Yes, Gibbs ruled New Hampshire, but SHR excelled too

After all, the organization enjoyed its best overall run of 2017. Denny Hamlin won the company’s first race of the season. Three of its drivers — Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch — combined to lead 153 of 301 laps at the Magic Mile. And three of its drivers — Hamlin, Kenseth and Daniel Suarez — finished sixth or higher. Busch, who led 95 laps and dominated the second stage, finished 12th after two speeding penalties took the No. 18 team out of contention.

The average finishing position for JGR was 5.75 at NHMS.

SHR's quiet, but strong performance

Overlooked in the Overton’s 301 was the second best organization on Sunday — Stewart-Haas Racing. Although racers have a hard time accepting second, SHR also posted its best aggregate effort of 2017 — an average finish of 8.25 for it four cars.

No, the organization didn’t win at Loudon. Kevin Harvick’s fifth-place finish was the company’s best result. But Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch scored solid top-10 finishes and Danica Patrick (13th) enjoyed her best run at New Hampshire in nine starts and her second-best finish of the season.

Overall, it was SHR’s best race since transitioning from Chevy to Ford Performance at the start of this season.

Busch was the only SHR driver to qualify in the top 10 on Friday. In the race, Busch, Harvick and Bowyer all finished in the top 10 in Stage 2 and maintained a top-10 presence throughout the second half.

The company’s coming-out party with Ford climaxed with a trip to Victory Lane for Busch in the Daytona 500. But like some former winners of the Great American Race, Busch has suffered from the Harley J. Earl hangover. He’s posted just one top-five finish (Pocono) since February. All told, Busch has nine top 10s and has led six lapssince the Daytona 500. In his defense, the No. 41 Ford has been collected in three wrecks and had an engine failure at Kentucky. Busch is enjoying his second best average qualifying effort (11.9) since joining SHR. And he’s picked up points in 14 stages.

Harvick also appeared to pick up where he left off from 2016 — up front. He won the pole at Atlanta and the first two stages. Harvick lapped all but 12 cars and led 292 of 325 laps until a speeding penalty mired the No. 4 in traffic with 10 laps remaining. He finished ninth, his first of 12 top 10s in the first 19 races.

Harvick would have to wait 14 more races to capture his first win of the season. Still, Harvick has been the most consistent of the bunch. He has earned three poles this year and led 545 laps. Despite two DNFs, Harvick remains fourth in the standings with an average finish of 11.9. He has won three stages and has earned points in 23 segments.

Newcomer Clint Bowyer has the second best average finish — 12.6. He’s 10th in the Monster Energy Cup standings with four top-fives and eight top 10s. He has finished second three times in 2017. Bowyer is still looking for this first win of the season but he’s been running at the finish in 18 of 19 races and has 16 lead lap finishes. Bowyer has collected points in 15 stages.

Patrick’s 13th-place finish was a solid run for the No. 10 team and her second top-15 finish in a row. But her fifth full season on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup tour has been disappointing. Her average finish statistic (24.6) has been marred by six wrecks and an engine failure at Las Vegas. Still,Her average qualifying effort of 22.3 ties her career best. Patrick led seven laps at Charlotte and has picked up points in three stages.

Currently, Joe Gibbs Racing is the only organization with four teams currently in playoff-eligible. SHR has three drivers among the top 16 in the standings. While there are still seven races to determine the final Playoff grid, both outfits are heating up at the right time.