NASCAR Barometer: Hamlin Wins Fifth Race of 2019 at Kansas

Denny Hamlin won his fifth race of the season Sunday at Kansas Speedway in the Hollywood Casino 400 as he works to perfect his efforts ahead of the winner-take-all championship decider at Homestead Miami Speedway. One more three-race elimination round remains for him to get there, but his performance on Sunday suggests he should make it and be one to be wary of in the finale. Hamlin led 153 laps of the 277 at Kansas and was one of the fastest machines on track from the second stage onward. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers still appear to be the ones to beat, as just three races remain to determine the final four drivers eligible to win this season's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series championship.

This week, the final three-race elimination round kicks off at Martinsville Speedway. Brad Keselowski won at the track earlier this season but was eliminated from championship contention last week at Kansas. Joey Logano is the defending winner of this race, though, and Ford drivers have won three of the last four at the circuit.

UPGRADE

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin grabbed his fifth win in 2019 and takes extra playoff points with him into the final round of eliminations before the finale in Homestead. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was one of the fastest throughout the race and said after the finish that he couldn't wait to get to Martinsville Speedway where he has five career victories. He was fifth at the track earlier this season and hasn't finished worse than 12th in the last four visits there. Hamlin remains one of the top championship contenders and emphatically stamped his ticket into the final round of eliminations at Kansas with a playoff win. He has just three races remaining to put himself into the final four drivers with a shot to win the 2019 series championship.

Joey Logano – Logano leveraged track position after an early loose wheel to stay out and race to the first stage win to collect valuable playoff points early in Sunday's visit to Kansas. He was in danger of missing out on any stage points, but a caution just before the stage finish opened the doors of opportunity for him. Those points proved pivotal, as a late race crash put him on the cusp of elimination. He was able to steer his machine clear, though, and advanced into the final three-race elimination round that will determine the four championship contenders for the 2019 series championship title. Logano has five Martinsville pole positions and one victory from this race last season when he led 309 of the 500 laps.

Chase Elliott – Elliott scraped his way into the final three-race round of eliminations. Elliott's runner-up finish to Hamlin was enough to segregate himself from Brad Keselowski on the cutoff line in a hotly contested run to eighth in the championship standings. Elliott did enough to keep his championship hopes alive for at least three more races, the first of which is Martinsville Speedway. He finished second there earlier this season after leading 49 laps. One win could now put him through to the first one-race battle for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series championship of his career, which would not be a surprise for this Hendrick Motorsports driver.

Kyle Busch – Busch and team gave up a top qualifying effort to focus on their race setup in Kansas. That strategy paid off with a race forward in the field along with a chance to battle for the win among teammate Hamlin and Elliott. It was one of the best races Busch has had since his last victory at Pocono earlier this summer and could be a signal that he will be one top contender before this championship is decided. He has three races to perfect what he did Sunday. With two Martinsville wins and no finishes outside of the top five at the track since 2014 he should be one of the favorites for fantasy rosters this week. Busch looks to be on an upswing in form.

DOWNGRADE

Ryan Blaney – Contact with the wall and a failed right-rear tire brought out the caution and jumbled the finish of Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway. The winner from one week ago was left to salvage what he could of what had been a terrific run of good form up until the issue with the wall. The damage was severe and took Blaney out of contention for the top finish he looked destined to secure. His Talladega win two weeks ago was the saving grace of an otherwise disappointing round of 12. Blaney has three top-10 finishes from his last five trips to Martinsville. He finished fourth at the track earlier this season and was third last spring when he led 145 laps.

Brad Keselowski – Keselowski flirted with the cutoff line in the playoffs throughout Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 and was left with no choice but to pit for fresh tires for the final restart before overtime. When the race was extended by additional cautions, he lost ground and wasn't able to advance far enough forward to retain a position in the playoffs and was subsequently eliminated from championship contention. Keselowski has two Martinsville wins on his resume, including the race earlier this season in which he led 446 of the 500 laps scheduled. He has led at least one lap in each of his last five visits to the circuit. With no championship left to race for, wins are all he will be aiming to grab before the season finishes.

William Byron – Byron's fifth-place finish Sunday at Kansas was not enough to see him advance into the round of eight starting this week at Martinsville Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver started the afternoon strongly but didn't have the positions needed to push himself far enough up the finishing order to keep his championship hopes alive. He was one of two Hendrick drivers to be eliminated in the race and now must focus on getting his first series win. He was the only championship contender remaining without a series win before being eliminated. His best Martinsville finish was 20th last spring and he should significantly improve that this week if he can overcome the sting of championship elimination.

Alex Bowman – After multiple races of forcing his way forward and keeping his championship flame burning, Bowman finally met the end of the road. He raced to an 11th-place finish in Kansas, but that result wasn't enough to compensate for a 37th-place result at Talladega. Bowman needed points, if not a race win, to advance to the next three-race round of eliminations but wasn't able to gather enough to stay alive. Still, Bowman demonstrated that he's a scrapper and should prove to be a championship contender for many seasons to come with spirited performances this season. He has four races to show he should have remained in contention. His best Martinsville finish was seventh last spring.

Clint Bowyer – Bowyer saw his championship hopes come to an end again at his home track of Kansas. He raced well, but eighth place wasn't enough to keep him alive in the championship fight. His 23rd-place finish at Talladega and 10th-place finish at Dover were not enough, given his lack of playoff points, to see him overcome the hole he was in, and now he's on the outside looking in on the championship battle. Bowyer still has plenty to race for, though. He hasn't won yet this season but has the potential to do so. He won at Martinsville last spring and was seventh there earlier this season. Four races remain in the current season to show that Stewart-Haas Racing was right to renew his contract with the organization.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Ryan Newman – The top-15 machine that used to be known as Ryan Newman is quickly becoming a shadow of its previous self. He was last in Kansas after early contact knocked him out of the race. The 40th-place finish was Newman's worst of the season and just the second time this year he has finished outside of the top 30. He has now failed to finish in the top 20 in three of the last five races, as the top-10s he used to confidently secure become fewer and far between. Newman revitalized this team with consistent top results this season but is struggling to close the season with a similar pattern. The former Martinsville winner was 23rd at the track earlier this season and has two eighth-place finishes in the last five visits there.