2014 MyAFibStory.com 400

The 2014 MyAFibStory.com 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on September 14, 2014, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. The race was 267 laps long, and it was the 27th race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and the first of the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. For the second race in a row, Brad Keselowski won the race to take his fifth win of the season and the 16th of his career. Jeff Gordon finished second ahead of rookie Kyle Larson. Joey Logano, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.

2014 MyAFibStory.com 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Race 27 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Date September 14, 2014 (2014-09-14)
Location Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, Illinois
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.5 km)
Weather Sunny with a temperature of 63 °F (17 °C); wind out of the southwest at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
Average speed 142.330 mph (229.058 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 28.207
Most laps led
Driver Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing
Laps 79
Winner
No. 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network ESPN & MRN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree (Television)
Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle (Booth)
Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Mike Bagley (3 & 4) (Turns) (Radio)
Nielsen Ratings 2.3/5 (Final)
2.1/5 (Overnight)
3.71 Million viewers[11]

Previous week's race

Brad Keselowski led 383 (out of 400) laps on his way to his fourth win of the season at the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Keselowski stated in his post-race interview that he had "pinched myself once to make sure I wasn't dreaming. These are nights you don't forget as a driver and you live for", while stating that his car was "just flying" and that he "couldn't ask for a better way to enter the Chase than to win and take the first seed". Clint Bowyer finished third, and failed to overturn the points disadvantage he had, to make the Chase. Bowyer expressed disappointedly that it was "definitely frustrating not making that Chase, but like I said, when you do make the Chase, you want it to be for a championship, not just ride around in it".[12]

Report

Background

Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.414 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the Verizon IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.

Entry list

The entry list for the MyAFibStory.com 400 was released on Monday, September 8, 2014 at 10:47 a.m. Eastern time. Forty-three drivers were entered for the race.

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
2Brad Keselowski (PC2)Team PenskeFord
3Austin Dillon (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet
4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
5Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
7Michael Annett (R)Tommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet
9Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord
10Danica PatrickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
13Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet
14Tony Stewart (PC3)Stewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
15Clint BowyerMichael Waltrip RacingToyota
16Greg BiffleRoush-Fenway RacingFord
17Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.Roush-Fenway RacingFord
18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota
20Matt Kenseth (PC5)Joe Gibbs RacingToyota
22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord
23Alex Bowman (R)BK RacingToyota
24Jeff Gordon (PC6)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
26Cole Whitt (R)BK RacingToyota
27Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
31Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
32Joey Gase (i)Go FAS RacingFord
33Travis KvapilHillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet
34David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord
36Reed SorensonTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet
37Mike Bliss (i)Tommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet
38David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord
40Landon Cassill (i)Hillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet
41Kurt Busch (PC4)Stewart-Haas RacingChevrolet
42Kyle Larson (R)Chip Ganassi RacingChevrolet
43Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord
47A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet
48Jimmie Johnson (PC1)Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
51Justin Allgaier (R)HScott MotorsportsChevrolet
55Brian VickersMichael Waltrip RacingToyota
66Joe Nemechek (i)Identity Ventures RacingToyota
78Martin Truex, Jr.Furniture Row RacingChevrolet
83Ryan Truex (R)BK RacingToyota
88Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
95Michael McDowellLeavine Family RacingFord
98Josh WisePhil Parsons RacingChevrolet
99Carl EdwardsRoush-Fenway RacingFord
Official entry list
Key Meaning
(R) Rookie
(i) Ineligible for points
(PC#) Past champions provisional

Practice

First practice

Kyle Busch was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 28.207 and a speed of 191.442 mph (308.096 km/h).[13]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota28.207191.442
2 31Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet28.266191.042
3 99Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord28.269191.022
Official first practice results

Qualifying

Due to heavy rain, qualifying was cancelled and thus, Busch won the pole based on the session's times. He stated that the practice session had "started out slow, but the guys did a real nice job on the M&M's Camry today to get us to where we needed to be". Ryan Newman joined Busch on the front row, while in third place, was Carl Edwards – who missed the front row by 0.003 seconds. Although disappointed to miss the front row, Edwards expressed that he hoped "this is a sign of things to come".[14]

