2015 myAFibRisk.com 400: Hamlin's Chicagoland Win and the Start of the Chase

On 20 September 2015 the myAFibRisk.com 400 took place at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, as part of the Sprint Cup calendar. Denny Hamlin won it, his second victory of the season, after a race in which Kevin Harvick led early and Kyle Busch led the most laps. It was the first race of the Chase and the first race of the Challenger Round, and it ended with a confrontation between Jimmie Johnson and Harvick that led to further attention in the days after.

What was the 2015 myAFibRisk.com 400?

The race was the 27th event of the 2015 Sprint Cup season, contested over 267 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) intermediate speedway. It opened the Chase, the championship's playoff format, and it also marked the first race of the Challenger Round.

Chicagoland is a 1.500 mi (2.414 km) tri-oval in Joliet, Illinois. Going into the race Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth were tied for the points lead with 2,012 points, while Joey Logano sat three points back.

A rain-hit weekend that ended with a punch in a motorhome lot and a penalty row that ran into the Chase.

Who won the 2015 myAFibRisk.com 400?

Denny Hamlin won the race, his 26th career victory and second of the season. It was his first win at Chicagoland Speedway and his fifth at the track for Joe Gibbs Racing. Carl Edwards finished second, with Kurt Busch third, Ryan Newman fourth and Matt Kenseth fifth.

The win moved Hamlin up to second in the points, two behind his team-mate Matt Kenseth. Although Toyota won the race, it still left Chicagoland trailing Chevrolet by 49 points in the manufacturers' standings.

How did Jeff Gordon's streak reach 788 starts?

Gordon's streak was a long run of consecutive starts. He tied Ricky Rudd's record for most consecutive starts at 788 with this race, and he was set to break the tie at New Hampshire the following weekend, as a 23-year veteran.

His first Sprint Cup start came in 1992 at the Hooters 500, held at the track then called Atlanta International Raceway. He said he appreciated the safety of the sport, adding that the side of it that could be taken away at any time was something he thought about. He said breaking the record was a huge accomplishment, because it is not easy to do.

Gordon also compared his career with that of Ricky Rudd, saying he looked at what Rudd went through to make his own career possible and that he could not quite compare the two. He said it was easier today because the sport is safer, and he wanted to get through the weekend before going after the record.

How did qualifying and practice go for the field?

Qualifying was rained out. The three rounds of knockout qualifying were due at 6:45 p.m., but heavy rain forced the session to be cancelled, so the starting lineup was set by first practice times. Kevin Harvick took the first starting spot and was joined on the front row by Joey Logano, while Brad Keselowski started third.

Logano said the team had stayed in qualifying trim all day and had expected to start at the front after practice.

Ryan Blaney, Travis Kvapil and Michael McDowell failed to qualify. The entry list had been released on Sunday, 13 September, with 46 cars entered. Travis Kvapil returned to the No. 30 Chevrolet for The Motorsports Group, and Josh Wise returned to the No. 32 Go FAS Racing Ford.

In first practice Harvick was fastest at 28.675 seconds, or 188.317 mph (303.067 km/h). Martin Truex Jr. was quickest in second practice at 29.458 seconds. In final practice he was fastest again at 29.213 seconds, or 184.849 mph (297.486 km/h).

How did the first half of the race unfold?

Harvick led the field to the green flag at 3:18 p.m. and edged out Logano to lead the first lap. The first caution flew on lap 2, when A. J. Allmendinger came down across the nose of Denny Hamlin, who spun in turn 3 but suffered no damage and kept racing.

After the restart on lap 7 Martin Truex Jr. forced Harvick up the track and took the lead. Austin Dillon pressured Harvick for second but got loose in turn 3 on lap 15. By lap 36 Kyle Busch was pressing Truex for the lead, and he took it on lap 47. A pit cycle followed on lap 52, and Busch went from the lead to the pits on lap 54 without the lead changing hands. Alex Bowman and Carl Edwards were tagged for speeding and served drive-through penalties.

