Kevin Harvick says what’s needed about NASCAR’s high-drag aero package

RESTART MANIA: Passing a auto of equal strength was very hard during the race, and that reality caused some frantic racing on restarts, which presented the best opportunity for gaining positions.

“I just wish we could have started this just a little bit earlier, but we’ve got a couple good races left for us”, Dillon said.

All he has to do is not wreck and continue to race well and he will keep his spot and not have to worry about the points anymore. With only three races remaining before the start of the Chase, all eyes are on Busch and the other five non-winners on the Chase grid and the others on the outside looking in, for whom a win will put them in the 2015 10-race shootout for the series title. He announced this is his last season as a full-time driver.

In the past seven Sprint Cup races, starting with the Kyle Busch comeback win Sonoma, a Toyota has been on the top step of the podium six times.

“If top 20 is it, then that’s it”, Busch said. “I didn’t see much of the race, which was totally fine with me”.

The day wasnt a total loss for Busch.

Matt Kenseth owned the racing, giving Toyota a win in Michigan.

In that race, four-time champion Jeff Gordon will be sporting the “rainbow warriors” paint scheme, emulating the height of his 23-year career, which ends in November. Joe Gibbs Racing is the only team with two drivers that have 3 or more wins. “I’ve got to be honest”, said Kenseth, in full avoidance mode.

Team Penske replaced splitters on the cars of Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski before the race, and NASCAR said it would take the splitters back to the research and development center.

“We just fought a lot of things today”, Harvick said. “It’s a good exercise and we’ll just have to adjust our vehicle for being in the back of the field”.

NASCAR utilized a unique high-drag streamlined bundle for this race and in the Brickyard a month ago at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The fourth-place finish is the 22-year-old’s best on the Sprint Cup circuit and came after Dillon was sent to the back of the pack to start the Pure Michigan 400 due to an engine change.

“We think it is something to do with fueling”, Dillon said. Qualifying seventh, he ran first in the second practice, but fell to 10th in the third. Kenseth and JGR teammate Kyle Busch, who finished 11th Sunday, have won six of the past eight races after Busch returned from severe injuries suffered in a crash at Daytona (Fla.) global Speedway in February.

NASCAR will have another chance to observe the high-drag package this weekend, and there’s plenty of uncertainty surrounding Sunday’s race at MIS.

Points leader Tyler Reddick finished ninth.

All in all, Gibbs, with nine wins this year to easily lead all teams, has its house clearly in order at one of the season’s key junctures.

Adding to the pressure for Bowyer, Kasey Kahne saw a 15th-place finish turn into something more like a victory.