Four in overdrive heading to Chase race 2
In this year's revamped Chase for the Sprint Cup format, 16 drivers qualified for the 10-race title run. There are three elimination rounds, consisting of three races each. After races three, six and nine, four drivers will be eliminated from contention.
The final four will race for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.
Chase race 2 is Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The third race is Sept. 28 at Dover International Speedway.
Paste BN Sports' Mike Hembree highlights four drivers in good standing after the opener at Chicagoland Speedway:
Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, No. 2 Ford
The Team Penske driver and 2012 champion stormed to the front late Sunday afternoon and wasn't challenged for the win in Chase Race 1. He got to the front with a dramatic three-wide pass as he split Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick, passing both in the middle to take the lead and win his second consecutive race and season-leading fifth.
Comment: "I just opened a hole. I didn't know if my car would stick or not, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't try it. I tried it. It did."
Up next: Keselowski owns wins at both of the upcoming first-round tracks – Loudon and Dover. In the big picture, however, it doesn't matter where he finishes in races 2 and 3. He advances to the next Chase round regardless in his quest to be Ford's first Sprint Cup champion since 2004.
Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet
The Drive for Five is very much alive. Gordon's search for a fifth Cup championship continued in style at Chicagoland, as he led 26 laps and outraced everybody except Keselowski.
Comment: "We adjusted and fought through it all day. I thought it was a great team effort. Great pit stops. Great calls. Great adjustments. We just hung in there."
Up next: Gordon is a multiple winner at both Loudon (three) and Dover (four), but he hasn't won at Loudon since 1998 or Dover since 2001. A top-10 finish is very likely at both venues, however.
Joey Logano, Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
Despite smoking his engine on the last lap, Logano had a representative day at Chicagoland, running in the top 10 for most of the second half of the race and finishing fourth, the kind of run that will push him into the second round of the Chase.
Comment: "We were struggling all weekend and weren't very fast, but we fought hard and got a nice top-five out of it. We will take that and keep being consistent and get to the next round."
Up next: Logano has a win at New Hampshire and endured the worst wreck of his Sprint Cup career at Dover. He figures to be in the top-10 mix at both remaining first-round tracks.
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Chevrolet
He fell short of the win Sunday despite leading the most laps (79). The No. 4 has been among the fastest – if not the fastest – at numerous tracks this year.
Comment: "On the restarts, for whatever reason, I was tight those last several restarts up on exit (of the turns), so I had to kind of go into defensive mode."
Up next: Harvick has a strong record at both Loudon and Dover, with a bundle of top-10 runs at each track, but the team's inability to close out victories despite many strong runs this year leaves a cloud of doubt on solid results.
Follow Hembree on Twitter @mikehembree