Kes qualified in fifth place and remained right around that position for nearly the entire Tales of the Turtles 400. His White Lite swung loose late in the race and he finished sixth, but nonetheless, it was a solid start to the Monster Energy Cup Series postseason. BK started and remained fourth in the Cup standings, and he holds a 35-point cushion over the 12th-place cutline.

“We can be happy with sixth,” Brad said afterward. “We scored a bunch of stage points and had a solid day up front. We are still looking for a little speed, but execution today was really, really strong. Great day on pit road, great restarts. All that stuff was what you look for, we just need to marry that up with some speed and we can win any of these races.”

The first playoff event didn’t bring the best start for Brad, as he incidentally bent his left side skirt in while driving from the apron onto the banking of Chicagoland Speedway. Stage 1 stayed green the whole way through, and BK held on to his Miller Lite Ford to finish sixth, earning some valuable points as part of a strong 42-point day. Busch dominated the opening 80-lap segment, leading all every lap and putting more than half the field a lap down in the process. Meanwhile, the next dominant car, Truex’s 78, was penalized early, putting him temporarily out of the picture.

On the first stop of the day, jackman Braxton Bannon fixed the Miller machine’s side skirt, helping BK cruise to fourth on the Stage 2 restart. He moved to third shortly thereafter when Busch pitted out of sequence due to a loose tire. On that stop, Busch’s pit crew was flagged for coming over the wall too soon, putting him two laps down. Those two miscues kept his dominant No. 18 out of contention.

Green flag pit stops came around lap 125, and crew chief Paul Wolfe used the opportunity to pit late and lead one lap, earning another point. Kes cycled out to fourth after pitting, but just when one dominant Toyota car bowed out, another reappeared. Truex passed Brad with 12 laps to go in Stage 2, dropping BK to fifth, where he closed the stage.

After a quick caution at the outset of Stage 2, Brad battled with Chase Elliott and Truex for the second spot behind Kevin Harvick, though he didn’t quite have the power to hold on to that second spot, falling to fourth. The fourth and final caution flag flew when Erik Jones spun out at lap 210. Brad pitted from and restarted in fourth, but his Miller Lite Ford was too loose on the final run, and he was passed back by Larson to sixth, where he remained when the checkered flag flew.

Meanwhile, Truex made sure that there wouldn’t be a dramatic finish to open the Playoffs. The Toyota driver led the final 54 laps and won by a comfortable margin of more than seven seconds.

While the 2 Crew still lacks race winning speed behind the Toyotas of Busch and Truex, Brad is still confident in their chances of advancing through to the second round of NASCAR’s postseason.

“One more of these races either Loudon or Dover and we should be good to advance to the next round,” BK said. “I think we can pull that off.”

Both Loudon and Dover are strong tracks historically for Brad. The Cup Series heads to New Hampshire next week for the ISM Connect 300. Kes boasts 10 Top 10 finishes and one win in 16 Cup starts at the 1.058-mile oval. Green flag for the second Playoff race is set for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.

PLAYOFF STANDINGS

1. Martin Truex Jr. – 2102
2. Kyle Larson – 2075
3. Kevin Harvick – 2067
4. Brad Keselowski – 2061
5. Kyle Busch – 2061
6. Chase Elliott – 2059
7. Denny Hamlin – 2058
8. Jimmie Johnson – 2046
9. Matt Kenseth – 2039
10. Ryan Blaney – 2034
11. Jamie McMurray – 2031
12. Austin Dillon – 2026

ROUND OF 16 CUTLINE

13. Kurt Busch – 2026
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 2022
15. Kasey Kahne – 2021
16. Ryan Newman – 2019

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The schedule remains the same: 10 races, split into three rounds of three and one final championship race. After each three-race round, the four drivers with the fewest points are knocked from contention, whittling the field from 16 down to 12, eight and ultimately the Championship 4. The change for 2017: drivers now carry their playoff points, earned in the regular season, through each round until a reset for the finale.

