This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
Mother nature had more than a few things to say during Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway. Kurt Busch qualified on pole, and outlasted the raindrops when NASCAR finally decided it was time to throw in the towel. Rain interrupted the opening quarter of the distance three times before the cars were actually able to race their way through the halfway point of the distance, making it an official race.
As the final raindrops approached the circuit less than 75 percent of the distance was complete, and some teams were trying to outsmart the conditions. Kyle Larson was the one who gambled the most, not pitting as the rain approach to try to outlast the dry weather. That move didn't pay off after the final restart when he was forced to stop for fuel, relinquishing the lead to Busch. Just three laps after Larson pitted the skies opened and the race was effectively over. Busch won his second event of the season, and a very unusual race was called due to the weather.
The series will regroup next week with an off week before trekking across the country to Sonoma Raceway. The California circuit is the first road course of the season, and could give an opportunity for a winless team to find their way into the Chase for the Championship.
UPGRADE
Kurt Busch - Busch ended Sunday in the right place at the right time. He worked his way forward throughout the afternoon in a backup car, and was
Mother nature had more than a few things to say during Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway. Kurt Busch qualified on pole, and outlasted the raindrops when NASCAR finally decided it was time to throw in the towel. Rain interrupted the opening quarter of the distance three times before the cars were actually able to race their way through the halfway point of the distance, making it an official race.
As the final raindrops approached the circuit less than 75 percent of the distance was complete, and some teams were trying to outsmart the conditions. Kyle Larson was the one who gambled the most, not pitting as the rain approach to try to outlast the dry weather. That move didn't pay off after the final restart when he was forced to stop for fuel, relinquishing the lead to Busch. Just three laps after Larson pitted the skies opened and the race was effectively over. Busch won his second event of the season, and a very unusual race was called due to the weather.
The series will regroup next week with an off week before trekking across the country to Sonoma Raceway. The California circuit is the first road course of the season, and could give an opportunity for a winless team to find their way into the Chase for the Championship.
UPGRADE
Kurt Busch - Busch ended Sunday in the right place at the right time. He worked his way forward throughout the afternoon in a backup car, and was out front when the skies opened (again) and gifted him his second win of the season. Busch absolutely deserves the win due to his speed in the weeks approaching Michigan's race, and he earned it the hard way. He is also a solid performer on the road courses, and has three top-5 finishes in the last four Sonoma race. He started at the front in the very beginning Sunday, but faded slightly until Kyle Larson was forced to pit before the rain came. Regardless of the circumstances, it was the right position at the right time and it earned him a win.
Martin Truex Jr. - As difficult as it is to win in back-to-back weeks, Truex sure put up a valiant effort in Michigan. The driver of the No. 78 maintained his streak of top-10 finishes by being in the third position when the rain enveloped the circuit for the final time Sunday. Truex has been the picture of consistency in 2015, and that indicates that he is nearing consideration for the Chase title as a favorite. Truex won the 2013 race at Sonoma, and it is hard to picture him posting anything less than a top-10 finish on the California road course this season as well. Truex may be the best driver on the circuit at the moment, and that includes Kevin Harvick.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - While next week's race at Sonoma may be a challenge for Earnhardt, last week has to give him confidence. He played the strategy on Sunday to bag a top-5 finish. Had he been able to get enough grip and drive on the final restart he may have been able to challenge both Busch and Larson. As circumstances dictated, though, he came up slightly short. Earnhardt finished second in the interrupted race, making it two top-5 finishes in the last four races. Earnhardt is going to need as much confidence as possible heading to Sonoma. He finished third there last season, but that was his first top-10 at the track in his career. He has been getting better on road courses, but still has some ground to cover.
Kyle Larson - Larson came up just a few laps short of what may have been his first win in Sprint Cup. He and his crew decided to stay out as rain approached in hopes that his track position would keep him in the lead until rain started to fall on the track, but it wasn't to be. Larson pitted for fuel just three laps before the skies opened again, and he ended the day in 17th position. Larson seems to have rediscovered his consistency from 2014 after a disappointing opening to the 2015 season, and he could become more of a contender as the season progresses. He finished 28th in his first visit to Sonoma, but put himself third on the grid in qualifying.
DOWNGRADE
Kyle Busch - After starting the weekend off with a win on his return to the Xfinity series, Busch lost control and pounded the wall early on Sunday. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver survived the first three red flag periods of Sunday's race only to lose grip while running underneath Tony Stewart, effectively ending his chance for a win. The contact forced him out of the race, and classified in 43rd position. Busch won on the Sonoma road course in 2008, but hasn't finished inside the top-10 there since. It may be a tall order to ask too much out of him this week, but at the very least he needs an incident free week if he wants to keep his Chase hopes alive.
Jeff Gordon - Two visits to pit road for one set of tires thwarted Gordon's charge near the front of the field on Sunday. Gordon has had a ton of bad luck this season and tensions have been flaring. The crew tried changing some positions for last week's race, but too few lug nuts tightened on his stop at the middle of the race put him seriously behind the competition. When the rains came again he was stranded in 21st position deep in the order. Things could get better after Father's Day, though. Gordon is a five-time winner at Sonoma Raceway, and is always a strong contender on the road courses. He should be one of the early picks when the action resumes.
Jimmie Johnson - Things weren't going well for Johnson right off the bat in Michigan. The No. 48 suffered contact to his rear early in the running and in between the rain showers that interrupted the opening portion of Sunday's race. The team has consistently battled adversity in 2015, but there simply were not enough laps for him to rebound last week. Johnson was running in 19th position when the skies opened for the final time, finishing any chances of moving further forward. Sunday's finish was Johnson's first finish outside of the top 20 since his struggles in Charlotte. The No. 48 has finished inside the top 10 at Sonoma in each of the last six races, though.
Kevin Harvick - Harvick's run of consistent top finishes was ended Sunday in Michigan. It wasn't because he was slow throughout the afternoon; in fact it was quite the opposite. Harvick was one of the fastest cars throughout the day, but simply didn't have position and strategy to deal with the unpredictable rain showers that affected the race. He finished 29th on Sunday, which was his worst finish since his 38th-place result in Bristol. Don't think that Harvick will feel any ill effects from this, though. The team remains one of the best this season. The Sonoma road course may be a challenge for him, but three top-10s in the last five Sonoma races isn't something to sneeze at.
Carl Edwards - Despite leading early in Sunday's race, Edwards didn't have the stamina to survive the rain showers. The staccato format of the opening miles were a challenge that everyone had to work through, but Edwards faded once the racing actually took place. Edwards's 12th-place finish last week is what we've come to expect from the No. 19 team this season. While he was able to score a win at Charlotte the team has continued to struggle. Edwards will be in the Chase at the end of the season, but more consistency and speed will need to be found before their hopes of advancing can be realized. Edwards is your Sonoma winner from last season, but repeating may be a challenge.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Jamie McMurray - Another week at a track where McMurray hasn't excelled at in the past meant lower expectations for the No. 1 team in Michigan. Instead of living up to those expectations, he turned them on their head for the second week in a row. McMurray finished seventh on the rain-shortened race, scoring his second consecutive top-10 at the track. To put that finish in perspective, consider that McMurray has raced at Michigan 13 times and only finished inside the top-10 twice before Sunday. That is two weeks in a row that McMurray has outperformed at bogey tracks. He has started from pole in both of the last two Sonoma races, which means his prospects for Sonoma are looking extremely strong.
