NASCAR Nationwide Series at Chicago 2014 Results: Winner, Standings and Reaction

Kevin Harvick finished first at Chicagoland Speedway's Jimmy John's Freaky Fast 300 on Saturday afternoon, winning the Nationwide Series event a day before the Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks into high gear.

With 27 laps to go, Harvick entered a restart in first with Aric Almirola and Brian Scott jousting for second. Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch also tugged for positioning during the closing laps, but Harvick did not relinquish his closing grip.

Place	Driver	Time Behind Leader
1	Kevin Harvick	Leader
2	Kyle Larson	2.109
3	Kyle Busch	2.200
4	Ryan Blaney	6.457
5	Trevor Bayne	8.600
6	Elliott Sadler	11.731
7	Ty Dillon	11.742
8	Regan Smith	11.838
9	Brian Scott	13.191
10	Chase Elliott	14.179

Jimmy John's Twitter page celebrated its sponsored driver's victory:

A week after leading all 250 laps at Richmond, Busch held an advantage throughout the race. He came out ready to school the field once again with his colorful vehicle, looking poised to cross the finish line first once again.

He utilized his No. 3 pole position out of the gate, steering ahead of the pack early in the event, as tracked by NASCAR Nationwide's official Twitter page:

He wouldn't stay on top for every lap this time, falling behind after a masterful start. Busch rarely lagged behind in the beginning, headlining the leaderboard through 87 of the opening 100 laps. Fox Sports' Tom Jensen illuminated the 29-year-old's dominance midway through Saturday's showcase:

Chase Elliott briefly wrestled the lead away, but as noted by Sporting News' Bob Pockrass, he couldn't maintain it for long:

The 18-year-old entered the weekend leading the 2014 Nationwide Series standings with 916 points and three victories. As a result of the Hendrick Motorsport rookie's rousing success, he entered the opening Chase race with a firm target on his back.

Regan Smith, ranked second in the standings, told NASCAR.com's Brad Norman that he's determined to find some weakness within the teenage driver:

"

We don't know if (Elliott) has any weak points. It's going to be our job to put pressure on him and to see if he does, to see if he cracks any. Those cars have had speed all year long, and that hasn't changed, so I don't think we can say, 'Oh he's going to run 15th.' It's probably not realistic to look and think that way. That being said, we're going to have to do things to put pressure on him and maybe see if something happens.

"

Smith got his wish after a fast start, as Elliot fell from fourth to eventually end in 10th. The 30-year-old from JR Motorsports found his way inside the top 10, placing eighth.

Not everyone enjoyed a clean competition, as Denny Hamlin's had to bow out near the closing stretch due to some technical difficulties. NASCAR on ESPN reported that he battled engine problems throughout the race:

"

Hamlin had been reporting engine issues all day; just went up in a plume of smoke. Caution with 36 to go.

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) September 13, 2014"

He had been parked near the bottom of the top 10 before his day ended.

NASCAR fans won't have to wait very long to see top drivers take the speedway once again. Chicagoland Speedway will host the Myafibstory.com 400 tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET. 

Due to rain, Friday night's scheduled time trials never occurred. Instead, the day's Sprint Cup practice session speeds determined Sunday's opening order. Busch benefited from this procedure, receiving the opening starting slot ahead of Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards.

Before the race, Busch told NASCAR.com's Reid Spencer that strong practice runs from him and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth boded well for the Chase clash: 

"

I think today was a little bit better practice session for myself and the 20 (Kenseth). I talked to Matt, and he felt a little more positive about things. Matt jumped up there to the top of the board early, and we were able to do so late…
 
It's a good representation of where we feel like we want to be and where we should be, but, again, it's early -- first practice, and not everybody at the end of that practice was in qualifying trim, making qualifying runs… There, later in practice, speeds certainly got quicker.

"

Meanwhile, Harvick will start at an unenviable position without the qualifying event. He still maintained a positive outlook, one that he can now bolster with Saturday's victory under his belt:

A loaded batch of 43 drivers compete in the Sprint Cup event. Many of the top contenders, including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. sat out on Saturday, but Harvick and Busch instead went full throttle a day before a huge Chase event.

Jensen wondered how that decision will pan out, particularly for Busch. Since he couldn't maintain Saturday's lead in Illinois, the pressure is on:

Both star racers are certainly top contenders heading into Sunday, but a heavy weekend workload could hurt them.