“With this format, one less horseshoe you did last year,” Brad said. “Last year, without being able to keep the Playoff bonus points and so forth throughout the rounds, there was definitely more luck involved without a doubt.”

The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion driver is in strong standing with 19 playoff points, good for fourth place going into the postseason opener at Chicagoland Speedway. The 2012 Cup Champion, Brad is excited to kick off his quest for a second MENCS title with this weekend’s Tales of the Turtles 400.

“I’m a big believer that success isn’t measured by your ability to do something once, it’s measured by your ability to do something twice,” BK says. “We’ve had great opportunities to win a second championship, but we’ve kind of fallen a little short for a number or reasons, and we have that opportunity again this year, so that’s a great privilege and a great opportunity. Of course, we want to make the most of it and I think it would mean a tremendous amount to me personally to kind of validate the first championship.”

Chicago is as good a track as any for Kes to start that journey. The Rochester Hills, Mich. native boasts six Top 10s, four Top 5s and two wins in just eight starts at the 1.5-mile midwestern tri-oval. His wins came in 2012 and 2014, part of the two most successful seasons of Kes’ career. The 2012 win triumph sparked his Cup title run, while the 2014 victory came as part of a stellar six-win season.

However, despite that past success, Brad is one of the first to admit that he has his work cut out for him. Ford Performance drivers are winless in the last nine races, and Ford hasn’t won a points race on a mile-and-a-half track since BK’s March 5 victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the second race of the season. It just so happens that the 1.5-mile tracks are the backbone of the Playoffs, comprising five (Chicago, Charlotte, Kansas, Texas and Miami) of its 10 races.

“At this moment, there’s really no reason for Toyota not to have all four spots going to Homestead, but all of that, it’s dynamic. You never know what people are gonna show up with at Chicagoland in the first round and Charlotte and so forth in the second round,” Brad said. “And then, of course, getting to the third round, which is a tough one in itself with Martinsville and so forth, it’s tough too. But we’ll see. It’s a dynamic sport.”

We’ll see what the Miller 2 Crew has brewed up for the Playoffs when they roll off for practice at Noon and 2:30 ET on Friday. Qualifying is set for 6:45 p.m. ET and will air on NBCSN.

The Tales of the Turtles 400 will go green shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Sunday and will air on NBCSN.

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Martin Truex Jr. won to secure the first spot in the second round, but outside of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 winner, Brad is in the best position in the field, at second place in the standings, 22 points ahead of 13th place, going into the second race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“It was just a very solid day,” Brad said. “Congrats to Martin and his team. They were the best car all weekend and got it when it counted at the end and that is the way it should be. I think we were really solid with the Miller Lite Ford. We kind of ran third to fifth the whole race and that is kind of what we had. We tried to get a little more at times but just didn’t have it. We got a solid finish and a solid day…This round here isn’t about winning, really. It’s about moving on to the next one, because everything resets.”

Kes started the race from second as the field lined up according to the Chase Grid, and held that spot until Truex passed him on lap 20. After another 20 laps he overtook Kyle Busch to reclaim second, before the first caution flew on lap 48 for an uncontrolled tire on pit road. Pitting for four tires, fuel, and an adjustment to battle the tight in center and loose off corner condition, the 2 Crew completed service in 12.2 seconds and kept Brad in second off pit road.

Lining up fourth for a lap 56 restart behind two drivers that stayed on track, Brad made quick work of both Truex and Kyle Busch once more, as he passed them within 20 laps of going green. Running in the second position behind six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, BK diagnosed his car as handling well in the first two turns, but struggling in the final two corners.

Crew chief Paul Wolfe called his driver into the pits on lap 106 under green for routine servicing, but having to drive around Austin Dillon in his pit stall caused BK to lose a position to Chase Elliott on pit road. Cycling out third, it didn’t take long for the next yellow to fly as Brian Scott lost the handle of his No. 44 in the fourth turn. The spin allowed Wolfe to work on the car once more as they changed four tires, and made an air pressure adjustment in 11.9 seconds, holding third place.