Busch drove away from the field after that, and Harvick ran him down over the next 20 laps. Lapped traffic kept him from getting close, and on lap 87 Kurt Busch hit the turn 3 wall while running fifth. The second caution came on lap 123 for debris on the backstretch. Harvick took the lead on the restart, but on lap 130 Dillon blew a right-front tyre and hit the turn 2 wall. He finished 43rd, 69 laps down.

What happened at the halfway point and the Johnson and Harvick incident?

The restart on lap 135 turned the race. Harvick spun his tyres and lost the lead to Kyle Busch, and Logano clipped the back of Johnson's car, pushing him onto the apron. Johnson made contact with Harvick, which damaged Harvick's left-rear fender.

That tyre then blew, and his car went backwards into the turn 3 wall, bringing out the fourth caution on lap 137. Harvick's race was effectively over from that point, and he finished 42nd.

Harvick and Johnson each gave their version of the incident after the race. Harvick said Logano and Johnson had got a run on him and that Johnson had slammed into the side of his door. Johnson said he had been pinned down on the bottom and had needed to get back on the racing surface.

The race restarted on lap 145, and Kyle Busch lost the lead to Jeff Gordon after his own tyre spin on the start. NASCAR reviewed that restart and found it clean. Debris in turn 4 brought out the fifth caution on lap 191, and Kyle Busch chose not to pit and took the lead.

How did the final restarts decide the race?

With 71 laps to go the race restarted, and Kurt Busch passed his brother for the lead with 46 laps left. The final cycle of pit stops began with 29 laps to go, and Hamlin took the lead after Kurt Busch pitted with 28 laps to go.

Hamlin pitted with 24 laps to go and handed the lead to Matt Kenseth, and the lead cycled back to Kurt Busch when Kenseth stopped with 23 laps left.

A sixth caution came with ten laps to go, when debris from a brake rotor on Matt DiBenedetto's car brought out the yellow. Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Hamlin stayed out while the rest of the lead-lap cars pitted. On the restart with five laps to go, Gordon got a good start on Kurt Busch, but Hamlin passed Gordon underneath and went on to win. Gordon finished 14th in his record-tying 788th consecutive start.

What happened after the race?

Jimmie Johnson went to Kevin Harvick's motorhome in the drivers' lot to talk over the incident. When he arrived he was struck in the chest, and the situation was defused by Harvick's business manager Josh Jones and his wife DeLana, who escorted Johnson to a waiting SUV.

Joey Logano, who finished sixth in the Chase opener, said he had not touched the No. 48 car.

NASCAR's Steve O'Donnell said there would be no penalties for the confrontation. Penalties were issued on the Wednesday after the race to two teams, Stewart-Haas Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing, for infractions found during inspection on 18 September.

What penalties did the teams receive?

The No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing team was penalised at P2 level for a modification to the right side quarter panel found during pre-qualifying inspection. Crew chief Daniel Knost was placed on NASCAR probation through the end of 2015, and car chief Pete White was also placed on probation.

The No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing team was penalised at P4 level. Crew chief Billy Scott was fined seventy-five thousand dollars, suspended for the next three Sprint Cup Series championship events and placed on probation for six months. Driver Clint Bowyer lost 25 points, and car owner Rob Kauffman lost 25 owner points.

Michael Waltrip Racing said it respectfully disagreed and would appeal. The National Motorsports Appeal Panel upheld the penalty on 30 September, and the team chose not to make a final appeal so it could focus on the next race at Dover.

What did the drivers say after the race?

Hamlin said the team never gave up, and that its fast race cars had allowed it to come back from early trouble to win. Edwards credited his crew for their pit stops and said he had thought Hamlin was a sitting duck on old tyres at the end.

Kurt Busch said the Chevrolet was fast enough to win and that the late caution had cost him the result.

Ryan Newman finished fourth after a bad restart, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 12th after choosing the wrong direction on the final restart. Gordon was 14th in his 788th start, and Harvick was 42nd after his race-long recovery. Harvick said the team had to go and win one of the next two races.

Which drivers took the awards and what were the statistics?

Kyle Busch was the big winner of the day's awards, taking the 3M Lap Leader, Green Flag Restart, Driver of the Race and fastest lap honours. The table below shows the top five finishers and the main race statistics, so the result is easy to check against the rest of the report.