The rest of the season starts Sunday. Race one in the Chase for the Sprint Cup will try to take center stage this weekend as it clearly has not been the talk of the garage. 13 drivers will embark on their championship pursuit and having a good race is integral to winning the title. One slip up at Chicagoland Speedway could cost any driver their hopes for the rest of the Chase. With so much on the line, anything can and will happen.
The GEICO 400 will go green on Sunday, September 15, 2013 at around 2:16 PM ET. Each one of the 267 laps and 400.5 miles will matter in determining who gets a crucial jump on this year’s Chase. Sunday afternoon’s weather forecast calls for a 40% chance of storms with the high temperature being around 63 F. Fans can watch the race on ESPN or listen to it on MRN.
Last season’s champion, Brad Keselowski, started the Chase off on the right foot last September at Chicagoland. He took the checkered flag on his way to claiming the championship. He showed that a good start to the Chase is just as important as a good middle and end. Every race matters in the playoffs and whichever driver dreams of hoisting the Cup must have a great day on the track each week.
A few different names on the entry list this weekend include Cole Whitt and Justin Allgaier. Both usually run the Nationwide Series events, but opportunity to go Cup racing this weekend arose. Whitt will begin an end of the season stint with Swan Racing while Allgaier makes his début with the Harry Scott Jr.’s newest team, Phoenix Racing. This is the first of many races each will run in the last ten weeks.
The drivers that didn’t reach victory lane before the Chase will need to perform this weekend. They have the greatest deficit to overcome while the Chasers with a win don’t have as much catching up to do. Looking out for Kevin Harvick on Sunday is important since he is the only Chase contender with multiple victories at Chicago. Kyle Busch could also be one to watch for since he was the last of the Chasers to visit victory lane in the Windy City.
Following a week of madness with a 400-miler will be the perfect storm. Richmond will circulate discussion throughout the Chase, but getting to the Chase races is something everyone wants. The real contenders will emerge in the championship fight come Sunday afternoon. No one will forget the other 30 drivers though since their goal of upsetting the Chase field will come into play as well. If this season could get any wilder, it will this weekend. The Chase is beginning and each week we will inch closer to crowing the champion.
Next Race – Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH
