2014 MyAFibStory.com 400

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".{{Cite web|url=http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/09/Brad-Keselowski-Wins-At-Richmond.aspx|title=Keselowski Grabs No. 1 Seed|last=Pistone|first=Pete|publisher=Motor Racing Network|date=September 6, 2014|website=MRN.com|access-date=September 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907075420/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/09/Brad-Keselowski-Wins-At-Richmond.aspx|archive-date=September 7, 2014|url-status=dead}}

Chicagoland Speedway is a {{convert|1.5|mi|3}} 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.

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.

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Kyle Busch was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 28.207 and a speed of {{Convert|191.442|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2014/9/12/chase-for-the-nascar-sprint-cup-chicagoland-practice-results-sprint-cup-series-nationwide-series.html|title=Friday's practice recaps from Chicagoland|publisher=NASCAR Media Group, LLC.|date=September 12, 2014|website=NASCAR.com|access-date=September 12, 2014}}

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".{{Cite web|url=http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/09/Chicago-Qualifying-Rained-Out.aspx|title=Chicago Qualifying Rained Out|last=Pistone|first=Pete|publisher=Motor Racing Network|date=September 12, 2014|website=MRN.com|access-date=September 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913032813/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/09/Chicago-Qualifying-Rained-Out.aspx|archive-date=September 13, 2014|url-status=dead}}

Paul Menard was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 28.606 and a speed of {{Convert|188.772|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web|url=http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/13/sprint-cup-practice-speeds-slower-saturday-morning-paul-menard-tops-at-188-772-mph/|title=Sprint Cup practice speeds slower Saturday morning at Chicagoland, Paul Menard tops at 188.772 mph|last=Bonkowski|first=Jerry|publisher=NBC Sports|date=September 13, 2014|website=motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com|access-date=September 13, 2014}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2014/9/13/sprint-cup-series-practice-recaps-chicagoland-speedway.html|title=Saturday's practice recaps from Chicagoland|publisher=NASCAR Media Group, LLC.|date=September 13, 2014|website=NASCAR.com|access-date=September 13, 2014}} As this change occurred after qualifying, it meant that Larson had to start the race from the rear of the field.

Carl Edwards was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.968 and a speed of {{Convert|186.413|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web|url=http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/13/carl-edwards-leads-final-sprint-cup-practice-keselowski-up-to-speed-danica-5th-fastest/|title=Carl Edwards leads final Sprint Cup practice, Keselowski up to speed, Danica 5th-fastest|last=Bonkowski|first=Jerry|publisher=NBC Sports|date=September 13, 2014|website=motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com|access-date=September 13, 2014}}

File:Brad Keselowski at the Daytona 500 (cropped 2).JPG 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.

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.

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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/09/14/5174679/brad-keselowski-pulls-away-to.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140929115440/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/09/14/5174679/brad-keselowski-pulls-away-to.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 29, 2014|title=Brad Keselowski pulls away to win at Chicagoland Speedway|last=Utter|first=Jim|publisher=The Charlotte Observer|date=September 14, 2014|website=ThatsRacin.com|access-date=September 14, 2014}} 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".{{Cite web|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2014-09-14/brad-keselowski-wins-chase-opener-spectcular-pass-kevin-harvick-kyle-larson-chicagoland-results|title=Brad Keselowski makes spectacular pass to win Chase opener|last=Owens|first=Jeff|publisher=Sporting News|date=September 14, 2014|website=SportingNews.com|access-date=September 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915094323/http://www.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2014-09-14/brad-keselowski-wins-chase-opener-spectcular-pass-kevin-harvick-kyle-larson-chicagoland-results|archive-date=September 15, 2014|url-status=dead}} The race restarted with six laps to go and Brad Keselowski coasted on to victory lane, for his second successive win.{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2014/09/14/brad-keselowski-wins-chicagoland-chase-nascar/15635551/|title=Brad Keselowski wins at Chicagoland to kick off Chase|last=Gluck|first=Jeff|publisher=Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc.|date=September 14, 2014|website=usatoday.com|access-date=September 14, 2014}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/09/Brad-Keselowski-Wins-At-Chicago.aspx|title=Keselowski Strikes First|last=Long|first=Dustin|publisher=Motor Racing Network|date=September 14, 2014|website=MRN.com|access-date=September 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915024912/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2014/09/Brad-Keselowski-Wins-At-Chicago.aspx|archive-date=2014-09-15|url-status=dead}} 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".{{Cite web|url=http://racing.ap.org/article/keselowski-wins-opening-round-nascars-chase|title=Keselowski wins opening round of NASCAR's Chase|last=Fryer|first=Jenna|publisher=The Associated Press|date=September 14, 2014|website=racing.ap.org|access-date=September 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519031431/http://racing.ap.org/article/keselowski-wins-opening-round-nascars-chase|archive-date=May 19, 2015|url-status=dead}}

• 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

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;Drivers' Championship standings

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;Manufacturers' Championship standings

• Note: Only the first sixteen positions are included for the driver standings.

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{{NASCAR next race

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{{2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup |state=collapsed}}

MyAFibStory.com 400

MyAFibStory.com 400

MyAFibStory.com 400

Category:NASCAR races at Chicagoland Speedway