over Dillon stretched a bit further to 28 with two regular-season races remaining before the elimination rounds commence. Up next is a visit to Michigan International Speedway where Kevin Harvick swept the victories in a double-header race weekend in the most recent visit to the track.
UPGRADE
AJ Allmendinger – Allmendinger announced that Kaulig Racing's entry into the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series on a full-time schedule will be a competitive one. The Xfinity Series regular battled throughout the afternoon to overcome multiple issues, ultimately putting himself in touch of the lead in the multiple overtime restarts. With a stout push to third in the final restart he took advantage of a little luck as Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin both gave way and let him through for the victory. Fantasy managers know that Allmendinger is a contender on road courses, and his win Sunday only served to reinforce that knowledge. He intends to run Xfinity again in 2022 with another limited schedule in Cup.
Kyle Larson – Larson has firmly established himself as one of the best in the series on road courses. He qualified at the front Sunday at Indianapolis and raced at the front through most of the afternoon. A poor restart in the first overtime finish saw him lose ground and drop from contention for a chance at the win, however. At the end of the day he led the most laps on the afternoon and secured a third-place finish in another impressive performance. This coming week could be another where he dominates, too. Larson has three Michigan wins from 12 series starts. His last time there in 2019 ended with a third-place finish despite starting 17th.
Tyler Reddick – Reddick needed to pick up as many points as possible in his playoff battle with Austin Dillon, and that is just what he did. He opted not to pit at the end of both opening stages, passed Michael McDowell in the final two laps of the first and then held off Dillon to capture his first two stage wins on a road course in the series, and add points to his gap in the playoff battle. The race didn't end like he wanted, however. Both teammates were involved in the multiple wrecks in the final laps, but Reddick was able to nurse his destroyed car around the remaining laps to finish 21st. It wasn't a great finish for either driver, but Reddick leaves the weekend better off in the standings for another week.
Ryan Blaney – Simply staying out of trouble appeared to push Blaney to his best finish since winning in Atlanta. His second-place finish Sunday was unlikely considering he only qualified 16th. Such was the carnage throughout the race that Blaney moved forward through confident driving and avoiding the issues that befell his other competition. It was his third top-five in the last four races and means he may have the most momentum among the Team Penske drivers as the playoffs approach. He has five top-10s from 12 series starts at Michigan, but crashed out of the second race there last season. He led 31 laps across both races last season, which could be a good sign as he builds his confidence ahead of the playoffs.
DOWNGRADE
Denny Hamlin – How many times can Denny Hamlin be in position to get a win in 2021 but still be denied? The situation played out again Sunday at Indianapolis. Throughout the chaotic race Hamlin kept his calm and navigated his way into position to hold off the field on old tires in the final laps. He survived multiple overtime restarts before finally getting turned around on the penultimate lap by Briscoe. The spin ended any chance of a top finish and left Hamlin limping to the finish in the 23rd position. It wasn't all bad news, though. With just three races remaining in the regular season he did lock himself into the playoffs on points. He will still be desperate for that elusive win, though.
Chase Elliott – Elliott was called into action earlier than expected when he substituted for Michael Annett in Saturday's Xfinity Series race. The extra seat time should have been an advantage for him Sunday, but he never truly appeared to be the fastest car in the race. Under a late caution with less than 10 laps remaining, he appeared to have a chance at attacking Larson, but the car fell off of the jack in the pits, leaving him scrambling to make up as many positions in the final six-lap run to the finish versus fighting for the win. However, Elliott does have nine top-10 finishes from 10 career Michigan starts. This week is an opportunity to put last week's mistakes behind him.
William Byron – Byron was another driver who delivered an excellent qualifying effort early Sunday morning. He leveraged that pace to be fast and race at the front of the field through the majority of the race. He even had a chance to battle for the victory in the final six laps before becoming one of the many cars caught up in a curb malfunction. The contact he made with that portion of the circuit sent him out of control and spinning through the grass into the tire barrier. That was more than enough to ruin his car and end his race. Luckily, Byron does have a win this season, which puts him into the playoffs. Up next is Michigan where he has one top-10 from six series starts.
Chase Briscoe – The afternoon didn't go as planned for Briscoe after a great qualifying effort that gave him a front row starting spot. He battled at the front of the field early, but had his share of problems as the race wore on. Despite being forced to pit for a flat-spotted tire and multiple off-track excursions, he somehow still found a way to be in the battle for the win in overtime. A chaotic final restart and a penalty left him outside of the top 20 and at odds with Hamlin, though. Fantasy players will have to pay attention to how that unfolds in the coming weeks. Briscoe has one Xfinity start under his belt at Michigan, which resulted in a seventh-place finish in 2019. He needs a win in the final two races of he regular season to earn a playoff spot, however.
Brad Keselowski – Keselowski's road-course woes continued Sunday at Indianapolis. The Team Penske driver opted to restart after the first stage break on old tires, a move that saw him hold up the rest of the field as he fell backward in the running order. Later in the race, while still trying to hang onto his machine, he lost control exiting onto the front straight and backed into the wall. The heavy damage was too much for him to overcome and he spent the rest of the afternoon simply completing laps at the back of the running order. Michigan is Keselowski's home track. He has never won at the circuit and could desperately use the momentum as the playoffs approach.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Erik Jones – Fantasy players know that short ovals and road courses tend to be equalizers throughout the competition, which gives drivers like Erik Jones and Richard Petty Motorsports a chance to punch above their weight. That was exactly the case Sunday on the Indianapolis Road Course when Jones drove from the 28th starting position to seventh at the finish. It was the best finish and the third top-10 of the season for Jones, who hasn't finished in the top 10 since the Bristol dirt race. Small victories like these will help to build the organization around the talented driver. Up next is a hometown race for Jones at the track where he scores his best finish of third back in 2017.
