Take 5: Chicago

JOLIET, Ill. – The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs got underway at Chicagoland Speedway Sunday with the Tales of the Turtles 400, the last time the 1.5-mile track will host the opening race of the 10-race series. Just like any other race, there were winners and losers and those who are still trying to sort out exactly what happened.

It’s The Pits: Teams in the NASCAR Playoffs know they have to avoid, or at least minimize, mistakes if they hope to advance. Apparently that’s easier said than done. Six teams were flagged for pit-road issues, including four for speeding. Race-winner Martin Truex was able to rebound from his penalty; others found themselves fighting to stay on the lead lap in a fast-paced race, however. “It’s just frustrating,” Austin Dillon (16th) said. “I put ourselves in a hole speeding on pit road and just trying to get too much. You talk about not making mistakes, and we made one.”

The Point of It All: At least nine drivers that advance into the Round of 12 will do so based on their points totals. And if Sunday’s race was any indication, exactly who advances and who does not could go down to the final lap of the final race in the Round of 16. Of the four drivers that began Sunday’s race outside the top 12 in points, only one – Kasey Kahne – was unable to extricate himself. Three of the four spots changed hands, with Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kahne and Ryan Newman now in the early hole. They’ll need a good race next week at Loudon, New Hampshire to breathe easier going into Dover.

Final Fling: Chicagoland Speedway has been the opening site of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs every year since 2011. But starting next year, the track’s race date will move to July 1 and become one of the 26 that make up the “regular season.” Las Vegas will host the opening playoff race in ’18. The Chicagoland race winner has gone on to win the series title twice since it became the opening playoff race -- in 2011 with Tony Stewart and ’12 with Brad Keselowski.

Parity? Perhaps: Toyota teams did lead the lion’s share of laps Sunday at Chicagoland, but it wasn’t quite the runaway some competitors feared. While race winner Martin Truex and pole sitter Kyle Busch combined to lead 162 of the race’s 267 laps, Chase Elliott (Chevrolet) seemed to rediscover his form from earlier this year and led 42 circuits before finishing second while 2014 champ Kevin Harvick (Ford) sat out front for 59 laps and wound up third. Yes, the Toyota teams are strong, but no, they are not invincible. Noted: the top nine finishers featured three teams from each manufacturer.

Best of The Rest: Joey Logano, perhaps the most surprising driver not in the playoffs, didn’t let his lack of a shot at the championship deter his No. 22 team at Chicagoland. But the Team Penske driver admitted that there’s still much work to be done if he’s to return to the winner’s circle. Logano finished seventh, the highest finish by a non-playoff driver. “We made gains the last few weeks to get closer but we have just caught up to our teammates,” he said. “That is where we are … the same as our teammates but not good enough to go up there and win. … We just have to go faster, that is all.”