NASCAR Barometer: Hamlin Stakes his Claim

Martinsville Speedway produced the type of racing it is famous for last weekend. The short track threw together some of the best racing the series has seen by keeping the field bunched up, with differing strategies due to cautions and plenty of contact. In the end it was Denny Hamlin that held off a charging Brad Keselowski to take his fifth win at the track, his first since 2010.

The win was an upset of Chevrolet, which dominated the race in recent events and through the weekend. Hamlin led the Toyota charge, coming up with the winning hand by staying on top of his car's handling all afternoon and not getting caught out by mistakes on pit road. It was Toyota's first victory of the season, and he led almost 20 percent of the race laps to earn it.

The series heads into a week's vacation this week, but will return again under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway. Some drivers, like Kevin Harvick and Maybe Hamlin, will wish there was no break, while others like Clint Bowyer and others who have struggled will look forward to a week where they can regroup and reset.

UPGRADE

Denny Hamlin - Hamlin pieced together the perfect machine for the finish of Sunday's STP 500. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver upset the Chevrolet camp by leading to the finish in his Toyota, holding off the Ford of Brad Keselowski. The win will boost his confidence through the week off and into Texas where he already has two winner's trophies. His average Texas finish is an impressive 10.8 from 18 starts. He would have been a Texas favorite regardless of his performance in Martinsville, but that win will only enhance expectations of further success next week. Hamlin is the first of the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers to put one foot into the Chase for the Championship field.

Joey Logano - Despite contact and spins throughout Sunday's 500 laps, Logano was able to battle back in Martinsville to score a top-5. The Penske Racing driver took a rough day and turned it into a solid points finish to add to his win earlier this season. Last week's performance will go a significant distance to securing his spot in the season-ending Chase for the Championship if for some reason his win doesn't seal the deal. The kind of fight Logano showed at Martinsville to score a top-5 foreshadows what he can do on a week where he doesn't encounter trouble. Logano won the spring Texas race last season and brings an average finish of 17.9 from 13 career starts at the track.

Brad Keselowski - Another driver to upset the Chevy camp last week at Martinsville was Keselowski. He finished second on Sunday, bumping Hamlin in the final turn to try to take the lead, to score just his second top-5 at the track. It was a solid outing for Penske Racing, who continues to fly the flag for Ford. In 13 career efforts at Texas the driver of the No. 2 Ford has landed two to-5s and four top-10s. Those efforts combine to propel him to an average finish of 18.2 at the track, which isn't bad for such a fast circuit. Keselowski is working to make himself a championship contender, and he looks close to that mark already in 2015.

David Ragan - Since taking the steering wheel from the injured Kyle Busch at the very beginning of the 2015 season, Ragan has steadily carried the No. 18 team to respectable finishes. He finally made a breakthrough to a top result last week in Martinsville, though. His fifth-place finish last Sunday was his best since taking over the No. 18 ride, and is especially impressive since he started 20th. A top-15 result would have been a success last week, but Ragan outperformed expectations. Ragan is a former Sprint Cup winner, and last week's small taste of success may propel him to another top result next week at Texas. He already has two top-10 finishes at that track, along with a pole.

Martin Truex Jr. - Truex's amazing start to 2015 showed no signs of letting up last week in Martinsville. The No. 78 hasn't failed to finish inside the top 10 in any effort so far this season. While he doesn't have a win that would put him into a more secure Chase position, Truex is sitting comfortably in the top 16 on points. Truex has certainly overcome the issues that held him back in 2014, and is looking more like a championship contender each week in 2015. Two top-5s and eight top-10s from 19 career starts at Texas help his average finish at the track to 15.4. Truex looks like an entirely different driver this season, and this new driver could be a winner in the very near future.

DOWNGRADE

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - If there was a caution on the track last weekend, chances were good that Stenhouse was the one that brought it out. The Roush driver spun multiple times, and clouted the wall before the midway point. The entire weekend was a disaster for the team looking for some form of redemption. Stenhouse is one of the struggling Roush teammates in 2015, and appears to be the least likely of the teammates to break out of the rut that is currently plaguing the organization. Stenhouse's four Texas starts haven't produced any top finishes, and his best result was 16th in the fall of 2013. That means the news next week may not be any different than last.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Earnhardt plowed into the back of Paul Menard in an accordion-style accident that effectively ended his day last week in Martinsville. Earnhardt had been dealing with a broken shifter, again, that put him in the back of the field and ultimately got him involved in the contact. The damage destroyed the front of the No. 88, making it tough to continue. The No. 88 ultimately returned to the track, though, scoring 36th in the running order. Next week could get better, though. Earnhardt is a past winner at Texas, but that was 15 years ago. He has earned three top-5s at the track since then, and has an average finish of 14.6 from 25 starts.

Paul Menard - Menard was another driver that seemed to be involved in the majority of cautions last weekend. His car was battered and bruised by the time the race was over, and it was little surprise that he failed to finish inside the top-20 as a result. After his usual good start to the season, the No. 27 stumbled last week. The good news is that Menard finished ninth in the spring race at Texas last season, though. However, the 2014 season may have been Menard's best ever start to a season. His average Texas finish is 19.7, and he finished 17th in the fall race there. He hasn't finished outside of the top 20 at the track since 2012.

Kyle Larson - Larson does not have the best record at Martinsville, but he wasn't even given the opportunity to change that last week. The sophomore driver fainted after signing autographs for fans on Saturday, and was sent away from Martinsville to be evaluated by a neurologist. He joined the growing list of Sprint Cup regulars to have missed a race in 2015. Assuming Larson is cleared to drive two weeks from now in Texas, fantasy owners should expect a decent result. He scored two top-10s in three tries there, and carries an average finish of 11.7. Larson excelled on the 1.5-mile ovals in 2014 and his prospects for the remainder of the series may be judged on what he is able to accomplish in Texas next week.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Danica Patrick - After not finding success in earlier endeavors at Martinsville Speedway, Patrick turned up the wick and had a wonderful outing last week. The Stewart Haas Racing driver scored her best-ever finish at the track, racing hard for all 500 laps. Her seventh-position finish was her best of the season by far, and could spur some more decent results for the No. 10 team. Her progress at other tracks will be difficult to predict, though. She has been to Texas five times since she started racing in NASCAR, but hasn't finished inside the top -10 yet. In fact, she has yet to score a top-20 result at the 1.5-mile oval, so her progress may well be defined by what she is able to accomplish next week.