The lap 126 restart paved the way to another longer run, as the field conducted another round of green flag stops, with the Deuce pitting on lap 173. Praising his racecar’s long run ability, the 2 Crew once more changed all four Goodyear Eagles and made an air pressure adjustment before a lap 190 debris caution. Pitting again for a new set of sticker tires, the 13.3-second stop cost the Team Penske crew a position, setting up for a P4 restart.

When the green flew again on lap 199, Kes zipped right around 2015 Chicagoland winner Denny Hamlin. As the run went on, Brad started to lose the long drive speed they had earlier, as both Truex and Hamlin passed the 2012 Cup Champion, pushing him back to fifth.

Lap 237 saw Brad visit pit road once more for a scheduled stop, and the Miller Lite crew picked up a spot on Johnson, who suffered one of many speeding penalties dealt to Chase hopefuls throughout the day.

With just five laps remaining on the afternoon, Michael McDowell’s tire exploded on the backstretch, causing the final caution period of the race. Wolfe pulled his driver back in to change the tires, but a variety of strategies stirred the pot for the final overtime restart. Ryan Blaney led a group of three drivers to stay out and pick up track position. Blaney held on for a fourth place finish, while Brad restarted ninth and used his fresh rubber to edge Hamlin at the line for fifth. Joey Logano crossed second to round out a fantastic day for the Team Penske-powered trio.

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“It’s an honor to finally be locked into the first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase,” he said on advancing to the playoffs.

Hemric started the night at Chicagoland Speedway seventh in the Chase grid, and ended the night there as one of two winless drivers in the postseason. Even though Daniel hasn’t parked in Victory Lane yet this year, his consistency has been nothing but spectacular this season. After rattling off three third place finishes, he moved one step closer to that elusive win with career-best second place result at Chicago. All of this added up to a tie for the regular-season points with five-time winner William Byron.

Hemric started the American Ethanol E15 225 from 10th, but along with veteran crew chief Chad Kendrick, the duo methodically worked through the field and placed themselves in position to contend for a victory. The BKR duo ultimately came up short, as defending Sprint Cup Champion Kyle Busch claimed the win, but it was yet another strong showing for the No. 19 team.

“I’m proud of everyone on my Draw-Tite Ford F-150 team, both today and the entire season leading up to this point.”

His NCWTS performance this year has been so strong, Hemric caught the eye of legendary car owner Richard Childress, who signed the 25-year-old North Carolina native to his XFINITY Series program for the 2017 season. While Truck owner Brad Keselowski just lost what he called a potential Cup superstar, he’s still excited for the future of the young driver.

“We are very happy for Daniel and I’m really proud of what he’s accomplished with Brad Keselowski Racing in 2016,” Brad said. “One of the things we wanted to do at BKR is give talented young drivers an opportunity to take the next step in their career. He has proven to me that he’s capable of being an elite level guy at the top of this sport. We hope to finish off this season with our first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.”

Looking toward the task at hand, Hemric is excited at the prospect of walking away from BKR, and delivering the first championship to the growing race team. After watching the Chase carry out in the Cup Series, the No. 19 Draw-Tite team immediately had a plan for making the NCWTS Chase, and they’ve executed it to perfection.

“As soon as it was announced that it would be implemented in our series, we knew we had to go to work and make the most out of every weekend. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that we haven’t won any races up to this point, but I promise you, as a group, we were able to buckle down and make the most of every race. That’s how we found ourselves in position with a shot to battle for a title. Now that we solidly have ourselves in the Chase, we can go after this championship.”

Once the Round of 8 starts in New Hampshire next weekend, he’ll be at a 15 point deficit to Byron with his five victories. From there the No. 19 team will also compete at Las Vegas, and the wild card elimination race at Talladega to set the Round of 6.

