This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
Sunday night's Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway kicked off with Ford-powered cars dominating the early running. Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski won the first to stages, but the manufacturer's chances were thwarted in the final stage. Impending rain upset the order when it became clear that the teams were racing the weather and were likely facing a shortened race distance. William Byron and Hendrick Motorsports played the strategy perfectly, pitting early to gain track position in the final stage, and ultimately taking the lead from AJ Allmendinger on lap 167. One final caution neutralized the field just a few laps later as rain drops began falling on the speedway. Once the race was suspended it was a relatively short wait until NASCAR called the race official, 75 laps short of the scheduled distance. The win was the fourth of the year for Byron, who now sits atop the championship standings as the regular season schedule approaches its conclusion.
That regular season march onward continues this week with a stop at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The track hosts just one race per season, but it could still offer big playoff implications. With seven races remaining until the start of the championship playoffs, the battle to make the 16-driver field is heating up. Five spots remain for drivers to qualify for a chance at the championship on points alone, and any new 2023 victors will mean one less slot for the rest of the garage. To make things even more
Sunday night's Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway kicked off with Ford-powered cars dominating the early running. Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski won the first to stages, but the manufacturer's chances were thwarted in the final stage. Impending rain upset the order when it became clear that the teams were racing the weather and were likely facing a shortened race distance. William Byron and Hendrick Motorsports played the strategy perfectly, pitting early to gain track position in the final stage, and ultimately taking the lead from AJ Allmendinger on lap 167. One final caution neutralized the field just a few laps later as rain drops began falling on the speedway. Once the race was suspended it was a relatively short wait until NASCAR called the race official, 75 laps short of the scheduled distance. The win was the fourth of the year for Byron, who now sits atop the championship standings as the regular season schedule approaches its conclusion.
That regular season march onward continues this week with a stop at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The track hosts just one race per season, but it could still offer big playoff implications. With seven races remaining until the start of the championship playoffs, the battle to make the 16-driver field is heating up. Five spots remain for drivers to qualify for a chance at the championship on points alone, and any new 2023 victors will mean one less slot for the rest of the garage. To make things even more intriguing, the point difference between 15th and 17th in the standings is just three points. There is still everything to play for as championship spots remain in the balance.
UPGRADE
William Byron - Sunday night's Quaker State 400 did not start well for Byron, but he finished the night in the perfect position. A pit road penalty forced Byron to the back of the field early only for contact and a spin to compound his difficulties later. However, the team keep him in the mix and then played the perfect pit strategy as rain approached the speedway. Stopping earlier than the leaders cycled Byron back toward the front of the field at the start of the final stage. He then used that track position to pass AJ Allmendinger for the lead, which he held until rain engulfed the circuit and NASCAR called the race. It was Byron's fourth victory of the season and leaves him 21 points ahead of Martin Truex Jr. at the top of the championship standings. Byron now has three top-10 finishes from the last five races and is building momentum toward the playoffs.
Ryan Blaney - Team Penske was a force to be reckoned with at Atlanta. Blaney used his competitiveness to race at the front of the field and won the opening stage. His speed held through the second stage as he raced among the top five nearly the entire distance and finished second in that segment. The top stage finishes cost him track position when the field flipped as it began the race toward the impending rain, though. Despite leading 20 laps Blaney found himself working his way through the pack to climb as high as possible before the rain started falling. He made it all the way back into the top 10 and finished ninth for his 10th top-10 of the season. Sunday night's finish will be well received for him and the team since it also ended their three-race skid of finishes outside of the top 30. That should be a boost heading to New Hampshire where he led 64 laps and finished fifth in 2021.
Brad Keselowski – Superspeedways mean opportunity for Keselowski and his RFK Racing team. That was the case again Sunday night at Atlanta as Ford-powered cars spent a significant amount of time at the front of the race. Keselowski, as expected, rose to the top and collected a stage win in the second segment when a caution flag neutralized the field with him in the lead. He finished the night in sixth position when the rain fell, leading a total of 19 laps and picking up a good amount of points to help his playoff ambitions. Keselowski now heads to New Hampshire 14th in the standings with a nearly 100-point gap back to the bubble position. A win is still the goal, though. He has done that at New Hampshire twice. He finished seventh there last season and enters this weekend with four consecutive top-10 finishes at the track. A win this week might not be out of the question.
