NASCAR Barometer: Hamlin Grabs Third Season Win

Denny Hamlin managed fuel effectively to consolidate his position out front and take his fifth checkered flag at Pocono Raceway. The fuel-mileage race wasn't an easy one as he had to overcome two late restarts and extra laps in what was already a tight margin. Passes on teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones put him out front and he was able to manage the gap through the restarts all the way to the finish for his third race win of the season. Five races remain before the elimination rounds begin the countdown to the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, and his win on Sunday was the 11th for Joe Gibbs Racing this season.

The series goes road course racing again this week at Watkins Glen International. The race was one of two road course races remaining this season, while one more road course race at the Charlotte oval looms in the playoffs. Chase Elliott grabbed his first career win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series there last season in an impressive drive. The remaining playoff hopefuls have just five more chances to win their way into the festivities.

UPGRADE

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin won his 34th career win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series with an overtime run to the finish on a light fuel load. It was his third win of the season and his fifth at Pocono. He was able to pass two of his teammates on the final run to get out front on hold on through two late restarts to claim the victory in a fuel-mileage effort. He now heads to Watkins Glen International where he won in 2016. He started from pole on the New York road course last season before finishing 13th. He has quietly been building momentum and now has three consecutive top-five finishes heading into this week's race. He's rapidly becoming a championship favorite and fantasy players should ride that momentum while it lasts.

Erik Jones – Jones drove another impressive race at Pocono, finishing second to teammate Hamlin. The runner-up finish was his third in a row and fourth top-10 in the last five races. He now sits in 13th position in the playoff standings with a 39-point cushion to the cutoff line. Jones has been coming on strongly in recent weeks and is getting closer and closer to a 2019 victory. Watkins Glen should be another opportunity for him to impress. He has not started or finished outside of the top 10 at the track in either of his two starts in the series. He finished fifth there last year from the ninth position. He's looking more confident each week and is a driver to watch this week.

Jimmie Johnson – Johnson won just his second stage win after a late caution in the second stage at Pocono last Sunday. He raced Kyle Busch in the final restart but was on a slightly different strategy that enabled him to be out when contact between Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney brought out a yellow flag. He ultimately finished 15th, which was a step forward from the two races leading to Pocono where he finished 30th, but not good enough to get him back into the playoff positions. Watkins Glen is one track at which Johnson hasn't won in the Cup series. He has just one top-10 finish from the last five races there but has started from pole twice in his 17-career starts at the track.

Kyle Busch – Busch took his eighth stage win of the season as he opened Sunday's race at Pocono with an impressive run early in the race. He went on to be one of the dominant cars through the middle portion of the race before losing track position under late pit stops. After losing position at the front of the field, Busch couldn't work his way back forward and was mired in traffic. That miss dropped him back to a ninth-place finish, which was his third in a row, as he now looks forward to Watkins Glen. Busch has two wins at that road course and raced to a third-place finish after starting on the front row last season. He remains atop the standings and is honing his efforts for the playoffs.

DOWNGRADE

Chase Elliott – Elliott slammed the outside wall after losing a right-front tire in the second stage of Sunday's race at Pocono. This was after he crashed in practice and had to start at the rear with a backup car. The crash was the end of the day for the team, but luckily, they are already safely in the playoffs. The same wasn't true at this time last season. Elliott has started in the top five in the last two trips to Watkins Glen and won the race last season. He proved that he could race among the best road course drivers in the series with his impressive triumph last year, and it will be interesting to see what he is able to accomplish this season with less on the line as the championship rounds approach.

Daniel Suarez – Suarez attempted an optimistic move in turn 2 late in the second stage Sunday, but lost control and pinned Ryan Blaney against the outside wall causing damage to his own car in the process. The contact caused right-rear damage to Suarez's machine and forced both him and Blaney to make repairs. A no-tire stop late in the race regained him some track position, but he was penalized for a restart violation on the race's penultimate restart. That infraction ruined the recovery the team was able to salvage. Suarez has finished in the top five in both of his two Monster Energy Cup series races at Watkins Glen. He raced to fourth place last season from the 21st starting position.

Kurt Busch – Busch struck the outside wall on a late restart as cars tried to squeeze through the first turn without enough room. He rapidly slowed after the contact before being pushed from behind by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., losing control and collecting Michael McDowell to bring out the final caution of the race. The crash pushed the race into overtime as many of the leaders were already cautiously trying to preserve as much fuel as possible. Busch's victory at Kentucky has him sitting pretty for the playoffs, though. He's one of the better drivers on road courses but has never won at Watkins Glen. However, Busch hasn't finished lower than 11th in any of the last six visits to the New York track.

Alex Bowman – Bowman struggled with handling issues early in Sunday's race. An early pit stop to improve the situation and get off strategy barely paid off as he stayed ahead of the leader, but it wasn't long before he went a lap down and out of the fight. He never recovered despite regaining the lead lap through the caution-filled finish of the race. His 20th-place finish is his fourth outside of the top 15 since his win at Chicago. The team is confidently in the playoffs and will be honing their approach to the final races of the season, but are rapidly losing momentum as the knockout rounds approach. Bowman's best Watkins Glen finish is 14th from last season when he started 22nd.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Sunday's race at Pocono was Stenhouse's sixth race in the last eight where he missed finishing in the top 15. He has been slipping further and further behind the playoff positions, as teammate Ryan Newman has been solidifying his position. Stenhouse's contact with Kurt Busch was a situation he didn't need and dropped him to a 21st-place finish. The playoff positions are vanishing in the distance, and at this point Stenhouse needs a victory to see his way into the championship battle. That win likely won't come this week, either. Stenhouse has yet to finish in the top 10 there. Despite six career starts at the track, his best finish is 16th, which he earned last season.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Daniel Hemric – Getting to the finish at Pocono gave Hemric the opportunity to show what he is capable of. He raced at the front of the field all afternoon Sunday and earned a top-10 finish for his effort. Richard Childress Racing has proven that they have the speed to contend by qualifying up front multiple times this season, and now in the second half of the year Hemric will be focusing on getting to the checkered flag. Hemric has two Xfinity series starts at Watkins Glen with a best finish of 11th in 2017. He finished 15th after starting 25th at Sonoma Raceway earlier this summer, which means he could be a good play for fantasy rosters this week depending on how he qualifies.