“It’s been a good year and a testament to Brad Keselowski and his guys. I’m very proud of it,” Hemric said. “Now we just have to maximize points – and we’ll be dangerous in the Chase.”

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BK has already put together one of the best seasons of his career, tying defending Cup champion Kyle Busch for a season-high four wins. One victory away from the third five-win season of his career, Brad has had a championship-caliber run, but the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford driver is ready to add even more to the stellar 2016 season.

“I think this year, if we can win another race or two and have the consistency we have had over the last 15 to 20 races, that I will feel like a champion, whether I win it or not,” he said.

Thanks to the four wins, Brad enters the Round of 16 with 12 bonus points—which equates to 12 positions on the race track. Last season, Brad entered the postseason with three bonus point from his single victory, and proved the value of those valuable points. Advancing to the second round by only two points, if Brad didn’t have a regular-season win, he wouldn’t have advanced.

The Round of 16 will go through Chicago, Loudon and Dover. After taking on the Monster Mile, Kes will need to be in the Top 12 in points, or carry a win in order to move on. Fortunately, he has had a wealth of past success at Dover, New Hampshire and Chicago.

In the 2012 Championship season, BK started the Chase title run in Chicago with a victory, and a controversial pass on leader and championship rival Jimmie Johnson. Backing it up two years later with a 2014 victory in the Chase kickoff race, Brad compared that season to a championship run. He finished with more wins than anyone in the Cup Series that year, a career-high six, which made it feel like a championship season, even without the Homestead burnout to cap it off.

“I have had a handful of years now to reflect back on it and I don’t know if I feel like the driver that deserves to win the championship always wins the championship,” he said.

In seven races in the Windy City, Brad has put up some solid numbers. In the 1,869 possible laps in race competition, he’s only missed three lap, logging 1,866 trips around the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Only 144 of those laps have been spent in front of the field, but two of them were important laps: the last ones. Winning in 2012 and 2014, Kes hopes to keep up the even year success trend.

The 2014 Chase opening victory came in spectacular fashion, passing both Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick for the lead after a restart, allowing the Michigan native to drive away and lock himself in the second round.

In his six mile-and-a-half starts of the year, five of those ended in a Top 10 results, while the Texas outlier race was plagued with loose wheels. The most recent cookie cutter oval race at Kentucky Speedway in July ended up as a victory for the No. 2, as well as the 2 Crew’s second intermediate win of the season at Las Vegas.

With five of the 10 Chase tracks being 1.5-mile circuits, getting on the right foot at Chicagoland Speedway is the recipe for Chase success. He’ll do so from a strong starting point. Qualifying was cancelled on Friday, and the field was set on points, with Busch taking the pole and Brad on the outside pole.

Tune into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 on NBC Sports Network at 2:30p.m. ET on Sunday September 18th.

Team BKR Looks to Lock Both Trucks into the Chase

While the field is set for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, tonight’s race in Chicago finalizes the lineup for the inaugural Camping World Truck Series Chase.

Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 19 Draw-Tite F-150 enters the cutoff race 56 points over the cut line, and with confidence. The Kannapoils, N.C. native is all but guaranteed a spot the playoffs. Making his second career start at the Joliet, Ill. track, he’s shown the potential to run well already this weekend. Posting the fastest lap in Thursday’s final practice session in track record speed, Hemric proved that his team isn’t just going through the motions this week—they still want a victory.

“I don’t have a whole lot of experience at Chicagoland Speedway, since we had an issue so early in the race last year, but I do know it’s a track that a lot of drivers look forward to going to,” he says. “Chicagoland offers such a wide racing surface to work with, that as drivers, we can constantly be searching for grip during the race. It makes you feel like you have a little more in your control as to how your day turns out.  Everyone on our Draw-Tite Ford F-150 team is focused on running well and locking down a spot in the Chase this weekend.”

