Kyle Busch, Kenseth and Hamlin all finished in top 10 at Chicagoland
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JOLIET, Ill. — When Matt Kenseth scooted by Jimmie Johnson early in Sunday’s MyAFibStory.com 400, it was more than just a pass. It was also a message of sorts.
Rarely this 2014 season have the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas contained the horsepower necessary to flat-out overpower the Hendrick Motorsports or Team Penske engines. And while it was the 2, 4 and 24 cars that again appeared to be the class of the field at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, JGR’s drivers were able to maintain their ground — or gain some — at the 1.5-mile ovals where the program has struggled this year.
The results spelled out the story of JGR’s balanced day, and also provided a bit of optimism for the rest of the postseason. Denny Hamlin finished sixth, with Kyle Busch in seventh and Kenseth 10th. Behind them? Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 11th and Johnson in 12th.
“Everyone here has put in a lot of hard work on these Chase cars,” Hamlin said. “This is what we’ve been working on for months and months is to try and perform at a high level once we get to the last 10 races. Now it’s the last nine, and we have to continue to get a little better each week.”
Still, it was a pretty great start for an organization that has faced questions about the power — or lack thereof — under the hood.
Throughout the days leading up to the Chase opener as NASCAR descended on Chicago, all three drivers expressed confidence in both the manufacturer and its commitment to getting more giddy-up out of its vehicles.
That was evident early in first practice, when Busch and Kenseth finished first and fifth, respectively, and it carried over.
Sunday was the third time this season that all three JGR drivers finished in the top 10. That it came in the Chase makes it the most important. That it came at 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway perhaps makes it the most telling.
Neither of the team’s other two top-10 sweeps came on 1.5-mile tracks, of which there are five in the 10-race postseason. Drivers have to be fast on intermediate ovals to have a shot at winning a championship, and that had been JGR’s biggest weakness in the regular season.
“This is what we needed to do,” Hamlin said, referring to his organization’s performance. “We obviously gained a little speed, and I think it showed. We still need to find a little bit more.”
Maybe, but these cars — and the guys who drove them — displayed plenty of gumption in the Chase opener.
Kenseth said he was “disappointed” with a 10th-place finish, and Busch slid way down the leaderboard before a late rally after a four-tire stop.
And all three drivers look to be in position to advance into the Contender Round, if not farther.
“Man, a crazy way to end this thing,” Busch said.
For the race, yes. For the entire season? That still remains to be seen, but Sunday was quite the start.
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