Sep 18, 2016; Joliet, IL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
NASCAR’s first race of the Chase ended with overtime. Dive in a little deeper and take a look at a few winners and losers from Chicagoland.
The most exciting time of the year began on Sunday as the Chase got off to a thrilling start. Chicagoland has been known as the first destination for the Chase each and every season and that’s where the Sprint Cup Series traveled to for this weekend’s race.
It was an interesting day for Chase drivers like Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick as both had to start from the rear and both found themselves in trouble after the first race.
On the other side of things, it was a Toyota and Chevrolet battle for the lead all day. Though Hendrick Motorsports dominated–leading 193 of 270 laps–it was Martin Truex Jr. that slid in late and captured his third victory of the season. With that win, he automatically earns a spot in the Round of 12.
Non-Chase drivers Ryan Blaney and Kasey Kahne used strategy late to earn top-10 finishes while pushing some Chase drivers out of position to go for the win.
Overtime made Sunday’s events that much more entertaining, so let’s look at a few winners and losers from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400.
Sep 18, 2016; Joliet, IL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (42) during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Starting From The Rear
Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson were two of the top drivers heading into Chicagoland on Sunday, but after the race, they found themselves on the outside of the top-12.
Harvick’s team had to fix unapproved adjustments while Larson’s No. 42 car needed a transmission change. This led to both cars starting from the rear.
Larson was able to work his way to the top-5 but a tire scare late in the race led to a pit stop and an 18th-place finish. Harvick had a fast car all day but the unfortunate timing of the first caution of the race led to him staying a lap down for most of the afternoon before eventually finishing 20th.
After rough days, they both lie below the cut line in the Chase (13th place and below) and will be looking to bounce back next weekend at New Hampshire. The good news is that they are well within reach of 12th place. Serving as two of NASCAR’s most talented drivers, they should both be able to find their way back into the top-12.
Aug 28, 2016; Brooklyn, MI, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (21) races during the Pure Michigan 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Staying Out Late
If you’re a driver that is in the Chase and you’re in a good position late, you’ll likely go conservative and eliminate the risk of a wreck that could mess up your day.
However, if you aren’t in the Chase, you have nothing to lose and sometimes you might decide to take a risk late in the race.
That was the case for Ryan Blaney and Kasey Kahne on Sunday. Both drivers had run well throughout the day, staying in the top-15 and occasionally working into the top-10, but they decided to try something different with overtime in the future.
Michael McDowell was the reason for the caution that came out with just four laps to go. At the time, Chase Elliott led Martin Truex Jr., but Blaney, Kahne and Carl Edwards all stayed out while the leaders hit pit road.
The final restart of the race saw Edwards drop to 15th, but Kahne ended up earning a seventh-place finish for his ninth top-10 of the season, while Blaney held his own for a while, eventually ending fourth.
Two non-Chase drivers who fell just short of making the Chase led the field with just two laps to go. It’s not often that you see that happen during this time of the year.
Sep 18, 2016; Joliet, IL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Johnson’s Late Penalty
Jimmie Johnson may be the only Hendrick Motorsports driver that has made it to Victory Lane this season, but his last win came all the way back at Fontana, and he’s been desperately searching for speed in the past few weeks.
He found it at Chicagoland on Sunday. Johnson led a race-high 118 laps at a track he had never won at before. With a few great restarts and consistent driving, he looked like he could be on his way to another victory.
However, disaster struck late in the race. After being passed by his teammate, Chase Elliott, Johnson entered the pits a little early in an attempt to get back out front. But he was caught speeding on pit road and had to serve a penalty.
Johnson tells team: "There's no $%*$*% way." #nascar
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 18, 2016
He managed to work himself back up to 12th over the course of the last 40 laps or so, but he was hit with another big blow after the race.
Johnson’s No. 48 car failed post-race inspection. If he does indeed lose ten points for that, he would enter a three-way tie with Austin Dillon and Kevin Harvick for 13th place in the Chase standings.
Johnson’s late penalty led to a missed opportunity at a win, and with possible points being lost in the next week, he could be in a tough situation heading to New Hampshire.
Sep 18, 2016; Joliet, IL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (24) during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Gaining Experience
Throughout the 2016 season, we’ve seen Chase Elliott run some pretty good races. We’ve also seen him get pretty hard on himself when things haven’t gone as planned.
Elliott led at Chicagoland for 75 laps and held a one second lead on Martin Truex Jr. when the caution came out with just four laps to go. Similar to the past race at Michigan, Elliott wasn’t able to get back out front on the final restart of the race and he finished in third.
Instead of taking it hard like he has the past few times, he simply went on to say that he expected it and, according to Matt Weaver, mentioned that he had to “embrace it” since it’s “the first step in learning to move on.”
Elliott nearly pulled off the first Cup Series victory of his career in the first Chase race of his career–something that would’ve been quite impressive for the talented rookie. Now he has some valuable experience in Chase racing.
Watch for Elliott to continue to contend as the Chase moves along.
Sep 18, 2016; Joliet, IL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Kevin Harvick
In 2015, Kevin Harvick started off the Chase with a wreck at Chicagoland which put him in an early hole. This season, he’s facing similar circumstances.
The day started off rough for Harvick as unapproved adjustments sent him to the rear to start the race. Later on, he went to visit pit road. However, while he was there, the caution came out and Martin Truex Jr. put him a lap down.
After battling the entire afternoon, he finished the race a lap down in 20th place and sits in 14th place in the Chase standings–just a point behind Tony Stewart (12th).
While he isn’t in the same kind of hole that he was last season at this time, Harvick was still frustrated after a poor finish in a car that looked like it was capable of winning. He declined to talk after the race.
While Harvick will likely rebound at New Hampshire and Dover and clinch a spot in the Round of 12, it has to be hard for him to endure what happened Sunday.
His team looked like it had gotten things together at Richmond last weekend, but he came back and struggled to stay on the lead lap at Chicagoland. Keep a close eye on him over the course of the next two weeks.
Sep 18, 2016; Joliet, IL, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) wins the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: An Unlikely Star
We saw Martin Truex Jr. break out last season, but we never expected to see this in 2016.
Truex nearly won the Daytona 500, dominated the Coca-Cola 600 and made it to Victory Lane in the Southern 500 while leading 1,234 laps during the regular season. Then he steps right back into the Chase and wins the first race, already guaranteeing himself a spot in the Round of 12.
He used the speed in his Toyota to catch up to Chase Elliott late at Chicagoland. After his team got him out of the pits before the No. 24 car, he rolled to the outside and passed two cars on older tires after the restart in order to capture victory.
Truex now has three wins on the season–the same amount that he had from 2006 to 2015 combined.
Operating under a single-car team and having success like he has had is something you simply don’t see in NASCAR today, but Truex has tackled a tough set of circumstances and made a year of success out of what he has.
While he still has a couple of more rounds to make it through before he reaches Homestead, you can’t deny the fact that Martin Truex Jr. is the favorite to win the championship right now.
More from Beyond the Flag
This article originally appeared on 
