Sprint Cup Chase 2015: NASCAR Standings, Schedule Post-MyAFibRisk.com 400

Denny Hamlin, one of NASCAR's most incredible stories in a season littered with them, seized the checkered flag in Chicago on Sunday at the myAFibRisk.com 400 to start the Sprint Cup Series Chase.

Despite an early crash, Hamlin used an epic late restart to secure the win while fending off Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and many others in a hotly contested event.

#TheChase captured Hamlin's celebration, which secured his spot in the Challenger Round and had a widespread impact on the rest of the leaderboard:

Here's a look at the top 10 from the showdown in Chicago, with a full order available at ESPN.com:

Pos.	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

Below, let's take a look at the updated Chase standings and highlight some of the notable Sunday performances before taking a look at what remains on the schedule.

2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid

RK	DRIVER	POINTS	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10
1	Denny Hamlin	2050	2	10	14
2	Matt Kenseth	2052	4	11	17
3	Carl Edwards	2049	2	4	10
4	Kyle Busch	2049	4	6	10
5	Kurt Busch	2048	2	9	15
6	Joey Logano	2048	3	16	21
7	Jimmie Johnson	2045	4	11	17
8	Ryan Newman	2040	0	5	13
9	Brad Keselowski	2039	1	6	19
10	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2038	2	12	17
11	Martin Truex Jr.	2035	1	7	17
12	Jeff Gordon	2031	0	3	13
13	Jamie McMurray	2028	0	2	7
14	Paul Menard	2027	0	2	4
15	Clint Bowyer	2025	0	2	11
16	Kevin Harvick	2009	2	18	22

Analyzing Notable Finishers 

Kyle Busch 

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Make it 10 races in a row Busch has led at least one lap.

Impressive, right? Everyone knows the story—Busch broke his leg at the start of the season, received a medical exemption and went on to have one of the most memorable seasons in recent history, winning four races to secure a spot in the Chase.

Despite gaudy hype, Busch managed to live up to expectations Sunday in Chicago, leading 121 laps en route to a ninth-place finish. He entered the day tied with Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth in the win department, but he struggled down the stretch after a restart and wound up ninth.

Sunday's result doesn't ruin Busch's chances or anything of the sort, but the season helped observers expect a late push that just didn't happen. Rest assured, Busch won't go anywhere as the Chase continues. 

Jeff Gordon

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Gordon turns it on when he needs to—to say the least.

All year, folks have waited for the legend to secure a victory in his farewell season only to instead leave each race wondering if he still has what it takes to secure a checkered flag.

It was clear Gordon was off to a hot start right out of the gates Sunday, as captured by his Twitter account:

He wound up dueling with the Busch brothers and others down the stretch before a rough finish in 14th place, though, a scary proposition considering the bottom four racers on the leaderboard after the Challenger Round get cut.

Gordon's brief flash of contention Sunday should provide plenty of reassurance No. 24 isn't going anywhere just yet.

Kevin Harvick

Terry Renna/Associated Press

Call it a nightmare day for former series leader and defending champion Kevin Harvick.

With a pair of wins and 22 top-10 performances to his name, most figured Harvick would be in the thick of things for the majority of Sunday. Instead, Johnson found himself in a tussle with Johnson on Lap 135 during a restart and wound up blowing a tire later as a result of the contact.

#TheChase looked at the incident:

NASCAR on NBC captured the emotional aftermath:

The good news for Harvick, despite his currently resting right among the cut candidates?

He can win anywhere, anytime. Harvick won't be out of the running for long. A freak accident, despite leading 10 laps, won't keep a former champion down. Expect Harvick to come back with a vengeance next time out.

Denny Hamlin

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

How does he do it? 

For those who don't know about one of the sport's most interesting storylines as of late, Hamlin tore an ACL playing pickup basketball, shrugged it off and finished sixth in Richmond last week shortly after leading 14 laps.

Instead of one of the most feared injuries in sports hurting Hamlin's Chase chances, he's on an absolute roll and was even able to overcome a wicked accident at the start of Sunday's event, which #TheChase recorded: 

Now Hamlin sits pretty, assured of a spot in the next round despite the injury and the fact that he entered the day with just one win to his name. Overcoming a wreck and leading just nine laps before an epic surge down the stretch tends to do that for a driver.

A few weeks back, most wouldn't have thought this possible for Hamlin. So it goes in the Chase, where anyone qualified can take down the field on a given weekend.

2015 NASCAR Schedule After myAFibRisk.com 400

Date/Time (ET)	Race	TV Info
Sun, Sep 27 at 2:00 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire	NBCSN
Sun, Oct 4 at 2:30 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover	NBCSN
Sat, Oct 10 at 7:00 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte	NBC
Sun, Oct 18 at 2:15 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas	NBC
Sun, Oct 25 at 2:30 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega	NBCSN
Sun, Nov 1 at 1:15 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville	NBCSN
Sun, Nov 8 at 2:00 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas	NBC
Sun, Nov 15at 2:30 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Phoenix	NBC
Sun, Nov 22 at 3:00 p.m.	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Miami	NBC

Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.