Wow, the first chase race of the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup at Chicagoland didn't disappoint to separate the contenders from the pretenders as several chase drivers had issues. But upfront I thought I heard the jaws theme song when I saw Jimmie Johnson dominate this race, leading the most laps on the day and end up finishing runner up. However it was Brad Keselowski making the race winning pass for the lead to win the Geico 400 at Chicagoland.
Notebook:
1. Personally I didn't see anything wrong with the way Keselowski came off pit road after the final stop and blended onto the racetrack.
2. If a driver can't win the race, then you need to capitalize on every position you can and Kasey Kahne (3rd), Tony Stewart (6th) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8th) all did just that.
3. I was surprised to see Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle struggle on the day and especially for Kenseth who ended up losing a shock during the race. That's interesting luck for you.
4. I wish NASCAR would either find Chicagoland a new home on the schedule or at least make this race a Saturday night under the lights race because a Sunday afternoon drive at Chicagoland isn't what NASCAR fans need to see.
Points after round 1:
1. Keselowski leads,
2. Johnson -3,
3. Stewart -8,
4, 5 & 6. Hamlin, Kahne and Bowyer -15,
7. Earnhardt Jr. -17,
8. Biffle -19,
9. Truex Jr. -21,
10. Harvick -24,
11. Kenseth -26
12. Jeff Gordon rounds out the top 12 with a full race out (-47).
Next up is New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Notebook:
1. Personally I didn't see anything wrong with the way Keselowski came off pit road after the final stop and blended onto the racetrack.
2. If a driver can't win the race, then you need to capitalize on every position you can and Kasey Kahne (3rd), Tony Stewart (6th) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8th) all did just that.
3. I was surprised to see Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle struggle on the day and especially for Kenseth who ended up losing a shock during the race. That's interesting luck for you.
4. I wish NASCAR would either find Chicagoland a new home on the schedule or at least make this race a Saturday night under the lights race because a Sunday afternoon drive at Chicagoland isn't what NASCAR fans need to see.
Points after round 1:
1. Keselowski leads,
2. Johnson -3,
3. Stewart -8,
4, 5 & 6. Hamlin, Kahne and Bowyer -15,
7. Earnhardt Jr. -17,
8. Biffle -19,
9. Truex Jr. -21,
10. Harvick -24,
11. Kenseth -26
12. Jeff Gordon rounds out the top 12 with a full race out (-47).
Next up is New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
