Kenseth had two teammates finish ahead of him, but with a top five to open the Chase and the overall lead in points, he’s in fantastic shape.
4
Joe Gibbs Racing
All the torn-ACL talk can now be quieted after Hamlin’s impressive Challenger 16 win at Chicagoland.
Joe Gibbs Racing
Busch was the lowest-finishing Joe Gibbs Racing driver at Chicago — in ninth, with 121 laps led. They have no weak spots right now, and his high points have been the strongest of all four.
Edwards backed up his Darlington win in the regular season’s penultimate race with a runner-up finish to start the Chase. We’re only one race in, but it’s incredibly realistic we could be looking at an all-JGR finale at Homestead.
-3
Either way too high or way too low here. There’s almost no other driver you’d pick over Harvick to rise from his dismal situation, but there’s no denying that his outlook is exactly that — dismal.
-2
Team Penske as a whole is looking strong as the sport enters its playoffs. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to see the 25-year-old racing for a title again this season at Homestead.
-2
Team Penske
Keselowski couldn’t match the Chase-opening victory that he had last year at Chicago, but hey — he’s also pretty excellent at Loudon, so a win could come this weekend.
Busch was a little cheesed after the race because of a late restart that knocked him from the lead, but if he keeps pulling out top-three finishes, they’ll work just as well as wins in the early Chase rounds.
-2
Hendrick Motorsports
Johnson wasn’t a major factor in the race, and most of his headlines came from his post-race altercation with Kevin Harvick. Not what we’ve come to expect from “Six-Time.”
Cue up some Montell Jordan, because this is how to do it. No laps led for the 31 team, never in contention for the win, but a fourth-place finish to maintain excellent Chase position.
-3
Hendrick Motorsports
Earnhardt missed out on a chance to capitalize at a place where he has won (Chicagoland) before the series heads to New Hampshire, where he has not won in a whopping 32 races.
Truex’s 39 laps led are 28 more than he had in the previous 12 races — combined. Perhaps a changing of the tide for the Furniture Row Racing driver?
-1
Similar to Truex, Gordon’s 41 laps led were his most in some time, dating all the way back to Talladega. Despite the 14th-place finish, it’s the best the 24 car has looked in awhile.
McMurray maintained his place in the standings all season by hovering around the top 10-15 range, and he pretty much continued that at Chicago (16th). That’s all well and good, but it won’t get him very far in the postseason.
Menard jumped a spot in the standings, but only because Harvick wound up at the bottom. Finishes like Chicago (17th) aren’t going to cut it.
Stewart-Haas Racing
With so many ultra-talented drivers in ultra-strong rides hanging in and around the top 10 consistently, it’s going to be hard for Bowyer and a Michael Waltrip Racing organization on its last legs to rise from here.