Michael McDowell - Another team that played pit strategy to perfection Sunday night was the No. 34 crew. While McDowell has a tendency to perform above expectations at superspeedways, the correct calls on pit road gave him the opportunity to capitalize. McDowell raced toward the front of the field for much of Sunday's race, but then stretched fuel and avoided heading to pit road as rain clouds approached the track. That move left McDowell on track in fourth position when the race was halted. The top-five finish was his first of the season, and it was his fifth top-10 of the season, too. With four of those top-10s coming in the last five races, McDowell has moved into the playoff positions, tied on points for the 16th spot with Daniel Suarez and a three-point gap back to Bubba Wallace in 17th. McDowell is on a roll right now, and he needs that confidence heading to New Hampshire this week where he has no prior top-10 finishes.
Daniel Suarez - Suarez was a quiet figure in Sunday night's race, but that low-key approach paid off with a second-place finish. After starting 26th he knew he would have to do something different to have success, and that is exactly what the team did. He was one of the drivers that went off strategy before the rain arrived and then benefitted as the positive track position gained from that left him near the front when the race was suspended. The runner-up result was his second top-five and sixth top-10 of the season, which leaves him tied on points with Michael McDowell. Suarez got into the playoffs last season with a victory, and finishes like Sunday's show that another win may be possible. Chances are running out, though. Suarez will need to carry last week's success into New Hampshire where he finished ninth last season.
DOWNGRADE
Kyle Larson - Larson had a quick car Sunday at Atlanta, but circumstances did not enable him to make the most of the speed. He drove his way to the front to race for the first stage win, but he was narrowly edged out at the line by Ryan Blaney. Larson also held station among the frontrunners in the second stage until he was forced to check up and was tapped into a spin from behind. He immediately pitted to change tires, but the team did not change a front tire that subsequently blew up when he returned to the track. The damage to the front of the No. 5 machine was heavy, and that crippled Larson's chances to race at the front for the rest of the night. He ultimately retired after 111 laps and finished second to last, which ended his streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes.
Ross Chastain - Chastain is no slouch on superspeedways, but his weekend at Atlanta was not one for the memory book. First, he qualified a lowly 30th. This team has a history of improving their car during races, though. That would have been the plan to execute Sunday night until trouble struck. While racing in the pack, contact ahead collected the No. 1 machine as he attempted to navigate the out of control cars. Contact with Ty Gibbs broke the front wheel of Chastain's machine, and the damage was too heavy for the team to fix before running afoul of NASCAR's damaged vehicle policy. The DNF was Chastain's third finish outside of the top 20 in the last five races. He still has a win that holds his playoff spot, but the team needs to be building positive results as the playoff rounds approach. New Hampshire should be a place they can get things going the right direction, though. Chastain finished eighth in the last two races at the track.
Ty Gibbs - Despite qualifying inside the top 10, Gibbs failed to take advantage and was eliminated from contention through a crash. The night was even more costly as Gibbs failed to collect any stage points and lost further ground in the championship standings. As a result, he falls to 19th in the standings with a 26-point deficit to the 16th and final playoff position. With only a handful of opportunities remaining to make the playoff field, Gibbs will have to take advantage of every opportunity he gets. This weekend's visit to New Hampshire may be a place for him to get things heading the right direction again. It is the site of his first K&N Pro Series victory, but it will be his first time at the track in Cup Series equipment. He only has one Xfinity Series start at the track from last season when he finished 21st.
Martin Truex Jr. – Speed was not Truex's issue Sunday night. His No. 19 machine started 16th, but his was one car that was able to work forward in traffic. He work his way into the top five in the first stage, finishing third for some valuable points. Unfortunately, in his progress toward the sharp end of the field he suffered multiple incidents, including contact on track and on pit road. Had it been a clean night for Truex he would have likely been able to finish much higher than his 29th, place result. It was also his second finish outside of the top 25 in a row. He will not be feeling playoff pressure as a result of his two race wins this season, but he and the team will be hopeful of getting all of their bad luck behind them before the elimination races arrive. New Hampshire should be a good place for him to end his current rough patch. He led 172 laps there last season before finishing fourth.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Kaulig Racing - With rain approaching Atlanta's circuit Sunday night, AJ Allmendinger was racing for the lead and a potential victory. He finished third when the race was called, which was his first top-five and and fourth top-10 of the season. Justin Haley added to the team's successful night with an eighth-place finish, putting both Kaulig cars in the top 10. Considering it was also just a week ago that Haley just missed out on a road course win at Chicago, it is easy to see that this organization is on a nice run of form. While still relatively young in the Cup Series, Kaulig has a record of success in the Xfnity Series. The organization made its Cup debut in 2020 and has one series win under its belt from 2021. They are working to replicate their Xfinity success, though. Race wins and getting their drivers into the playoffs are the next goals.