Starting lineup

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time
1 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota28.207
2 31Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet28.266
3 99Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord28.269
4 17Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord28.272
5 20Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota28.287
6 15Clint BowyerMichael Waltrip RacingToyota28.290
7 48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.300
8 24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.309
9 27Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet28.321
10 42Kyle Larson (R)[N 1]Chip Ganassi RacingChevrolet28.331
11 1Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet28.331
12 4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet28.334
13 88Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.336
14 41Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet28.353
15 55Brian VickersMichael Waltrip RacingToyota28.372
16 3Austin Dillon (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet28.372
17 47A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet28.408
18 10Danica PatrickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet28.435
19 5Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.459
20 16Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord28.475
21 9Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord28.499
22 14Tony StewartStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet28.505
23 43Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord28.518
24 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota28.530
25 2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord28.548
26 51Justin Allgaier (R)HScott MotorsportsChevrolet28.580
27 78Martin Truex, Jr.Furniture Row RacingChevrolet28.586
28 22Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord28.599
29 13Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet28.659
30 38David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord28.778
31 83Ryan Truex (R)BK RacingToyota28.962
32 95Michael McDowellLeavine Family RacingFord29.001
33 26Cole Whitt (R)BK RacingToyota29.044
34 98Josh WisePhil Parsons RacingChevrolet29.072
35 36Reed SorensonTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet29.154
36 7Michael Annett (R)Tommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet29.154
37 23Alex Bowman (R)BK RacingToyota29.180
38 40Landon CassillHillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet29.192
39 34David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord29.200
40 37Mike BlissHillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet29.225
41 66Joe NemechekIdentity Ventures RacingToyota29.637
42 33Travis KvapilHillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet29.726
43 32Joey GaseGo FAS RacingFord30.516
Official starting lineup

Practice (post-qualifying)

Second practice

Paul Menard was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 28.606 and a speed of 188.772 mph (303.799 km/h).[16] Kyle Larson was forced to go to a backup car after his primary car cut a left-front tire and hit the wall in turn two.[15] As this change occurred after qualifying, it meant that Larson had to start the race from the rear of the field.

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 27Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet28.606188.772
2 5Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.757187.780
3 4Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet28.768187.709
Official second practice results

Final practice

Carl Edwards was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.968 and a speed of 186.413 mph (300.003 km/h).[17]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 99Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord28.968186.413
2 2Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord28.980186.335
3 42Kyle Larson (R)Chip Ganassi RacingChevrolet29.045185.918
Official final practice results

Race

Start

Brad Keselowski won the race.

The race was scheduled to start at 2:16 p.m. Eastern time but started five minutes later when Kyle Busch led the field to the green. Busch held the lead for the first portion of the race, until Jeff Gordon took the lead on lap 29. Jamie McMurray took the lead from Gordon on lap 40, and held the lead until the first set of green flag pit stops during the race, when he ceded the lead to Brad Keselowski, on lap 46. Keselowski's stay out front was short-lived, as he pitted on lap 47, and the lead cycled back to McMurray. The first caution of the race came out at around quarter-distance, caused by debris in turn two. Kyle Busch won the race off pit road, and thus retook the lead from McMurray, for the restart on lap 73. Three laps after the restart, McMurray scraped the wall upon exiting turn 2, but was able to maintain position despite that.

Gordon retook the lead from Busch on lap 88, and held the lead until the race went under neutralized yellow flag conditions for the second time, on lap 99, after Ryan Newman's car cut a left-front tire, exiting turn 4. The layout of the Chicagoland Speedway meant that Newman was unable to hit pit road instantaneously after the blowout, necessitating the yellow flag. Prior to the yellow flag, Justin Allgaier also hit the wall, but was able to continue. McMurray led the field out of the pits, after he took only two tires at his pit stop. Under caution, the shifter handle on the No. 47 car of A. J. Allmendinger broke, akin to what happened to Jimmie Johnson at the Pure Michigan 400 the previous month. McMurray led to the restart on lap 105, but Keselowski retook the lead on lap 107.

Second half

Keselowski held the lead throughout the next stint, and only gave up the lead, to make a scheduled green flag pit stop, on lap 149. This gave the head of the race to Jimmie Johnson, but Johnson pitted the next lap to give the lead back to Keselowski. However, Kevin Harvick drove past Keselowski almost immediately thereafter, to take the lead for the first time in the race. Harvick held the lead until the next caution, the race's third, on lap 181. The caution came after a piece of energy absorbing foam from the SAFER barrier protection blocks had broken free. Keselowski came off pit road in second place behind Harvick, but had to make another stop for a missing lug nut, prior to the lap 187 restart. Kyle Larson took the lead from Harvick with 40 laps to go, before pitting a lap later, and passed the lead onto Aric Almirola.

Final laps

Almirola made his final stop as the caution came out with 37 laps to go after Carl Edwards' car cut down a left-rear tire, and Larson cycled back to the lead in the process. While pitting, Almirola blew his car's engine, and he retired from the race. Almirola later described himself as "heartbroken" with the result.[18] The race restarted with 30 laps to go, but only ran for a handful of laps before Clint Bowyer brought out the fifth caution of the race, with 23 laps to go, after he hit the wall in turn 2. The race restarted with 18 laps to go, and Harvick retook the lead from Larson before Keselowski moved to the head of the race the following lap. The caution flags flew for the sixth time with ten laps to go after Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Danica Patrick made contact on the front stretch. Upon exiting her car, Patrick stated that she "talked with Ricky afterward and we're fine".[19] The race restarted with six laps to go and Brad Keselowski coasted on to victory lane, for his second successive win.[20][21] Keselowski expressed his delight at the result, stating that he "was waiting for an opportunity to strike and it came. The car stuck and everything came together".[22]

