Now that was fun: What a way to start the Chase
Now that was fun.
Eight days after the worst race of the season, we may have just witnessed the best one.
Sunday's MyAFibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway was a race for the ages, a fantastic, dramatic battle that saw NASCAR's best go at it all race long, racing hard, racing clean and racing to win.
Ironically, the guy who caused the most excitement was the exact same guy who utterly stunk up the show the week before. At Richmond eight days earlier, Brad Keselowski led 383 of 400 laps to win in a sleep walk.
At Chicagoland, he was one of six different drivers to lead at least 20 laps. And he won here because of an audacious, balls-out pass between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson with 16 laps to go.
As far as storylines go, this one had plenty.
Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports went at it hammer and tongs again, with Keselowski giving the two-car Penske squad its eighth victory of the season to 10 for the four-car Hendrick armada.
It was a classic Ford vs. Chevrolet battle, with Ford teams trying to win at the only track where the manufacturer hadn't won a Sprint Cup race.
You had Jeff Gordon, one of the oldest drivers in NASCAR, racing furiously with 22-year-old rookie Kyle Larson for second place over the closing laps of the race.
Aric Almirola was thrilled when he recovered from nearly being lapped to running in the top five and heartbroken when the motor gave out in his Richard Petty Motorsports Ford.
There was the suspense of wondering who'd win and which four drivers would end the day in trouble points-wise.
Would Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing, two hugely disappointing teams run better this time out?
And at the end of the race, the only drivers in the Cup Series who are romantically linked wrecked each other, which probably made for an awkward ride home.
As entertainment goes, this was a fine way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
After the race, Keselowski was unusually animated and emotional.
"I want to say thanks because I know the fans can hear me," said the 2012 champion. "I saw all of them standing on their feet when we made the pass for the lead and that was awesome. Thank you fans for being here and for your support. What a great day. God that was sweet."
Yes, it was -- especially for fans of great races.
VIDEO: Chicagoland Speedway race highlights
