NASCAR Barometer: Johnson Makes the Right Call

Jimmie Johnson made the right call to stay on track rather than pit at the end of Saturday's SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway. The checkered flag flew just after midnight due to the race being interrupted for a rain shower that lasted just over two hours. A final caution set up a scramble to the finish with Johnson, being one of four lead cars that chose not to pit, outlasted the charging contenders on fresh tires. Kevin Harvick was the most likely to threaten Johnson's strategy, but there simply wasn't enough distance for the No. 4 to reel in the leader.

The Kansas track continued its streak of producing exciting racing. Martin Truex Jr. led the most laps, but no single driver was able to dominate the race. The slick track made the drivers work for their money, and even caught both Johnson and Harvick out, though both were able to make stunning saves. Hendrick Motorsports continues to be locked in battle with Stewart-Haas Racing, but this night was Hendrick's, filling three of the top four finishing positions.

Next week the series sets up shop for a two-week residency at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Sprint Showdown comes this Friday night to be followed by the All Star Race on Saturday. One week later is the Memorial Day classic Coca-Cola 600. Some teams have plenty of work to do close to home these next few weeks, while others will seek to maintain their momentum.

UPGRADE

Jimmie Johnson - Johnson picked up his third win of the season late Saturday night at Kansas Speedway. The No. 48 battled the track, nearly spinning in the early laps. He came out on top, though. His final battle was against Kevin Harvick. Johnson decided to stay out on the final caution, which gave him the track position he needed to hold a gap over the field. The team is demonstrating championship characteristics, and should get even stronger as the season progresses. Johnson is a seven-time winner at Charlotte, and could be a dominant force for the next two weeks at the speedway.

Martin Truex Jr. - Truex took advantage of a slip by Harvick early in Saturday's race to lead some laps of his own. That was just the beginning of a long run at the front of the field. He was one of the cars to pit during the late caution, but deciding not to take tires sunk the team's chances for the win. On the restart the No. 78 didn't have the grip to keep up with the rest of the leaders, and he fell to ninth. Truex hasn't had the best results at Charlotte; only picking up two top-10 finishes in his last 10 races at the track. Still, Truex has been very fast this season, and he should be a contender again over the next two weeks.

Kevin Harvick - Were it not for a late caution Saturday night, Harvick may have been the one to take the SpongeBob SquarePants trophy home. The team pitted for right-side tires under that caution, which gave him fresh rubber for the final sprint, but lost him track position. That track position proved to be the reason Harvick didn't take the win. The No. 4 was fast all night, but didn't have enough laps remaining to track down Johnson. Harvick is a three-time winner at Charlotte, including the fall race there last season. His last four Charlotte races have all produced top-10 finishes as well, and he'll be hungry to get the win he missed last week.

Jeff Gordon - After another bad luck result in Talladega, Gordon got back on course in Kansas. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was a top contender all evening, and used his machinery to return to another top-10 finish. His fourth-place finish at Kansas was the No. 24's eighth top-10 in the last 10 races. That streak is a big change from the start of the season when he failed to finish in the top 10 in the first three races. Gordon has yet to win in 2015, his final season before retirement but remains a championship contender. A win would virtually lock him into one of the Chase spots, and give him an opportunity to end his career with another title.

A.J. Allmendinger - He may not have snagged a top-10 Saturday night, but Allmendinger significantly improved upon his starting spot of 29th. He finished 14th when everything was done, and more importantly walks away from the week with a new five-year contract with JTG Daugherty Racing. The pairing is growing stronger as they continue the relationship, and Allmendinger scored the team's first win last season at Watkins Glen International to secure a spot in the Chase. Though he only has two top-10s thus far in 2015, Allmendinger has been speedy on occasion, and should still pose a threat on the roacourses. With sponsorship in place for the foreseeable future this partnership can focus on consistency while moving up the order.

DOWNGRADE

David Ragan - Ragan's first outing with Michael Waltrip Racing didn't prove to be an instant success. The team was mid-pack through most of practice and qualifying, and weren't able to move forward in the race. After the rain delay the No. 55 was caught in a spin that knocked him from contention and had him stuck in the infield as the rest of the field passed by. Ragan ended the long night in 33rd position, and four laps down to the leaders. There is time for this pairing to gel, but it won't come overnight. The good news is that the team has two weeks at Charlotte to work on getting things right.

Denny Hamlin - After a lackluster few days of practice and qualifying at Kansas Speedway, Hamlin wasn't able to succeed in the race. The No. 11 was relatively quiet all weekend, and suffered a series of unfortunate events late in the race, distinguishing any progress he had made. First he cut a tire and was forced to limp around the track after missing the pit entrance, only to return to the track to cut another tire and crash. Hamlin ended the night in the garage in 41st position. He needs to turn things around consistently, but has never won at Charlotte. This team needs to discover some consistency before the Chase begins.

Kasey Kahne - Usually, when Kahne practices and qualifies well he delivers a top result in the race. That didn't happen last week in Kansas. Kahne was consistently fast in practice, and started on the front row. Unfortunately, despite displaying early pace, he wasn't able to convert the speed into a decent finish. His second-place start only translated to a finish of 17th. The finish was Kahne's second-consecutive finish outside of the top 10 and his third in the last four races. Kahne hasn't found the consistency he is going to need to be a Chase contender, let alone qualifier. The next two weeks should be good tonic for the team. Kahne is excellent at Charlotte, and they can focus on improvement.

Clint Bowyer - It seems to be that Bowyer's ninth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway was not a change in form, but more of an unexpected surprise. The No. 15 team has scored consecutive finishes outside of the top 20 since Richmond. Bowyer's record now stands at just two top-10 finishes in 2015. The struggles just aren't going away for this team. Bowyer won at Charlotte in the fall of 2013, but wasn't able to finish in the top 15 in either race there last season. His average finish from 18 starts at the track is 17.1, with only five top-10 finishes. The task list for this team is long on their road to better form, and significant progress probably won't be possible over the next two weeks.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Erik Jones - Having the chance to step into one of the top cars on the circuit as your Sprint Cup debut is a dream opportunity for anyone. Jones put that opportunity to good use this past weekend. He qualified strongly, and even topped final practice with his speed. The actual races at Kansas were a challenge for him, though. Jones led most of the Camping World Truck series race on Friday before running out of fuel before the finish. In the Sprint Cup event he worked his way steadily into the top 10, but then lost control just before lap 200 to end his night. Though results weren't there, the promise he showed should be enough to garner many more opportunities in the near future.