Teammate Tyler Reddick ultimately knows the situation for his crew: win or bust. Entering Chicagoland 39 points outside the eight-driver field, the No. 29 team realistically understands that pointing their way in isn’t a possibility now. Finishing fourth in 2014, and putting themselves in position to win last year, a last-minute win is always possible for BKR. But the 20-year-old isn’t letting the high stakes get to him—he’s focused on what he needs to do to put his truck in Victory Lane.

“Chicagoland is a challenge because you’re never really going straight,” Reddick says. “The back straightaway can throw some people off, but you can make a pass anywhere on the race track. The bottom is still the fast way around the track, but you’ll see people moving around trying to find clean air. You must take advantage of the momentum when you have a run and complete the pass, because you don’t want to stall out and lose positions. The track conditions are constantly changing, so it can be a gamble, setup-wise, to have a good Cooper Standard Ford F-150 at the end of the race.”

Crew chief Doug Randolph emphasizes the necessity to win, but sees the must-win situation as freeing mentally.

“Our goal is to win every race, so that won’t change for us this week,” he says. “I think knowing that we must win makes it a little easier as far as risk versus reward with our decisions and strategy. The biggest thing at Chicagoland is there is room to race.”

See if they can both claim spots in the NCWTS postseason Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET for the American Ethanol E15 225, live on FOX Sports 1.

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BK and the No. 2 crew pushed their Top 10 streak to double digits when the Deuce crossed in eighth place at the end of Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. After starting from P3, the White Lite didn’t quite have the same speed on race day that it had in practice. Brad still pulled off his career-high 10th Top 10 finish in a row to begin the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series postseason in a good spot, but afterward he lamented how the weekend worked out and left the team with some work to do.

“It was a decent day,” he said. “We just couldn’t get the front end to work. It is disappointing because I thought we were better than this in practice, but it just didn’t work out.”

BK posted the third fastest lap during Friday’s lone practice session, and when qualifying was rained out later that afternoon he was locked into a P3 start: his third straight in the top three.

However, as the first race of the Chase got underway, the Miller Lite machine quickly fell back in the pack, to sixth in the running order. His precipitous drop stopped when the first caution came up almost immediately at lap two, as eventual race winner Denny Hamlin spun out his No. 11 car. But on the ensuing restart, the Deuce fell back even further to eighth. By the end of the ensuing run, Brad found himself running in 11th place, while the front end of the No. 2 Ford was giving him fits.

That condition persisted throughout the afternoon, and Brad lingered outside of the Top 10 for most of the event. BK made his first pit stop of the day under green at lap 53, and the White Lite cycled out to 11th from there, before the second yellow flag of the afternoon came at lap 124.

The 2 Crew made their second stop of the day at that point, and had BK off in 12th. He grabbed one position following the next restart, but any momentum he had was stymied when an incident involving Austin Dillon’s No. 3 car quickly brought out the next yellow. The run that followed that caution was also short-lived. Brad was running just one spot outside of the Top 10 when the green flag waived, but on a wild restart, he fell all the way back to 15th before another caution came out three laps later. However he wasn’t the worst for wear after that short green flag run.

The three-lap cycle delivered a big blow to defending Cup champion Kevin Harvick’s Chase chances. After restarting in the lead, Harvick found himself fighting for position near the front of the pack on that wild restart. When Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 dove down to an attempt a pass, the two cars made contact, causing some damage to the No. 4’s rear quarterpanel. A few laps after the contact, Harvick spun out and hit the wall, the damage having caused his tire to be cut. The regular-season points leader finished 42nd, putting him in a major hole after just one race in the Challenger Round. Meanwhile Johnson survived the contact and crossed in position 11.

BK moved to 14th as Harvick bowed out, and from there the 2 Crew made their first championship-caliber strategy call of the day.

While other teams running near the No. 2, just outside the Top 10, made green flag pit stops, Brad and crew chief Paul Wolfe elected to stay out and bide their time as long as they possibly could, and that move paid off. Kes was running third behind Carl Edwards and Hamlin, when the caution came out. The Deuce pitted from third position and was third off pit road as well, allowing BK to restart in fifth.

