RELATED: Full standings | Chicagoland race results
Advancing: Denny Hamlin rebounded from a 29th-place starting position and an early spin to win Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in the opener for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. As a result, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver advanced to the Contender Round.
It was Hamlin's first win in 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland, and it came a little more than a week since the Joe Gibbs Racing driver tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee playing basketball.
Four out: These four drivers would not advance to the next round (Contender) if the Challenger Round ended today. (Note: The Challenger Round ends in two weeks at Dover International Speedway.)
Jamie McMurray (two points behind 12th-place driver)
Paul Menard (-3)
Clint Bowyer (-5)
Kevin Harvick (-22)
Reason for hope: Ryan Newman kept his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet out of trouble on Sunday and posted a fourth-place finish, his ninth top-10 finish in 14 starts at Chicagoland. He moved up to eighth place in the Chase standings and is 12 points ahead of McMurray, who is in 13th place.
Reason for worry: Defending champion Kevin Harvick ran into trouble on Lap 135 when his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet came into contact with Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS. A few laps later Harvick's tire went down and caused him to spin and wreck. He had to go to the garage and finished 42nd. Now Harvick needs a win in the next two races -- or to be near-perfect and see someone else fall behind in points -- for him to advance.
Up next: Sylvania 300, 2 p.m. ET, Sept. 27 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM)
Who it favors
Most wins: 3 -- Jeff Gordon , Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson , Ryan Newman
Best driver rating: 106.7 -- Jeff Gordon
Best average finish: 10.2 -- Brad Keselowski
Who it hurts
Fewest top 10s: 6 -- Jamie McMurray (in 25 starts), Carl Edwards (22), Martin Truex Jr. (19)
Worst driver rating: 61.4 -- Paul Menard
Worst average finish: 20.7 -- Jamie McMurray