Brad Keselowski has opened the Chase for the Sprint Cup on the right note with victory in the MYAFIBSTORY.COM 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Although it was Keselowski’s fifth win of the year, it wasn’t an easy one after a pit road mishap midway through the race placed him down the order. A break with a caution period got him back inside the top four and then with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson battling for the lead, Keselowski split the pair to go through the middle and into the lead which he didn’t surrender with 18 laps to run.
Keselowski and the entire Penske operation look in ominous form with team-mate Joey Logano taking fourth place despite his Ford’s engine blowing as he crossed the line!
Keselowski’s victory last week at Richmond gave him first place for the Chase. With the win at Chicago, he keeps first place and in a further good sign the last time he won in Chicago he went on to win the title in 2012. Under the new elimination styled Chase format he automatically progresses to the next stage in the fight for the championship.
“I had my head down doing all I could do,” said Keselowski.
“We had a great Miller Lite Ford Fusion that I knew from the start would be good but man it was really awesome the last few runs. We really dialled it in and the #2 crew did an excellent job. What a day. Man, I am still pumped.”
Jeff Gordon finished second and he’s second in the point’s standings, seven behind Keselowski. Larson finished third while Joey Logano was fourth and Harvick was fifth.
The heartbreak story of the race was Aric Almirola who despite being one of the lower seeds for the Chase was running in sixth place when he lost an engine and was classified 41st.
“Heartbroken I think is the easiest way to describe it,” said Almirola.
“We drove from 23rd up to the top-10, running sixth with just over 30 to go and it just wasn’t meant to be. We will regroup and go to Loudon and Dover and try to be spectacular.”
Australian Team-mate Marcos Ambrose had a somewhat unspectacular race to bring his Ford home in 25th.
VIDEO: Keselowski wins at Chicagoland
VIDEO: Victory Lane
RESULTS: MYAFIBSTORY.COM 400 at Chicagoland Speedway
| Pos | CAR | DRIVER | MANUFACTURER | STARTING POS. | LAPS | LAPS LED | FINAL STATUS | POINTS | BONUS POINTS |
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 25 | 267 | 62 | Running | 47 | 4 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 8 | 267 | 26 | Running | 43 | 1 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevrolet | 10 | 267 | 20 | Running | 42 | 1 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 28 | 267 | 0 | Running | 40 | 0 |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 12 | 267 | 79 | Running | 41 | 2 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 24 | 267 | 0 | Running | 38 | 0 |
| 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 1 | 267 | 46 | Running | 38 | 1 |
| 8 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 14 | 267 | 0 | Running | 36 | 0 |
| 9 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 11 | 267 | 32 | Running | 36 | 1 |
| 10 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | 5 | 267 | 0 | Running | 34 | 0 |
| 11 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Chevrolet | 13 | 267 | 0 | Running | 33 | 0 |
| 12 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 7 | 267 | 0 | Running | 32 | 0 |
| 13 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 19 | 267 | 0 | Running | 31 | 0 |
| 14 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr | Chevrolet | 27 | 267 | 0 | Running | 30 | 0 |
| 15 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 2 | 267 | 0 | Running | 29 | 0 |
| 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 15 | 267 | 0 | Running | 28 | 0 |
| 17 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | Ford | 4 | 267 | 0 | Running | 27 | 0 |
| 18 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 22 | 267 | 0 | Running | 26 | 0 |
| 19 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevrolet | 18 | 267 | 0 | Running | 25 | 0 |
| 20 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 3 | 266 | 0 | Running | 24 | 0 |
| 21 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | 9 | 266 | 0 | Running | 23 | 0 |
| 22 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | Chevrolet | 17 | 265 | 0 | Running | 22 | 0 |
| 23 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 20 | 265 | 0 | Running | 21 | 0 |
| 24 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | 16 | 265 | 0 | Running | 20 | 0 |
| 25 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | 21 | 265 | 0 | Running | 19 | 0 |
| 26 | 13 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | 29 | 264 | 0 | Running | 18 | 0 |
| 27 | 51 | Justin Allgaier | Chevrolet | 26 | 264 | 0 | Running | 17 | 0 |
| 28 | 40 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | 38 | 263 | 0 | Running | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | 36 | Reed Sorenson | Chevrolet | 36 | 262 | 0 | Running | 15 | 0 |
| 30 | 26 | Cole Whitt | Toyota | 33 | 262 | 0 | Running | 14 | 0 |
| 31 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | 39 | 262 | 0 | Running | 13 | 0 |
| 32 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 32 | 262 | 0 | Running | 12 | 0 |
| 33 | 98 | Josh Wise | Chevrolet | 34 | 262 | 0 | Running | 11 | 0 |
| 34 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | 30 | 261 | 0 | Running | 10 | 0 |
| 35 | 23 | Alex Bowman | Toyota | 37 | 261 | 0 | Running | 9 | 0 |
| 36 | 66 | Joe Nemechek | Toyota | 41 | 258 | 0 | Running | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | 32 | Joey Gase | Ford | 43 | 257 | 0 | Running | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | 33 | Travis Kvapil | Chevrolet | 42 | 256 | 0 | Running | 6 | 0 |
| 39 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 6 | 244 | 0 | Accident | 5 | 0 |
| 40 | 7 | Michael Annett | Chevrolet | 35 | 233 | 0 | Running | 4 | 0 |
| 41 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 23 | 230 | 2 | Engine | 4 | 1 |
| 42 | 83 | Ryan Truex | Toyota | 31 | 184 | 0 | Brakes | 2 | 0 |
| 43 | 37 | Mike Bliss | Chevrolet | 40 | 13 | 0 | Vibration | 0 | 0 |
STANDINGS
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS | BEHIND | STARTS | WINS | TOP 5 | TOP 10 | DNF |