The position was valuable, but even with some cleaner air the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford struggled with front-end handling, making it difficult on Brad. He lost fifth to the No. 24 of Jeff Gordon on the restart and dropped all the way to eighth before stopping under green once again at lap 243. As the race neared its end, the White Lite was hovering on the fringe of the Top 10 at P10 when the final yellow flag of the day came out at lap 259. That caution set the stage for a thrilling finale.

Strategies during the final yellow flag period of the day covered the gamut from staying out to come down pit road and taking four tires. Kes and Wolfe elected to strap four fresh tires on the Miller Lite Ford Fusion for the final sprint to the finish, positioning the Deuce in 11th for the final green.

The ensuing restart was Brad’s best of the day. He made a move to the bottom of the racetrack and climbed all the way up to fourth position in just one lap. Unfortunately for Brad and his team, the No. 2 car just didn’t have the speed to hold a spot in the Top 5 over the final laps. Kes did all he could to fend off the coming drivers, but the Deuce ultimately slid back and settled for an eighth-place finish.

“It looked like we were going to steal something on that final restart. We gained quite a few spots and probably weren’t quite a top-five car but almost stole a top-five,” Brad said. “We were racing real hard and just fell back. I just didn’t have the turn to run up front. I was trying to make something happen but, all in all, I guess it was a decent day.”

For Brad, the 10th consecutive Top 10 extended his career-best streak and made him just the sixth driver in the Chase era to log at least 10 consecutive Top 10s. The finish also marked BK’s 19th Top 10s for the season, second only to Harvick (22) and Joey Logano (21) in the Cup Series.

Meanwhile, Hamlin captured the win and became the first driver to secure a spot in the Contender Round. BK earned 36 points for his eighth place finish and sits in sole possession of ninth place in the standings, one point behind Ryan Newman for 8th, one ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 10th and 11 points above the Contender Round cutoff after the first of three Challenger Round races.

POST-CHICAGO CHASE STANDINGS

1. Denny Hamlin – 2,050 (1 Win)
2. Matt Kenseth – 2,050
3. Carl Edwards – 2,049
4. Kyle Busch – 2,049
5. Kurt Busch – 2,048
6. Joey Logano – 2,048
7. Jimmie Johnson – 2,045
8. Ryan Newman – 2,040
9. Brad Keselowski – 2,039
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2,038
11. Martin Truex Jr. – 2,035
12. Jeff Gordon – 2,031

— CONTENDER ROUND CUTOFF —

13. Jamie McMurray – 2,028 (-3)
14. Paul Menard – 2,027 (-4)
15. Clint Bowyer – 2,025 (-6)
16. Kevin Harvick – 2,009 (-22)

NEXT UP

The Chase rolls on next week to another strong track for the 2 Crew: New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Brad boasts eight Top 10 finishes in 12 career Cup Series races at Loudon, including a win in last year’s summer run at NHMS. He’s also bagged three Coors Light Pole Awards at New Hampshire, most recently before this race last year. He finished seventh from that pole spot last September, however earlier this year he parlayed a P10 start in July’s 5-Hour Energy 301 into a second place finish. Those results give the No. 2 Crew confidence they can bolster their Challenge Round position this weekend.

The Sylvania 300 is set to go off Sunday at 2:15 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

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Wins reign supreme in the new Chase format, as Brad explained in his recent Ford Performance playoff promo. Kes took that to heart last year when he won the opening race of the postseason at Chicagoland Speedway—and he’ll be looking to do it again in this weekend’s MyAFibRisk.com 400.

“I want you to remember: No team has ever won a championship being content with a second-place finish,” BK said. “You win a championship by making the other team content with a second-place finish.”

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Coming in at No. 3, Brad’s slays Chicagoland for his second straight win and becomes the first driver to advance in NASCAR’s new Chase for the Sprint Cup elimination playoff format.

