The field for the Chase is set with the Challenger round beginning next week at Chicagoland Speedway. Brad Keselowski leads the pack by virtue of his four wins this season after last weekend’s victory at Richmond. A race that Brad dominated, leading 383 of the 400 laps. Each driver is given three bonus points for each win they acquired during the first twenty-six races this season as they enter the Chase.
The rules of the new Chase format are pretty simple. The Chase is separated into four stages. The Challenger round, the Contender round, the Eliminator round, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship round. The first three stages are each three races long, while the last race of the season will determine this year’s champion. Win and you automatically move on to the next round, the four drivers with the lowest point totals and no wins will be eliminated. An accident, mechanical failure, or mistake on pit road by driver, crew-chief, or pit crew member could eliminate a driver.
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Kevin Harvick: Kevin is my pick to win the championship this season and I think he starts out the Chase with his fourth victory of the season and automatically qualifies for the next round of the Chase. He has two wins at Chicagoland and has been very fast all season. I think he runs as well as he did at Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, but avoids the disaster he found at the end of that race.
Jeff Gordon: I think Jeff is the next best contender of the Chase field. Jeff has been very consistent on all types of tracks this season and won three races so far. He also has a win at Chicagoland Speedway and has shown a lot of speed on this type of track. Jeff has won four championships in his career, but none of those have come under the Chase format.
Joey Logano: Both Joey and Brad Keselowski have had great seasons. I believe Joey has been better than Brad on the intermediate tracks though and I think he will have another great car once again this weekend. This team has won three races already this season and they have the confidence that they can compete for the championship this year.
Brad Keselowski: Brad leads the series in victories, so that gives him a three point lead heading into the Chase. This team has had a fast car all season and should easily make it into the second round as long as they don’t have a disaster on the track. They haven’t really had many tire issues or engine issues all year and that eliminates that issue from a drivers mind.
Jimmie Johnson: Let’s not forget about the six time champion as we head into the Chase. This team hasn’t been on the top of their game much of the season, but they know how to win championships. They have run a little better over the past five or six races and just need to find a little more to get back to their winning ways. While Jimmie has never won a race at Chicagoland, he has finished in the top ten in ten of his twelve starts here. That alone gives them confidence heading to this track this weekend.
Ryan Newman: Ryan is currently in the final spot of the Chase by virtue of the tiebreaker of how many top five finishes he has had on the season. This means virtually nothing as the Chase starts and I think Ryan has the mindset not to worry about things like that anyway. Ryan has won a race at this track and has finished in the top ten in eight of his twelve starts here. This is a sleeper team to watch right now.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has won a race here and has run very well on the intermediate tracks all season. They need to make one more adjustment that will help them to win one of these races seeing there are so many of them in the Chase. I think this team has a chance at winning a championship this season, but I think they are going to have to win at least one more race to do it.
Tony Stewart: Tony leads all drivers with three wins at this track. He has also finished in the top ten in ten of his twelve starts here and only Jimmie Johnson has lead more laps at Chicagoland than Tony over their careers. Tony is my dark horse to win this race and get his team on the right track for next season.
Kasey Kahne: Kasey won the race at Atlanta a couple of weeks ago and that victory propelled him into the Chase. The track at Chicago is very similar to the Atlanta track, so this team should come with a good setup already under their car. They are going to need to win races to stay in contention because they haven’t been consistent enough to keep making it through the elimination rounds without wins.
Matt Kenseth: Matt won the first two races of the Chase last season including the race at Chicago. This is the closest track to Matt’s hometown of Cambridge, Wisconsin and he would love to get another victory to move himself into the next round and make his local fans very happy. I think this team is consistent enough and can start winning races during the Chase to be serious contenders for the championship.
YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
Yahoo Driver Group A
- Kevin Harvick
- Jimmie Johnson
Yahoo Driver Group B
- Joey Logano
- Ryan Newman
- Brad Keselowski
- Jamie McMurray
Yahoo Driver Group C
- Kyle Larson
- Austin Dillon
MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
- Kevin Harvick
- Jimmie Johnson
- Jeff Gordon
- Joey Logano
- Brad Keselowski
Dark Horse: Tony Stewart
Stay Away From: Carl Edwards