You ask if you can "authentically" make the front page like you used to "by having my friends upvote an article/side project I'd post", but isn't asking your friends to upvote your article inauthentic? Also, your article, while legit in content, has a clickbait title: "The Fastest Way to Increase Your Site's Performance Now".

Where do you draw the line on what is authentic / inauthentic? Why is timing when you submit your article worse than using a clickbait title?

That said, I understand what you're getting at; unfortunately as a community grows in size, it's by nature going to become harder for "regular" people to get attention. It's still possible though.