NASCAR at Chicago 2015 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Reaction

The first race of NASCAR's postseason Chase got underway Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway, and Denny Hamlin defied the odds with a torn ACL to capture a victory at the MyAFibRisk.com 400 after taking the lead on a late restart with five laps to go. 

NASCAR on Twitter offered a look at the race's decisive moment:  

With the win, Hamlin clinched a spot in the Contender Round of the Chase, which NASCAR confirmed while providing a look at his pass over the finish line:       

"I'm a week out now and I feel like it's probably a little bit better than it was the first time around," Hamlin said of his ACL prior to the race, per the Associated Press' Jenna Fryer (via Yahoo Sports) . "I think I had two or three weeks between the start of the season and my ACL tear last time. I hadn't had to race on no ACL this quick. It hurts outside the car and it doesn't hurt really inside."

A look at the top of Sunday's leaderboard can be viewed below, courtesy of FoxSports.com: 

Place	Driver	Laps Led
1	Denny Hamlin	9
2	Carl Edwards	6
3	Kurt Busch	37
4	Ryan Newman	0
5	Matt Kenseth	1
6	Joey Logano	1
7	Kyle Larson	2
8	Brad Keselowski	0
9	Kyle Busch	121
10	Aric Almirola	0

The flow of Sunday's race was broken up by six cautions that spanned 28 laps, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not pleased with how things progressed, per NASCAR Production's Lauren Downey:  

However, Earnhardt Jr. went on to finish a respectable 12th, while Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon clocked in 11th and 14th, respectively.  

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Gordon tied Ricky Rudd's ironman streak by making a 788th consecutive start Sunday. He hasn't missed a race since making his debut in 1992. 

According to NASCAR Stats on Twitter, the 40 laps Gordon led before pitting and ceding the lead to Kyle Busch midway through the race were the most he'd led at Chicagoland since 2010. 

Kevin Harvick, who started in the first position, was running third with just over 130 laps to go, but some contact with Jimmie Johnson sent him tumbling down the leaderboard and into the garage for repairs.

NASCAR on Twitter gave a glimpse of smoke billowing from Harvick's back left tire: 

According to USA Today's Jeff Gluck, Harvick's team wasn't pleased with the perceived intent of Johnson's actions: 

The Associated Press' Jenna Fryer added that Harvick had his sights set on Johnson upon returning from the garage: 

However, the bad blood spilled over into post-race proceedings. 

"In NBC Sports Network video of the incident, Harvick is seen exiting his motorhome with Johnson waiting to speak with him," Motorsport.com's Jim Utter wrote. "Harvick immediately punches Johnson in the chest."

Beyond the altercation, Harvick's trip to the garage can safely be chalked up as a shocking turn of events.

After qualifying was cancelled because of rain, the No. 4 car was penciled into pole position and appeared to be one of the race's front-runners after leading 10 laps prior to the wreck.  

Harvick's quest to repeat as Chase champion is now in serious jeopardy after finishing 42nd and 58 laps behind the leader following an extended stay in the shop.

So with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway slated for next Sunday, Harvick will need to rebound in epic fashion to have a shot at qualifying for the Contender Round of the Chase. The good news: Harvick finished third at New Hampshire in the 5-Hour Energy 301 back in July.