Analysis: Top eight drivers to benefit from August schedule

NASCAR is entering the final month of the regular season, a seven-race final stretch in August for the NASCAR Cup Series that includes doubleheaders at both Michigan International Speedway and Dover International Speedway, along with the inaugural Cup Series race on Daytona International Speedway's road course and the annual trip to New Hampshire. NASCAR.com partnered with Racing Insights to analyze current drivers who have performed well recently at Michigan, at Dover, at New Hampshire and at road courses in general -- the regular-season finale, on Daytona's high banks, is such a wild-card it'll get its own analysis later. With that data in mind, and with an eye on recent trends, here are the eight competitors most primed to excel in the push to the NASCAR Playoffs.

Honorable mention

Clint Bowyer leads this honorable mention list, given he has top-10 finishes in four of the past five Dover races. Despite his win at Michigan in 2018, though, his numbers at that track don’t rank as well as others. He has two wins at New Hampshire. Erik Jones and Kurt Busch were also considered.

8. Kyle Busch

Six consecutive top 10s at Michigan -- the longest active streak at the track -- carry Kyle Busch here. It has been a disappointing season so far for the No. 18, but this stretch gives the group some options to turn it around, including New Hampshire where he is No. 1 in laps led among active drivers with 1,128.

7. Jimmie Johnson

Eleven wins at a single track will get you on the list, and that’s how many victories "Seven-Time" has at the "Monster Mile." It's also the site of his last win, in 2017.

6. Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney is here on the strength of his road-course driving. He won the first race on the Roval at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, which warrants extra weight when considering favorites for the first race on the Daytona road course.

5. Joey Logano

Joey Logano is a three-time Michigan winner, and the 2-mile oval is one of his best tracks. He has 12 top-10 finishes at Michigan during his Team Penske career (since 2013), which is the most of all tracks for Logano. His three career Michigan wins are tied for his most of all tracks.

4. Alex Bowman

The data proves Dover is a place to watch Alex Bowman. He finished in the top three at both Dover races last year, his best personal streak at a track. Logic then suggests Bowman at Michigan, too. While his stats don’t compare to the elite, the driver of the No. 88 had a dominant win at Auto Club Speedway earlier this year, which is a similar 2-mile oval.

3. Kevin Harvick

Three drivers on this list ranked among the best at Michigan, Dover and road courses, and Kevin Harvick was slotted third. His strength: likely at Michigan, where he has won two of the past three races, but his most clutch career moments have come at Dover. He also leads active drivers with four wins at New Hampshire.

2. Martin Truex Jr.

No drivers have more top-five (6) or top-10 (19) finishes in the past 12 Dover races than Martin Truex Jr. His eight career top-five finishes at Michigan are his second-most at a single track, and he has won three of the past seven road-course races.

1. Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott gets the nod here due to his impressive stats almost everywhere. He has won three of the past seven road-course races; he has six top-five finishes in his last eight Dover starts; and he has three runner-up finishes at Michigan, with an average finish of 7.6 ranking best among active drivers with more than two starts. Only New Hampshire stands as a place where Elliott has yet to prove his dominance.