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Tag: MyAFibStory.com 400

  • Keselowski Wins At Chicagoland, Takes Early-Chase Lead

    Keselowski Wins At Chicagoland, Takes Early-Chase Lead

    A late-race battle between a rookie and three previous Chicagoland winners ended in Brad Keselowski capturing the checkered flag in his series-leading fifth win of the 2014 Sprint Cup season.

    Keselowski’s victory, which guarantees the 2012 Cup champion a spot in the Chase’s Contender Round, was also Ford’s first win in 14 Chicagoland Speedway races.

    Late in the race, however, the rookie Kyle Larson seemed a serious threat for his first Sprint Cup win. Long bouts of side-by-side racing between Larson and Kevin Harvick for the lead accompanied the final 20 laps . While inaugural Chicagoland winner Harvick seemed the man to beat, when Larson caught the veteran he proved that even a rookie can engage in a tight but clean race for a win.

    But the 2012 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski saw the battle for the lead as an invitation to make his own move. Cutting between the two California drivers, Keselowski took the lead with 15 laps to go and held on to it.

    Keselowski seemed to appear out of nowhere. With 80 laps to go, Keselowski restarted in 16th place due to an extra pit stop under caution. Bogged down by slower competitors, he decisively made moves through traffic until catching and passing the battling leaders.

    A caution caused by an accident between Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse led to a restart with six laps to go. Keselowski re-established a comfortable lead, which he held until passing under the checkered flag in first place.

    Despite losing too much distance to make up before the race’s finish, Larson was given another opportunity to show off his skills, as Jeff Gordon invited him to another tight duel for second place. The two drivers engaged in another clean battle in the closing laps of the race, at one point swapping low and high race lines as they crossed the start/finish line, putting on a spectacle for the fans. Gordon eventually secured the spot and finished second, while Larson notched third. The rookie managed to capture his Top-3 finish despite a hard hit in practice that sent him to a backup car for race day.

    Keselowski’s Team Penske counterpart Joey Logano finished fourth, and Kevin Harvick dropped back to eventually finish fifth.

    Keselowski holds a seven point lead over Jeff Gordon in the standings heading into the second race of the Challenger Round in the Chase, next Sunday at New Hampshire.

    Chase drivers Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and A.J. Allmendinger did not fare well, and as a result are the final four drivers in the Chase group, in danger of the cut-off after the next two races.

    Newman, Allmendinger and Biffle finished 15th, 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Almirola finished 41st after engine failure while running in sixth place.

    Race Results:

    1. Brad Keselowski
    2. Jeff Gordon
    3. Kyle Larson
    4. Joey Logano
    5. Kevin Harvick
    6. Denny Hamlin
    7. Kyle Busch
    8. Kurt Busch
    9. Jamie McMurray
    10. Matt Kenseth
    11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    12. Jimmie Johnson
    13. Kasey Kahne
    14. Martin Truex Jr.
    15. Ryan Newman
    16. Austin Dillon
    17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    18. Tony Stewart
    19. Danica Patrick
    20. Carl Edwards
    21. Paul Menard
    22. AJ Allmendger
    23. Greg Biffle
    24. Brian Vickers
    25. Marcos Ambrose
    26. Casey Mears
    27. Justi Allgaier
    28. Landon Cassill
    29. Reed Sorenson
    30. Cole Whitt
    31. David Ragan
    32. Michael McDowell
    33. Josh Wise
    34. David Gilliland
    35. Alex Bowman
    36. Joey Nemechek
    37. Joey Gase
    38. Travis Kvapil
    39. Clint Bowyer
    40. Michael Annett
    41. Aric Almirola
    42. Ryan Truex
    43. Mike Bliss
  • Kyle Busch To Start On Pole for Sprint Cup Race at Chicagoland

    Kyle Busch To Start On Pole for Sprint Cup Race at Chicagoland

    Kyle Busch will start on the pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series MyAfibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday after Friday’s qualifying session was cancelled due to rain.

    The starting lineup will use the order of Practice One, which Busch won by .6 seconds with a best lap speed of 191.442 mph.

    Ryan Newman took the second spot with a speed of 191.042 mph, followed by Carl Edwards in third with a speed of 191.022 mph. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt Kenseth round out the Top-five, respectively.

    Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Paul Menard and Kyle Larson make up places sixth through tenth in the starting lineup.

