NASCAR Barometer: Harvick Delivers in Dover

Jimmie Johnson, who appeared relatively safe prior to last week's race, found himself out of the battle early in the running with a broken seal in the car's rear. The rare mechanical failure meant that the multi-time champion found himself unable to fight for the title for yet another season. Kyle Busch kept his Chase hopes alive with a top-five finish, while Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer all joined Johnson in elimination.

The next round of eliminations begins this week with a Saturday night race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Harvick won that race last season to earn advancement, but it was Carl Edwards who took the checkered flag at the track earlier this season. The pressure only gets higher as the 12 remaining Chase contenders work to secure their spot in the finale.

UPGRADE

Kevin Harvick – Harvick clearly knew what needed to be done heading into Sunday's race, and he executed. The No. 4 was the dominant car throughout the distance and never ventured far away from the front of the field. He led 355 of the 400 scheduled laps to secure his second escape from relegation in the Chase in as many seasons. The clutch performance came earlier this season than it did last year, but Sunday's win keeps Harvick's hopes high for the remaining races in the Chase. To make things even better for the No. 4 team, Harvick hasn't finished worse than ninth in the last five Charlotte races and no worse than 16th in the last 10.

Kyle Busch – After starting Sunday's race on the outside of Chase eliminations looking in, Busch had a lot of ground to cover at Dover. A mature performance earned him the right to continue fighting. The Busch of seasons past may not have been able to pull off the second-place run he delivered Sunday, but this year his title hopes remain alive. The adversity he faced after his injury at Daytona earlier this season highlights the tenacity this driver has now. The next round of his championship effort starts this week, and he's never won at Charlotte. His three top-10 finishes at the track in his last five visits make him a threat this week, though.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Earnhardt cleared the elimination mark by the slimmest of margins over Jamie McMurray last week at Dover, earning his way into the second round of eliminations by the skin of his teeth. The Hendrick Motorsports driver did just barely enough to keep his championship hopes alive, but has to feel confident about extending his run in the Chase with Talladega Superspeedway on the schedule in the next round of playoff races. Earnhardt has never won at Charlotte, but his average finish of 18.9 there should be enough to keep him alive in the standings until the next restrictor-plate race, which he stands a solid chance of winning.

Aric Almirola – Almirola rebounded quickly from disappointment in New Hampshire with a top-five finish at Dover. The No. 43 defied negative opinions of critics to get that result and has become one of the most underrated drivers in the series. His 2015 season has improved as the year's gone on, and his surprising Chase appearance last season seems less like a fluke. He now has two top-fives and three top-10s in the last five races and shouldn't be overlooked for selection any longer. While he has never finished in the top 10 at Charlotte, one must think that Almirola has a better chance at a top finish than most other drivers in his group in most fantasy formats.

Kasey Kahne – After not doing enough to warrant a second look for fantasy owners much of this season, Kahne delivered a solid weekend in Dover. The No. 5 car was fast in practice and continued to outperform expectations on one-mile ovals. Two fast practices meant that hopes were high for Kahne. In fact, he put forth an effort we had expected much of the season but didn't receive. Kahne finished sixth on Sunday, which was his second top-10 finish in as many weeks. Both results came on 1.0-mile ovals, but he's also a former winner at Charlotte. In the last five years at Charlotte, he's had four wins and three top-10 finishes.

DOWNGRADE

Jamie McMurray – Though his chances of advancing beyond the first round of Chase eliminations weren't great, McMurray delivered a top-class effort to keep his title dream alive last week. Unfortunately for him, he just missed out on advancing. His fourth-place finish was only his third top-five finish this season and his first top-10 result since Michigan in June. The team hasn't been a front-runner when it was most needed, and last week's effort came up agonizingly short. McMurray will now focus on the remaining races this season and making major improvements next year. While his Chase was a short one, McMurray can still pose a threat if he races like he did last week.

Clint Bowyer – Bowyer felt a problem with his right-rear wheel and pitted about 15 laps earlier than the rest of the field with more than half of the race to go. That decision put Bowyer behind the competition and into a situation where he knew winning was the only option to remain in the title fight. That scenario didn't play out, and Bowyer finished 14th on Sunday. It wasn't enough to keep his championship hopes alive. Bowyer has won in Charlotte but that was an unexpected result. He has just one top-10 finish since his 2012 win at the track. At this point, Bowyer should have his sights set firmly on 2017 when he will take over the wheel of the No. 14 car from retiring Tony Stewart.

Denny Hamlin – Hamlin was assessed a speeding penalty early in Sunday's race from which he wasn't able to fully recover. After the halfway mark he suffered another infraction, which continued his banishment to the bottom of the top 20. Hamlin has no Charlotte wins but has finished inside the top 10 in 12 of his 20 tries at the track. His average finish there is 13.2. His 18th-place finish at Dover was his worst since Watkins Glen. The team didn't need a strong Dover showing, but now fantasy players must ask if some momentum is gone. Competing becomes even more difficult as the Chase rolls on, so Hamlin will need to improve quickly to remain in the hunt.

Carl Edwards – Multiple stops put Edwards behind the marker with less than 100 laps remaining Sunday. He thought he was losing a tire, and his rear bumper was damaged prior to that extra stop. His performances have improved as the season's progressed but Edwards still has some distance to cover. He won earlier this year at Charlotte and hasn't finished worse than 11th at the track since 2011. His 15th-place finish last week in Dover was enough to see him through to the next round of the Chase, but he lacks the substance to make him a convincing contender for this year's Cup. Edwards starts the next round of eliminations in good position but must gain some edge to be a title threat.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Jimmie Johnson – Johnson was the first Chase driver to have a major problem Sunday, which forced him into the garage and into a deep hole. The rare failure changed Johnson's Chase outlook: Instead of just a 25th finish to advance, he needed other contenders to have trouble as well. When the No. 48 car returned to competition, Johnson was more than 30 laps behind the leaders and in serious need of help. Circumstances didn't go his way, and the No. 48 was eliminated for the second consecutive season. That said, Johnson has won seven times at Charlotte and has an average finish of 12.4 from 28 visits to the oval. He could still be a spoiler.