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 252Brad KeselowskiTeam PenskeFord26747
2 824Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26743
3 1042Kyle Larson (R)Chip Ganassi RacingChevrolet26742
4 2822Joey LoganoTeam PenskeFord26740
5 124Kevin HarvickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet26741
6 2411Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota26738
7 118Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota26738
8 1441Kurt BuschStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet26736
9 111Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingChevrolet26736
10 520Matt KensethJoe Gibbs RacingToyota26734
11 1388Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26733
12 748Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26732
13 195Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26731
14 2778Martin Truex, Jr.Furniture Row RacingChevrolet26730
15 231Ryan NewmanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet26729
16 153Austin Dillon (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet26728
17 417Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.Roush Fenway RacingFord26727
18 2214Tony StewartStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet26726
19 1810Danica PatrickStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet26725
20 399Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord26624
21 927Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet26623
22 1747A. J. AllmendingerJTG Daugherty RacingChevrolet26522
23 2016Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord26521
24 1655Brian VickersMichael Waltrip RacingToyota26520
25 219Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord26519
26 2913Casey MearsGermain RacingChevrolet26418
27 2651Justin Allgaier (R)HScott MotorsportsChevrolet26417
28 3840Landon CassillHillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet2630
29 3636Reed SorensonTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet26215
30 3326Cole Whitt (R)BK RacingToyota26214
31 3934David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord26213
32 3295Michael McDowellLeavine Family RacingFord26212
33 3498Josh WisePhil Parsons RacingChevrolet26211
34 3038David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord26110
35 3723Alex Bowman (R)BK RacingToyota2619
36 4166Joe NemechekIdentity Ventures RacingToyota2580
37 4332Joey GaseGo FAS RacingFord2570
38 4233Travis KvapilHillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet2566
39 615Clint BowyerMichael Waltrip RacingToyota2445
40 357Michael Annett (R)Tommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet2334
41 2343Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord2304
42 3183Ryan Truex (R)BK RacingToyota1842
43 4037Mike BlissHillman-Circle Sport LLCChevrolet130

Race statistics

  • 18 lead changes among different drivers
  • 6 cautions for 28 laps
  • Time of race: 2:48:50
  • Brad Keselowski won his fifth race in 2014

Media

Television

ESPN
Booth announcersPit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Allen Bestwick
Color-commentator: Dale Jarrett
Color commentator: Andy Petree
Jerry Punch
Dave Burns
Vince Welch
Jamie Little

Radio

MRN Radio
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Joe Moore
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley
Winston Kelly
Steve Post
Alex Hayden
Pete Pistone

Standings after the race

Note

  1. Kyle Larson started at the rear of the field, after crashing his primary car during the second practice session.[15]

References

  1. "2014 Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  2. "Chicagoland Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  3. "Entry List". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 8, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  4. "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 12, 2014. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  5. "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 12, 2014. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  6. "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 13, 2014. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  7. "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 13, 2014. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  8. "MyAFibStory.com 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  9. "Points Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  10. "Manufacturer Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  11. Paulsen (September 16, 2014). "Sprint Cup TV Ratings: Chase For the Cup Starts Slowly". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  12. Pistone, Pete (September 6, 2014). "Keselowski Grabs No. 1 Seed". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  13. "Friday's practice recaps from Chicagoland". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  14. Pistone, Pete (September 12, 2014). "Chicago Qualifying Rained Out". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  15. "Saturday's practice recaps from Chicagoland". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  16. Bonkowski, Jerry (September 13, 2014). "Sprint Cup practice speeds slower Saturday morning at Chicagoland, Paul Menard tops at 188.772 mph". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  17. Bonkowski, Jerry (September 13, 2014). "Carl Edwards leads final Sprint Cup practice, Keselowski up to speed, Danica 5th-fastest". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  18. Utter, Jim (September 14, 2014). "Brad Keselowski pulls away to win at Chicagoland Speedway". ThatsRacin.com. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  19. Owens, Jeff (September 14, 2014). "Brad Keselowski makes spectacular pass to win Chase opener". SportingNews.com. Sporting News. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  20. Gluck, Jeff (September 14, 2014). "Brad Keselowski wins at Chicagoland to kick off Chase". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  21. Long, Dustin (September 14, 2014). "Keselowski Strikes First". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on 2014-09-15. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  22. Fryer, Jenna (September 14, 2014). "Keselowski wins opening round of NASCAR's Chase". racing.ap.org. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
Previous race:
2014 Federated Auto Parts 400
Sprint Cup Series
2014 season
Next race:
2014 Sylvania 300
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