NASCAR Barometer: Logano Wins Pennzoil 400

The 2020 NASCAR Cup series season is starting to look a lot like the 2019 season, as Joey Logano became the second driver in as many weeks to defend his race win from the prior season by outlasting the competitors through the final restart in Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Penske Racing driver had a quick car all weekend, but his choice to remain on the track was the deciding factor in determining Sunday's outcome, as he held off the field for the final two laps to claim his first win of the season.

The Ford teams are getting out of the gate quickly so far in 2020. They had pace in Daytona but couldn't seal the deal in the 500. They got the job done in Las Vegas with two in the top three and many who could have won if things had fallen their direction. In the end, it was Logano who took the win. If the trend continues, fantasy players should look to Kyle Busch to repeat as the winner at Auto Club Speedway this coming week as he was the victor in that race one year ago.

UPGRADE

Joey Logano – Despite not winning either of the first two stages, Logano was one of the strongest cars throughout Sunday's Pennzoil 400. He won the race last season and was up front in the final miles, racing teammate Ryan Blaney for the win. His choice to stay out under the final caution gave him the track position he needed to claim the repeat win and put his hands on a spot in the playoffs at the end of the season. It had been 22 races since his last win and was his 24th career victory in the season. Logano has never won at Fontana, but he does have six top-10 finishes from the last seven races at the track.

Ryan Blaney – After narrowly missing out on the Daytona 500 win just one week ago, Blaney had victory firmly in his sights late in Sunday's Pennzoil 400. The Penske Racing driver was one of the fastest cars throughout the weekend and he was able to overtake teammate Logano for the lead but gave up the win by pitting under the final caution, a move from which he was unable to completely recover. Blaney has four Cup series starts at Fontana and has finished in the top 10 three of those times. His average finish in that span is 14.2, but he looks to be the strongest driver at the start of this NASCAR season and could do even better than his fifth-place finish there last season.

Chase Elliott – Elliott grabbed his second stage victory of the season early in Las Vegas. He turned the fastest lap of the race to that point on his way to that stage win and added more points to his haul well in advance of the playoffs. His roll continued as he held off Truex in the final laps of the second stage as well, but a flat tire in the final stage took him out of contention for the win. While the damage wasn't severe, it was enough to remove him from contention for the overall victory. Auto Club Speedway hasn't been his best circuit, but he also hasn't finished worse than 16th there. He was 11th last year after starting eighth.

Kevin Harvick – Harvick was one of the top cars throughout Sunday's 400 miles at Las Vegas. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver had the best car on short runs but found himself looking for more pace as the green-flag runs continued and his handling fell off. He chose to pit under the final caution of the race but wasn't able to make his way to the lead despite having the best car all afternoon on restarts. The distance between him and the lead was just too much to overcome despite him having the fresh tires. Harvick has just one win from 26 Fontana starts, which came all the way back in 2011. He was fourth in last season's visit to the track and 35th the year before.

Alex Bowman – Bowman was arguably the quietest of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers this weekend, but he was the one in position to challenge for the win as the miles wore down late Sunday afternoon. He worked on his car throughout the race distance and was able to piece together one of the fastest cars on track in the last laps. He opted to pit under the final caution, sacrificing track position for fresh tires, which proved to be his downfall in being able to challenge Logano for the win on the final restart. Bowman has a best finish of 13th in four Cup series starts at Fontana and would do well to improve upon that this week after a decent start to the season.

DOWNGRADE

Christopher Bell – Bell lost control coming onto the back straight at the end of the second stage and clouted the wall after nearly saving the car from spinning to the inside. The contact left him with little to play for, and he finished the afternoon with a paltry 30th-place result. It was a disappointing circumstance for the rookie with such a promising outing at Daytona just a week prior. He started on pole at Fontana in the Xfinity series in 2018 and then finished third at the track in 2019. He's still getting the feel for racing in the Cup series but remains a young driver with plenty of upside potential on those outings where things fall his direction.

Martin Truex Jr. – Despite missing time in opening practice with the rest of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas, Truex appeared to be the only one in the stable able to compete for the win. He battled at the front of the field as teammate Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin were mired deep in the field through the first two stages. That was the case all the way until he fell into traffic early in the final stage and hit the wall, sending him to pit road for repairs. His chances of winning the race after that incident completely evaporated, and the afternoon became just an effort to salvage points. Truex won the 2018 visit to Fontana and finished eighth after starting 27th there last season.

Ross Chastain – Chastain had the change to take a step up in equipment in Las Vegas by filling in for Ryan Newman, who remains out of action after his massive crash in the Daytona 500. Chastain started off the weekend off  with some quick practice times Friday and Saturday, but faded once racing got underway Sunday afternoon on a green track. The speed the team had early in the weekend didn't translate to race pace once proceedings got underway, and Chastain was mired deep in the field throughout most of the 400 miles on Sunday. No one yet knows if Chastain will be back in the No. 6 this week in Fontana, but in his two Cup series races at the track, he has a best finish of 28th.

Ryan Preece – Preece found himself in second place with less than 50 laps remaining in Sunday's race in Las Vegas, but that success didn't last long. Just a few laps later, under caution, Preece's machine was pushed from his spot on pit road to the garage and out of contention for a decent finish. From time to time Preece has proven himself to be a decent selection for fantasy rosters, but his ability to  consistency finish up front has remained difficult to predict. Most of that gamble has come down to his equipment, as he's one of the lower-funded teams on the circuit. Like Las Vegas this past week, Preece started 26th at Fontana last season and finished just 23rd.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek didn't make waves during the Las Vegas race weekend, but with consistent and mature racing, he found himself racing inside the top 10 with less than 40 laps remaining in the race. He faded in the final restarts and resulting pit stops under caution, and his 21st-place finish is not representative of what he should have been able to claim after an impressive outing. The rookie driver has two Fontana starts in the Xfinity series with a best finish of 28th despite starting 10th and third. He was seventh in the first stage in last year's race and could leverage his success this past weekend to grab another top-15 finish next week if he is able to keep his nose clean and race like he did this past weekend.