In golf, they call Saturday "Moving Day". You can't win the tournament that day, but you can get yourself in position to contend for the title.
I see this stretch that started with the Coca Cola 600 and runs through New Hampshire, as NASCAR's version of Moving Day. It's when drivers get themselves in position to contend for a title. You can't win the title in this stretch but, you sure can lose it.
While Denny Hamlin's quest to rally to the Chase has, justifiably, been getting a lot of attention…there has been a sudden resurgence of Stewart-Haas that has gotten little notice outside of Tony Stewart's win at Dover. This team was MIA for the first 3 1/2 months now, they're getting to the top 10 regularly: getting themselves in position to contend for a title.
The variety of tracks in these two months is as diverse as any 8-race stretch in the season. It taps into every facet of the driver's skill set. If a driver can make it through this gauntlet with a series of good finishes they'll put themselves in good position for the rest of the year.
Perhaps the best part of Moving Day is: it's just the appetizer. The final run-up to the Chase is yet to come.