    Farther back in the pack, Chase driver Kevin Harvick will start 12th. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start 13th and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne will begin from the 19th position. Denny Hamlin will start 24th, while fellow Chase drivers and Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano will start 25th and 28th, respectively.

    Complete Starting Lineup:

    1. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota.
    2. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet.
    3. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford.
    4. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford.
    5. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota.
    6. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota.
    7. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet.
    8. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet.
    9. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet.
    10. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet.
    11. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet.
    12. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet.
    13. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet.
    14. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet.
    15. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet.
    16. (55) Brian Vickers, Toyota.
    17. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet.
    18. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet.
    19. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet.
    20. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford.
    21. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford.
    22. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet.
    23. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford.
    24. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota.
    25. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford.
    26. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet.
    27. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet.
    28. (22) Joey Logano, Ford.
    29. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet.
    30. (38) David Gilliland, Ford.
    31. (83) Ryan Truex, Toyota.
    32. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford.
    33. (26) Cole Whitt, Toyota.
    34. (98) Josh Wise, Chevrolet.
    35. (7) Michael Annett, Chevrolet.
    36. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet.
    37. (23) Alex Bowman, Toyota.
    38. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet.
    39. (34) David Ragan, Ford.
    40. (37) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet.
    41. (66) Joe Nemechek, Toyota.
    42. (33) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet.
    43. (32) Joey Gase, Ford
  • The Final Word – Here is hoping Chicago can top Richmond’s WatchingPaintDry 400

    The Final Word – Here is hoping Chicago can top Richmond’s WatchingPaintDry 400

    You know you have a problem when the most exciting action at the track was the shirtless guy parked upon the top of the fence on turn four. Richmond was to excitement what Rusty Wallace is to broadcasting. In fact, I think I broke my fast forward button.

    That is not to say that Richmond did not have a story to tell, but this was more deserving of Cliff Notes rather than having us sit through the entire novel. We had two guys running in the Top Five all day who mattered, but only if they won. They did not, nor did either even lead. Okay, one of them would have mattered had Greg Biffle dropped out of the Top 25 in the running order. He did not.

    It was Brad Keselowski leading, all but 17 laps as it turned out, with Jeff Gordon in second. That was pretty much the soundtrack of this movie. With his fourth victory of the season, Keselowski goes into the Chase leading with 2012 points, the winless trio at the bottom have 2000, the rest are somewhere in between. You can do the math.

    Jimmie Johnson had a Top Ten, but was pretty washed out when he emerged from the car after the race. He started cramping and felt dizzy, and they carted him away for some attention. A moment of excitement but happily, after getting some fluids put back in him, the lad was as good as new.

    I was all set to gush about Danica Patrick, I really was, if only she had followed up her Top Ten the previous week with a Top 15 at Richmond. She finished 16th. If Keselowski and Gordon had a problem, it would have made things more interesting. They did not. Clint Bowyer finished third, but with Biffle coming home 19th the Biff claimed the final Chase berth by seven points. All in all, it was just enough to cause some interest, but it all came woefully short of creating much excitement.

    Now, just because I thought the race to be a terrible, horrible bore does not mean everyone else did. I mean, have you watched America’s Got Talent lately? What is good is bad and what is crap is not. I quit watching, yet the show survives without me. At least my wife and I agree, and for a long married couple that is not bad. If you and yours loved Richmond, good on you both.

    Now it is off to Chicago and the iconic MyAFibStory.com 400. Good grief. Great cause, stupid name. It is right up there with the AnnieMayElizabethWhiteThornton.com 400. I loved my grandmother, yet as a race name that would truly suck.

    We have 16 drivers seeking to survive the next three events by either winning or staying in the top dozen through to Dover. Who has reason to worry this Sunday? History tells us that would be Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, and Biffle. Chicago has not been very kind to any of them in the past.

    It should be pretty exciting this Sunday. Hey, a boy can dream, can’t he?
    The Chasers
    1 – Brad Keselowski – 4 Wins – 2012 Points
    2 – Jeff Gordon – 3 – 2009
    3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 2009
    4 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 2009
    5 – Joey Logano – 3 – 2009
    6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 2006
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 2006
    8 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 2003
    9 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 2003
    10 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 2003
    11 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 2003
    12 – Aric Almirola – 1 – 2003
    13 – A.J. Allmendinger – 1 – 2003
    14 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 2000
    15 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 2000
    16 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 2000