Strong Performances from Top Favorites Show That Chase Is Still Wide Open

JOLIET, Ill. — Brad Keselowski's win in Sunday's MyAFibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway was big, no doubt.

But with 12 of the 16 Chase drivers finishing in the top 15 positions Sunday, and with just 29 points separating those 12 drivers, the Chase for the Sprint Cup is still a wide-open affair.

And what we saw Sunday will have to remain the standard if drivers intend on keeping Keselowski—or anyone else who might overtake him—close in the points. With a sliding scale that starts with 43 points for a win on down to just one point for 43rd and last place, as well as bonus points for most laps led, you can see how important each point is. 

The beauty of the new Chase, with its three elimination rounds and a final-four, winner-take-all format in the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, is predicated on the notion that the more wins a driver can amass, the better his chances are of winning the championship.

But that's not necessarily so. If Jeff Gordon can finish second for the first nine Chase races, he's a lock to make the final round for all the marbles at Homestead.

"That's the way you want to get this thing started," Gordon said in his post-race media conference. "Eight more (runner-up finishes) and I'll be real happy."

In other words, while wins will potentially get a driver to the big dance in South Florida, consistency is going to be just as big—if not bigger—of an ingredient for whoever ultimately winds up being the Sprint Cup champ of 2014.

Other than Kevin Harvick being dejected to have all his effort of leading much of Sunday's race fall by the wayside in the closing laps, ultimately finishing fifth, none of the other top-12-finishing Chase drivers seemed unhappy with their performances Sunday.

After all, if you can start a 10-race playoff and emerge no more than 29 points back (30 points if you include 13th-ranked Ryan Newman), that's not only a good day's work, it keeps you still smack dab in contention for the championship.

It's unlikely Keselowski is going to win all 10 Chase races, meaning that as good as he was at Chicago, he may not be anywhere near as good at New Hampshire or Dover.

If that happens, that opens the door for other drivers to close the points gap on Keselowski; mathematically, virtually every one of them can make a huge jump in the standings in those races.

If you don't believe me, consider this:

* With just one win thus far this season, Denny Hamlin went from way back in the regular-season standings to being ranked sixth, just 18 points behind Keselowski after Chicago.

* Likewise, Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kyle Busch—who also had just one win in the regular season and stumbled several times in its closing stages—is also 18 points back, tied with Hamlin and six-time and defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

* Then there's Kurt Busch. Winner of just one race (earlier this season at Martinsville), Busch would likely have not made the Chase if the old points system was in effect. But because of the new Chase format, he not only made it into the playoffs, he leaves Chicagoland in ninth place, 20 points behind Keselowski. If that's not striking distance, I don't know what is.

* How about Matt Kenseth? Even though he remains winless in 2014, Kenseth is tied for 10th with Kasey Kahne, both just 25 points behind.

* Even Carl Edwards and Newman are still very much in the hunt.

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But there is a downside for at least one driver.

Admittedly, things don't look very good for Aric Almirola, whose motor blew up with 36 laps left to go. Almirola finished a disappointing 41st place, leaving him last in the standings after the first Chase race.

Almirola is 52 points behind Keselowski, the equivalent of more than one race points-wise. While that may not seem like much, when there's only nine races left now, that is a significant margin.

And if Almirola doesn't turn things around this coming Sunday at New Hampshire and the following Sunday at Dover, he'll be among the first four drivers who are eliminated after the first round concludes at Dover.

As Jeff Owens of SportingNews.com wrote, "The most heartbreaking setback, though, was to Aric Almirola. After nearly going a lap down early, he raced his way into the top five and was running sixth when his engine blew."

Right now, the Chase is as wide open as it was coming into Chicagoland. And if we see similar finishes continuing and the standings remain tightly bunched after the coming races, it's very possible that even one point may wind up being the difference between advancing in the Chase and not advancing.

It doesn't get much better or closer than that.

All quotes in this story were obtained firsthand by the writer.

Follow me on Twitter @JerryBonkowski