No. 3: September 14, 2014

The Windy City Split

Brad Keselowski’s win at Chicagoland Speedway to start the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup could be summed up in one word: confidence.

BK headed to the Windy City for the Chase’s first race with a gust in his sails after a dominant victory at Richmond in the final weekend of the regular season. That win gave Brad the No. 1 seed in the Cup playoffs, and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion squad was firmly positioned as the team to beat for the championship.

The confidence built by those accomplishments played a huge role in the No. 2 Crew’s chase-opening win. It allowed Kes to charge from a P25 start all the way to Victory Lane, and it helped his tire changer when he faced a make-or-break decision after a pit road mishap.

But in the end, what it did most was motivate Brad to make the pass of the season, splitting two competitors to roar to victory.

“You couldn’t ask for a better way to start the Chase,” Brad said afterward. “It was phenomenal the way things played out. I’m not sure if we were the fastest car…but we just fought, we climbed and clawed. We just put it all together and that was very, very special.”

After victory came rather commandingly for BK and Co. in Richmond, the start to the weekend at Chicagoland ensured that the No. 2 team would not have it that easy as the Chase got underway.

Mother Nature gave the No. 2 team its first shot of adversity on Friday. After BK turned in a poor time in the first practice, qualifying was called off due to rain, and as a result, the Miller Lite Ford was stuck starting in 25th position. Still, the White Lite couldn’t be snuffed out. Within 25 laps of the green flag to start the race, Brad had made up 10 spots to P15, and moved to P13 before the first round of green-flag pit stops less than 50 laps in.

The No. 2 broke the Top 10 at lap 60, and BK kept moving forward from there. At lap 107, the Deuce grabbed the lead and held it for 39 laps until a caution flag flew at lap 182 of the 267-lap event.

On this stop, front tire changer Hunter Masling failed to tighten one of the wheels of the No. 2. Rather than trying to sweep the mistake under the rug, Masling alerted crew chief Paul Wolfe, and Brad came back down pit road to remedy the issue.

It looked like the miscue would end Brad’s hopes at victory, as it forced BK to restart in P16 and at the back of the field. However, the confident 2 Crew overcame the issue without worry. And after the race, Masling earned high praise for his actions from both Wolfe and car owner Roger Penske.

“The real winner today is the young man who changes the rear tire who put his hand up and said, ‘Hey I screwed up. The wheel might be loose.'” Penske said. “Paul had the guts to say, “Look were not gonna run it and find out, we’re gonna come in now.” Those were two of the critical calls.”

On the ensuing green-flag run, the No. 2 was white hot, as it burned through the field and up to P8 before the end of the pit cycle. Wolfe called for Brad to wait until the end of the cycle to head down pit road, and a caution came out while Kes was in the pits. The decision gave Brad four more spots, and with just 15 laps left, he was in third with the lead in his sights.

Eventual Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson and eventual Cup champion Kevin Harvick battled side-by-side for the lead, and Kes bided his time until an opening came. When the window creaked open, Brad darted between the No. 4 and the No. 42 and into first place.

“I just saw a hole and I went for it,” Brad said of his critical pass. “The 4 and the 42 were racing really hard and doing all the things they needed to. It just opened a hole. I didn’t know if my car would stick or not, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t try it.”

One more caution came late in the race, forcing Brad to fend off Larson and his No. 42 Target Chevrolet, but from the inside line on the final restart, Kes rocketed to the lead and ran away with a comfortable victory.

The win locked Brad into the second round of the Chase and solidified the No. 2 team as one of the biggest title threats in the field.

“I want to enjoy the moment, and I feel conflicted because I know there are still nine weeks left to go,” Kes said. “We have a bit of a hall pass for the next two, which is great. But those other seven, nobody cares that we won at Chicago. It keeps resetting, and you have to reset yourself and keep developing the car and pushing as a team. So I want to be thankful for today, but I know there’s a long way to go. Today was about as much of a statement as you can make after one week, but there are nine weeks to go.”

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