16 Chase drivers prepare to navigate field of 40 cars in Chicagoland opener

Ray Slover

16 Chase drivers prepare to navigate field of 40 cars in Chicagoland opener image

For 16 crew chiefs and the men who supervised, Sprint Cup racing gets real on Sunday.

Race 1 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup should heighten intensity and pressure for the people in the pits, not just for the drivers in the cars on Sunday at Chicagoland.

MORE: This is the Chase field | Stiff penalties in new Chase rules

Stronger punishments for violations involving post-race laser inspections and lug nuts were announced Wednesday. As if competition for stock car racing's biggest season championship wasn't enough.

There will be, of course, 40 cars on the track for Sunday's race. A handful of those cars will contend; others might affect the results. A crash, for instance, that claims a Chase driver's car would have a major impact on which teams advance after three rounds.

So Cole Whitt, who is 36th in the season's overall standings; or Reed Sorenson, who is 40th.

A feud or longstanding grudge also could make for interesting circumstances. Right, Ryan Newman? Or what about drivers who have something to prove the rest of the season, like Clint Bowyer or Kasey Kahne? Back-marker teams have significance.

MORE: Chicagoland schedule | Focus now on Chase

Jeff Gordon isn't racing at Chicagoland. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 car will be manned by Alex Bowman, in the first of his eight rides the rest of the season. Earnhardt continues his recovery from a head injury and is not expected to compete again until the 2017 season.

The 16 Chase drivers and their allies demand the closest attention in Chase races. But don't overlook the impact other drivers and teams might have.

Here's the Chicagoland field, with Chase cars listed first.

No. Driver Hometown Brand Owner
1 Jamie
McMurray
Joplin,
Mo.
Chevy Chip Ganassi
Racing
2 Brad
Keselowski
Rochester Hills,
Mich.
Ford Team
Penske
3 Austin
Dillon
Welcome,
N.C.
Chevy Richard Childress
Racing
4 Kevin
Harvick
Bakersfield,
Calif.
Chevy Stewart-Haas
Racing
11 Denny
Hamlin
Chesterfield,
Va.
Toyota Joe Gibbs
Racing
14 Tony
Stewart
Columbus,
Ind.
Chevy Stewart-Haas
Racing
18 Kyle
Busch
Las Vegas,
Nev.
Chevy Joe Gibbs
Racing
19 Carl
Edwards
Columbia,
Mo.
Chevy Joe Gibbs
Racing
20 Matt
Kenseth
Cambridge,
Wis.
Chevy Joe Gibbs
Racing
22 Joey
Logano
Middletown,
Conn.
Ford Team
Penske
24 Chase
Elliott
Dawsonville,
Ga.
Chevy Hendrick
Motorsports
34 Chris
Buescher
Prosper,
Texas
Ford Front Row
Motorsports
41 Kurt
Busch
Las Vegas,
Nev.
Chevy Stewart-Haas
Racing
42 Kyle
Larson
Elk Grove,
Calif.
Chevy Chip Ganassi
Racing
48 Jimmie
Johnson
El Cajon,
Calif.
Chevy Hendrick
Motorsports
78 Martin
Truex Jr.
Mayetta,
N.J.
Toyota Furniture Row
Racing
Not involved in Chase for the Sprint Cup:
5 Kasey
Kahne
Enumclaw,
Wash.
Chevy Hendrick
Motorsports
6 Trevor
Bayne
Knoxville,
Tenn.
Ford Roush Fenway
Racing
7 Regan
Smith
Cato,
N.Y.
Ford Tommy Baldwin
Racing
10 Danica
Patrick
Roscoe,
Ill.
Ford Stewart-Haas
Racing
13 Casey
Mears
Bakersfield,
Calif.
Chevy Germain
Racing
15 Clint
Bowyer
Emporia,
Kans.
Chevy HScott
Motorsports
16 Greg
Biffle
Vancouver,
Wash.
Ford Roush Fenway
Racing
17 Ricky
Stenhouse Jr.
Olive Branch,
Miss.
Ford Roush Fenway
Racing
21 Ryan
Blaney
High Point,
N.C.
Ford Wood Brothers
Racing
23 David
Ragan
Unadilla,
Ga.
Chevy BK
Racing
27 Paul
Menard
Eau Claire,
Wis.
Chevy Richard Childress
Racing
30 Josh
Wise
Riverside,
Calif.
Chevy The Motorsports
Group
31 Ryan
Newman
South Bend,
Ind.
Chevy Richard Childress
Racing
32 Joey
Gase
Cedar Rapids,
Iowa
Ford GO FAS
Racing
38 Landon
Cassill
Fairfax,
Iowa
Ford Front Row
Motorsports
43 Aric
Almirola
Tampa,
Fla.
Ford Richard Petty
Motorsports
44 Brian
Scott
Boise,
Idaho
Ford Richard Petty
Motorsports
46 Michael
Annett
Des Moines,
Iowa
Chevy HScott
Motorsports
47 AJ
Allmendinger
Los Gatos,
Calif.
Chevy JTG Daugherty
Racing
55 Reed
Sorenson
Peachtree City,
Ga.
Chevy Premium
Motorsports
83 Matt
DiBenedetto
Grass Valley,
Calif.
Toyota BK
Racing
88 Alex
Bowman
Tucson,
Ariz.
Chevy Hendrick
Motorsports
95 Michael
McDowell
Glendale,
Ariz.
Chevy Circle Sport-
Leavine Family
98 Cole
Whitt
Alpine,
Calif.
Chevy Premium
Motorsports

 

Ray Slover