The Chase is on! The sixteen drivers of the Chase grid begin their quest for the Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway in the MyAFibRisk 400. And as the drivers attempt to tackle the first of five mile-and-a-half tracks in the ten-race run, the excitement and side-by-side actions is destined to ramp up.
With rain impacting the track on Friday, qualifying was rained out. The field would be set by practice times and owners points, putting Kevin Harvick (#4 Budwieser Chevy) on the pole. He would be joined by thirteen other Chase drivers in the top sixteen starting positions at Chicago.
As the race got underway, Kyle Busch (#18 M&M’s Toyota) continued his mission to dominate every race after coming back from injury by being in control of the first one hundred laps. Busch would lap the overwhelming majority of the field early, including nearly half of the drivers in the Chase grid.
Meanwhile, some of those Chasers would be battling themselves, the track, and their cars all day. Denny Hamlin (#11 FedEx Toyota), still nursing a torn ACL, would spin early, going one lap down within the first ten laps. Other drivers would be lapped too, including Clint Bowyer (#15 5-Hour Energy Toyota) and Carl Edwards (#19 Stanley Tools Toyota).
The race would shift suddenly on a restart near halfway. After a caution and pit stops, Kevin Harvick (#4 Jimmy John’s Chevy) looked to battle Busch on the front row. On the restart, Joey Logano (#22 Shell Pennzoil Ford) pushed Jimmie Johnson (#48 Lowe’s Chevy) onto the apron and then sliding into Harvick. The #4 would develop a tire rub, and the tire would blow, causing him to crash. Big implications would be seen from this wreck in the Chase standings.
After the wreck, two new contenders would emerge at the front of the field – Kurt Busch (#41 Haas Automation Chevy) and Jeff Gordon (#24 Axalta Chevy). The brothers Busch and Gordon would battle at the front, looking to lock themselves into the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. However, a caution with ten laps to go would bunch up the field once more for a last dash to the finish.
On the ensuing restart, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon would be regretting their decision not to pit. The field behind them had fresher tires, and took full advantage. The one who took it the most? Denny Hamlin, rallying from a spin and going a lap down early, would win the MyAFibRisk 400 at Chicago, and lock himself into the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole would rally in the closing moments of the race, with teammate Carl Edwards coming home in second. Kurt Busch would hang on for third. Meanwhile, Jeff Gordon would finish outside the top ten, sinking like a rock in the final five laps.
The Chase continues next weekend as the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series head to New Hampshire, looking to lock into the next round of the battle for the Sprint Cup. Some may be looking to win; others just want a spot in the Contender Round. See the next bout next Sunday on NBCSN.
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