NASCAR Barometer: Larson Wins Three Straight, Again

Kyle Larson won his third consecutive race Sunday at Kansas Speedway with another dominating 1.5-mile oval performance. It was the second time the Hendrick Motosports driver has won three races in a row this season, and it gives him the chance to sweep wins in the round of eight before battling for the championship at Phoenix in two weeks. Larson was not alone at the front either. He and Chase Elliott took the top two positions with William Byron finishing sixth. The win gives Larson and the Hendrick organization confidence and momentum for the final two races of the season. Larson is already locked into the finale, while Elliott leaves Kansas with a comfortable points margin with just one more race to navigate in order to have a chance to defend his title from 2020. 

The final race to decide the championship contenders is this Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. Elliott won the race there last season to advance to Phoenix, which is where he won his first series championship. Martin Truex Jr. grabbed the checkered flag at the track earlier this year despite teammate Denny Hamlin leading the majority of laps. Team Penske's Ryan Blaney was the other contender that day with 157 laps led and two stage victories. All three of those drivers are in contention to advance to Phoenix with Blaney's teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski having the most work to do.

UPGRADE

Kyle Larson – Larson dominated the opening stage at Kansas to pick up right where he left off a week ago, winning the opening segment and being one of the fastest cars on track. The rest of the race at Kansas was mostly a battle among Hendrick Motorsport teammates, one which Larson topped for his third consecutive victory. There is just one more race remaining before the championship decider at Phoenix, and the No. 5 team is doing all it can to ensure that it takes every last drop of momentum into that race. Larson has never won at Martinsville, but he did finish fifth there earlier this season. He didn't lead any laps that day, but he started further back than normal (19th) and still moved forward to land a top-five.

William Byron – The second stage at Kansas was another Hendrick affair with three of the teammates taking the top spots and Byron getting the segment win. Despite getting knocked out of the playoffs earlier in the competition, Byron continues to show what might have been possible had he been able to make the cut. The driver of the No. 24 remained in the fight at the front of the field throughout the final stage. He led 57 laps throughout the race and finished sixth, which was his 19th top-10 finish this season. He could make it 20 next week, too. All three of Byron's top-10 Martinsville finishes came in the last four races, including a fourth-place finish there in April.

Chase Elliott – Like his Hendrick teammates, Elliott was fast on track Sunday and eased to a 33-point gap to fourth in the championship standings. His teammate's victory means at least two drivers will enter the championship finale via points, which makes Elliott's cushion all the more important in defending his 2020 title. Fantasy players will remember Elliott won at Martinsville last season to put himself into the championship finale, which he then went on to win. Three top-10s in the last five races is an indicator that Elliott is growing in confidence as the most important races of the season approach. Successfully navigating Martinsville should get him through to the finale, and Phoenix is a track at which he can win again.

Kevin Harvick – Harvick's return to good form continued in Kansas with a third-place finish, his 10th top-five of the season and second in as many races. The former champion has now turned in four top-10 finishes in the last five races and has 23 top-10s for the season. His recent run of good form is a reminder Harvick can be a competitive driver without having the most competitive car. Despite not having the pace to win much of the season he has persisted in delivering top finishes. Martinsville should give him another chance of doing just that, too. He finished ninth there earlier this year and has a prior win. He remains winless this season, but his aggressive attack could see him through to Victory Lane this week.

Kurt Busch – Sunday's fourth-place finish was Busch's second top-five in the last five races, as he continued taking points from championship contenders. Busch led four laps at Kansas and finished fourth in both stages before doing the same in the final segment. It was the team's sixth top-five of the season and third top-10 in the last five races. Chip Ganassi Racing will exit the Cup Series at the end of the season, and Busch is doing everything in his power to send the iconic team out at the top of its game. This coming week at Martinsville could be another chance for him to threaten for the win, too. He has two prior wins at the track and finished in the top 10 there three of the last five visits.

DOWNGRADE

Kyle Busch – Busch's day got difficult early after multiple brushes with the outside wall. He eventually brought out a caution when he hit so hard that he caused a flat tire and damage the team needed to fix on pit road. That was just the start of his adventures, as he smacked the wall again in the second stage after mounting somewhat of a comeback. He entered the race weekend just above the cutoff to make the championship finale on points but dropped down the order with the trouble and will have to try again this coming week. He has two prior Martinsville wins, and finished ninth and 10th in the last two trips to the circuit.

Brad Keselowski  – Keselowski was the second championship contender to hit the outside wall so hard that he had to go to the pits for repairs. Unlike with Busch's incident, the caution did not come out, and the stop for repairs and new tires had to be made under green. The team spent the remainder of the afternoon trying to claw back as much ground as possible and finished the day 17th. All is not lost, though. Keselowski has been one of the best at Martinsville, finishing in the top five five consecutive times before crashing out of the spring race earlier this year. The points battle to advance to Phoenix is a tight one, but a victory this weekend would guarantee Keselowski a spot in that fight.

Ryan Blaney – A safe race Sunday would have been a good result for Blaney, who entered the weekend second in the playoff standings. That seemed to be what was in the cards for much of the afternoon, until a restart in the final stage took him out of the race. Austin Dillon, racing below Blaney, got loose and made contact with the No. 12, which sent Blaney hard into the outside wall and out of the race. The damage was too much for himto continue and was a devastating blow to his championship hopes. There is just one more opportunity for him to work his way into the finale at Phoenix, but it will take a win for that to become a reality. Martinsville has been an excellent venue for him, however. Four top-fives from the last five races suggest he still has a chance.

Joey Logano – A horrible first race in the round of eight continues to haunt Logano heading into Martinsville. The Team Penske driver finished 30th two weeks ago at Texas in a disastrous start to the final round of playoff elimination races. Even his ninth-place finish at Kansas last week wasn't enough to pull him out of the hole. This week, the former champion faces a must-win scenario in order to make another appearance in the final four. He sits last among the playoff contenders in the standings and would need to make up 26 points at Martinsville to claim a championship berth. The only way Logano controls his own championship fate this week is through victory. He should have some confidence with four straight top-10s at the track in his last four visits.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Martin Truex Jr. – Like multiple championship contenders, Truex dealt with his fair share of adversity at Kansas. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver looked as though his championship hopes would be extinguished when an early flat tire due to a brush with the wall sent him to the pits under green. After some time he eventually found his way back onto the lead lap and began working through the field. By the race finish, he had climbed up to the seventh position in an effort that puts him squarely in the mix to advance to Phoenix for a shot at the championship. Martinsville will be the make or break week for him, though. He has three prior wins at the track, all of which have come in the last four races.