Beat The Experts: Myafibrisk.com 400 At Chicagoland
By Cole Mentzel
The Chase is finally here and all 16 drivers are ready to get on the track. With Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer clinching their spot last weekend at Richmond, a few notable names were left out like Kasey Kahne, Kyle Larson and Greg Biffle. The Challenger 16 round will feature races at Chicagoland, New Hampshire and Dover meaning that this weekend is all about NASCAR in Chicago.
Here at BTF, our staff is going to be competing in a fun competition for the Chase that everyone can follow along with. The rules are:
- Each of us will pick a winner each week and it has to be one of the drivers in the Chase.
- Once we have used a certain driver, we cannot pick that driver again.
- You will receive the same number of points each week as the driver you selected.
- You have to pick accordingly because you may have already picked all of the drivers that are left at Homestead.
- Most points at the end wins.
These are the picks for Chicagoland:
Mike Hutton – Matt Kenseth – Kenseth is my pick quite simply because of the No. 20 team’s momentum. He has won three out of the last six races and continues to surge.
John Harlow – Denny Hamlin – He finds a way to run well through adversity. When he tore his ACL in 2010, he made it to the final race. He has a good chance at Chicago.
Christopher Olmstead – Kyle Busch – He might as well start the Chase off with a bang. Kenseth has stolen a bit of the thunder from Busch in recent weeks. A win to open the Chase will be a nice way to remind us all that Busch is a contender.
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Joseph Shelton – Joey Logano – Logano is peaking at the same time he did last year and I love his chances, especially on the 1.5 mile speedways. In the six 1.5 mile races this season, he has an average finish of 6.3. That’s good news for him since half of the Chase is run at 1.5 mile tracks.
Cole Mentzel – Brad Keselowski – I like Keselowski’s chances at Chicagoland due to the fact that he has won there twice, including last season. He made it to the Eliminator 8 last year but hasn’t captured the magic he had since his 2012 season. Though his only win this season has been at Auto Club, Keselowski has heated up lately and has become a regular top ten finisher.
Underdog of the Weekend – Tony Stewart – Though he isn’t in the Chase, Stewart has had a great career racing at Chicagoland. With three wins and and eight top tens, he has a shot to win this weekend and keep a Chase driver from moving to the next round.
This opening weekend of the Chase is setting up to be a lot of fun. Chicagoland is only visited once by the Sprint Cup Series so a win there is special. Temperatures are set in the 70’s meaning it will be a perfect atmosphere for a perfect event and emotions will be running high as all Chase drivers will be attempting to win and lock up their spot in the next round.
Who do you think will win at Chicago? Let us know in the comments below!