Twenty-six races down, only ten to go in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The Chase for the Sprint Cup is officially on, and it all kicks off in the windy city, ahead of a race across America to hoist the championship trophy. Here are your four storylines to follow, from the Chase at Chicagoland Speedway:
Who’s Number One?
After a dominant performance at Richmond, Joe Gibbs Racing looked to steal much of the momentum heading into the ten-race chase from their competitors. However, with the reset in points, Jimmie Johnson is now the top dog. Will that allow Hendrick Motorsports to steal some much-needed mojo for their three drivers in the battle?
Outsiders Become Winners
The ten-race Chase may be all about the sixteen drivers fighting for the Cup title, but there is a deep history of drivers outside the exclusive group who end up in victory lane. Tony Stewart is probably the most successful in these efforts, with three wins in 2006 while finishing eleventh in points, one spot outside the Chase grid at the time. Could some big names outside the Chase, like Kahne or Biffle, win this weekend in Chicago?
Danger Lurks Around Every Corner
The deep chilling winters of the Midwest are abnormally hard on racetracks in the region. This is no different for Chicago, where the track’s surface is one of the oldest left in the national touring schedule. The bumps in the corners prove challenging for drivers to hang onto their cars and be able to find the right handling for the weekend. Meanwhile, Mother Nature also looms large, threatening to rain out qualifying for the Trucks and Cup Series on Friday, and potentially postponing Friday night’s Truck Series race as well.
Prediction Central
As is often the case with support weekends, the Xfinity and Trucks Series join the Cup Series at the track just south of ChiTown. With Cup regulars like Larson and Busch doing triple-duty, look for each of them to notch a victory in the lower ranks early in the weekend. On Sunday, in the big show, look for another battle royale to set up between Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske. I’ll take Kyle Busch as the winner on Sunday and lock himself into the next round of the Chase.
Be sure to catch all the NASCAR action from Chicagoloand Speedway this weekend, starting with the Camping World Truck Series on Friday night on FS1. Then, the Xfinity Series takes center stage on Saturday afternoon on NBCSN. Finally, the Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks off on Sunday afternoon, also on NBCSN. Don’t miss a second of the side-by-side battling.
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