| 1 | Brad Keselowski | 2059 | Leader | 27 | 5 | 12 | 14 | 1 |
| 2 | Jeff Gordon | 2052 | -7 | 27 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 0 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 2049 | -10 | 27 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 4 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 2047 | -12 | 27 | 2 | 9 | 14 | 2 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | 2042 | -17 | 27 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 2 |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin | 2041 | -18 | 26 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 2 |
| 7 | Kyle Busch | 2041 | -18 | 27 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 4 |
| 8 | Jimmie Johnson | 2041 | -18 | 27 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 3 |
| 9 | Kurt Busch | 2039 | -20 | 27 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 5 |
| 10 | Matt Kenseth | 2034 | -25 | 27 | 0 | 10 | 17 | 2 |
| 11 | Kasey Kahne | 2034 | -25 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 3 |
| 12 | Carl Edwards | 2030 | -29 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
| 13 | Ryan Newman | 2029 | -30 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| 14 | AJ Allmendinger | 2025 | -34 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 15 | Greg Biffle | 2021 | -38 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| 16 | Aric Almirola | 2007 | -52 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 17 | Kyle Larson | 779 | -1280 | 27 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 3 |
| 18 | Clint Bowyer | 751 | -1308 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 3 |
| 19 | Jamie McMurray | 742 | -1317 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| 20 | Austin Dillon | 726 | -1333 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 21 | Paul Menard | 724 | -1335 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| 22 | Brian Vickers | 701 | -1358 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| 23 | Marcos Ambrose | 664 | -1395 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 24 | Casey Mears | 614 | -1445 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | Martin Truex Jr | 610 | -1449 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 26 | Tony Stewart | 595 | -1464 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| 27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 583 | -1476 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 28 | Danica Patrick | 553 | -1506 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 29 | Justin Allgaier | 476 | -1583 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 30 | David Gilliland | 417 | -1642 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 31 | Michael Annett | 404 | -1655 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 32 | David Ragan | 394 | -1665 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 33 | Cole Whitt | 381 | -1678 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 34 | Reed Sorenson | 370 | -1689 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 35 | Josh Wise | 330 | -1729 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Alex Bowman | 319 | -1740 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 37 | Ryan Truex | 193 | -1866 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 38 | Michael McDowell | 178 | -1881 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 39 | Travis Kvapil | 155 | -1904 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Jeff Burton | 87 | -1972 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | Terry Labonte | 77 | -1982 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | David Stremme | 64 | -1995 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 43 | Bobby Labonte | 54 | -2005 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 44 | Parker Kligerman | 54 | -2005 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 45 | Michael Waltrip | 48 | -2011 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 46 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 47 | -2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | Alex Kennedy | 47 | -2012 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 48 | Dave Blaney | 46 | -2013 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 49 | Brett Moffitt | 44 | -2015 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 50 | David Reutimann | 37 | -2022 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 51 | Boris Said | 28 | -2031 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | Timmy Hill | 22 | -2037 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 53 | Nelson Piquet Jr | 18 | -2041 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 54 | Eddie MacDonald | 9 | -2050 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 55 | Tomy Drissi | 6 | -2053 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 56 | Landon Cassill | 0 | -2059 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 57 | Sam Hornish Jr | 0 | -2059 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 58 | Trevor Bayne | 0 | -2059 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 59 | Brian Scott | 0 | -2059 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 60 | Ty Dillon | 0 | -2059 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 61 | Ryan Blaney | 0 | -2059 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 62 | Joe Nemechek | 0 | -2059 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 63 | J.J. Yeley | 0 | -2059 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 64 | Blake Koch | 0 | -2059 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 65 | Mike Bliss | 0 | -2059 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 66 | Regan Smith | 0 | -2059 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 67 | Joey Gase | 0 | -2059 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 68 | Morgan Shepherd | 0 | -2059 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 69 | Johnny Sauter | 0 | -2059 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 70 | Clay Rogers | 0 | -2059 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 71 | Eric McClure | 0 | -2059 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 72 | Matt Crafton | 0 | -2059 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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