For the second week in a row, Brad Keselowski went to victory lane in a Sprint Cup car with his win at Chicagoland on Sunday. Keselowski started all the way back in 25th, and his teammate Joey Logano in 28th, after qualifying was rained out, setting the field based on first practice speeds. This was the first race of the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Keselowski is the first to advance to the 12-driver Contender round, which begins at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas on October 5. Keselowski also won the Chicagoland Chase opener two years ago, when he won the series championship over Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson.
There were many issues on pit road throughout the race. Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth spun entering the pits on two separate stops, and Busch was forced to go back in. Later, Jimmie Johnson had to serve a speeding penalty, and then Brad Keselowski had to go back in under caution to tighten some lug nuts. But since Keselowski had a fast car, he was able to rebound. During a round of green flag stops, Aric Almirola, running in sixth, blew his engine and had to go to the garage. A caution came out for a Carl Edwards tire issue as Almirola and his crew were assessing the situation in their pit stall, before they went behind the wall. Many Chase contenders ran into issues during the day.
The Chip Ganassi Racing cars of Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson both tagged the wall during the race, but they still managed good finishes. Larson led late in the race, but a pair of late cautions allowed Keselowski and Jeff Gordon to pass him, and Larson settled for third. McMurray also took the lead from Gordon for a few laps earlier in the race.
The Challenger round of the Chase continues next Sunday, September 21, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, and concludes at Dover Speedway in Dover, Delaware, after which four of the 16 Chase drivers will be eliminated.
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