NASCAR Barometer: Bowman Wins Overtime Shootout in Las Vegas

Alex Bowman found the lead halfway through the first stage of Sunday's stop at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, won that segment and then beat teammate Kyle Larson to the race win. His path to Victory Lane wasn't that simple, though. In fact, the race looked like it would belong to Joe Gibbs Racing in the final laps only for a final caution to end that run and disrupt the order for a final overtime restart for the win. Stunning pit stops from the Hendrick Motorsports teams put their cars out front for the final two-lap run to the finish, and they completed the job by holding off the competition in a one-two finish for Bowman and Larson. The win was the first of the season for Bowman and the second in as many races for a Hendrick driver. 

Coming up this week is a visit to the site of the season finale — Phoenix International Raceway. Larson leads in points after back-to-back top-two finishes, and Martin Truex Jr. tops the standings for nonwinners. Those two split the Phoenix victories last season. This will be a race at which  every team wants to learn as much as possible with their new cars, knowing that if they want to lift the championship trophy this season, they will have to perform at their best at this track in November.

UPGRADE

Alex Bowman – Bowman entered the Las Vegas race weekend 25th in the standings but pushed his way to the front in the final laps of the first stage to grab a segment win over teammate William Byron. He kept his car lodged inside the top 10 the rest of the race distance, and one final pit stop put him on the front row for a two-lap shootout, which saw him outduel teammate Larson to score the second win in as many week's for Hendrick Motorsports. Team Hendrick have had quick cars this year and look likely to get all of their drivers into Victory Lane early this season. Up next is Phoenix, the last stop out West before NASCAR heads East again, where Bowman has just one top-10 from 13 career starts. 

Ross Chastain – Chastain had a quick car early in Las Vegas and led the first laps of the season for his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team. He kept his car out front and even grabbed the stage win in the second segment, too. Chastain was a contender throughout the entire race and walked way with a third-place finish and a total of 83 laps led. It was one of the best performances from Trackhouse Racing since it joined the series in 2021 and is the second week in a row one of its drivers was in contention to win the race. This team is firing on all cylinders and should feel as though race wins are theirs to take this season. Chastain's two best Phoenix finishes came last season when he finished 19th and 14th in the spring and fall races respectively.

Kyle Busch –  Las Vegas was a masterclass in perseverance for Busch and his No. 18 crew. After a spin and crash in practice, the team switched to a backup car, started from the rear and methodically moved forward in the race. Busch finished in the points in both stages and went on to lead 49 laps before coming home fourth. In fact, the race was Busch's to lose until a late caution set up an overtime finish. The trip down pit road for fresh tires was a slow stop for him, though. Instead of leaving with the lead, he found himself behind without the chance to make a run at the lead in the two-lap shootout. If their momentum continues into Phoenix, he could be hard to beat. Busch has won three times at the  track from 33 career starts.

William Byron – Last weekend's visit to Las Vegas was a quick rebound for Byron who struggled at Fontana. The Hendrick driver only qualified 14th but had a fast racecar and was able to lead eight laps. He finished in the points in both stages and then completed the day with a top-five, his first of the season. He left the speedway 21st in points and rising, with one more West Coast stop before being nearer to the team's shop for a greater chance of improving the car. Speed hasn't been an issue for the No. 24 team, but finishing out races in top positions has. That trend may have been reversed last week. Fantasy players have every reason to expect that positive turn to continue this week in Phoenix, where Byron has four top-10 finishes from eight starts.

DOWNGRADE

Ryan Blaney – Blaney was one of the favorites entering Sunday's trip to Las Vegas after scoring five fifth-place finishes at the track without a win. Early miles showed the No. 12's strength, and it looked as though the day might shape up to be one where he might fight for the win. Destiny had other plans, however. Midway through the second stage, Brad Keselowski got loose and spun coming off of the final turn right in Blaney's path. The Team Penske driver had nowhere to go and plowed straight into the spinning No. 6 machine. Blaney's damage was heavy and eliminated him from contention. Next week is another opportunity, though. Blaney has seven top-10s from 12 Phoenix starts and remains one of the early-season favorites for the championship.

Daniel Suarez – Sunday should have been another good early-season outing for Suarez after he finished fourth a week earlier at Auto Club Speedway. Things were quiet at the beginning for him, but early in the second stage he was collected by Chase Briscoe, as the Stewart Haas Racing driver unexpectedly came down the track after being blocked. That car made contact with Suarez who then lost control and pinwheeled into the outside wall, damaging multiple corners of his car. Suarez shouldn't feel too down, though. He has demonstrated competitive speed out of the gate this season and looks ahead to this week's trip to Phoenix where he has two top-10s from 10 caree starts.

Denny Hamlin – Things looked promising for Hamlin Sunday in Las Vegas. The No. 11 was in contention well into the final stage when he came afoul of a bad shift entering pit road. That mistake caused a spin and ruined his transmission, taking him completely out of the race. It was a difficult end to a day that seemed to hold promise. The Joe Gibbs Racing teammates were fast and competitive throughout the Las Vegas weekend but will have to eliminate the mistakes to come out on top. They have one more chance out west to do that this week. Phoenix is a place he has had success before, too. From 33 starts he has two victories and 20 top-10 finishes, but that won't mean much if the mistakes persist. 

Erik Jones – Jones wasn't able to repeat his Fontana success in Las Vegas. The Petty GMS Motorsports driver has shown early speed in 2022, but that strength appeared to fade last week. The team qualified just 23rd and missed out on stage points in both opening segments. With just a handful of laps left in the race things got even worse when Jones bobbled and then slammed the outside wall hard. The damage ended his day early and left him with a 31st-place finish. The team appeared to have taken significant steps forward, but Sunday's performance will leave fantasy players cautious as the Phoenix race weekend approaches. Jones hasn't finished better than 20th at that track in the last four races, which is further evidence fantasy players are right to be cautious.

Brad Keselowski – After an impressive Daytona 500 for Keselowski the two most recent races have been a disaster. The freshly minted owner-driver got out of the gate with a duel win in Daytona qualifying and then backed it up with a ninth-place finish in the big race. However, the next two stops on the calendar both ended in crashes. The driver of the No. 6 has now missed finishing in the top 20 two weeks in a row but is still clinging onto a playoff spot in the standings. Keselowski will have to overcome the mistakes and finish more races to remain there, though. With five straight finishes of 11th or better at Phoenix this week will be a good one for fantasy players to truly see where he and his new team are in comparison - if he can make it to the finish.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Aric Almirola – There is only one driver that has three top-10 finishes after the first three races of the 2022 season and his name is Aric Almirola. The Stewart Haas Racing driver announced that this would be his last full-time season and he has been making the most of it since. He has quietly put himself into seventh in the standings with finishes of sixth or better in each of the first three races of the year. Fantasy players can typically expect Almirola to qualify for the playoffs and perhaps win a race, but his start to 2022 has exceeded expectations. This week's trip to Phoenix could be another good one for him, too. He finished sixth there last fall and has seven top-10s at the track from his 22 career tries.