NASCAR Cup Series

Biffle has 10 Sprint Cup career starts at Chicago, earning one top-five and one top-10 finish.

According to motorsports pundits, Kurt Busch and Furniture Row Racing accomplished one “improbable” mission and will embark on another when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series begins the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

With a test session in August under their belt, Marcos Ambrose and the No. 9 DEWALT Ford Fusion team have the tools to play the spoiler role in Sunday's 400-mile event that opens the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Although the team is not eligible to win the Sprint Cup title, they have built momentum over the last two months, including two top-10 finishes in their last four races.

Having been a part of NASCAR's playoff picture throughout the season, Aric Almirola and his No. 43 Eckrich Ford team just missed qualifying for the "Chase" this season. However, with 10 races left in the season, Almirola still wants to make noise in the playoff picture. Starting this weekend, with Eckrich colors on the hood and sides of the No. 43 Ford, Almirola is aiming to run up front and grab a win away from a "Chase" contender. The team feels confident in their abilities after testing at the track a few weeks ago.

Mile-and-a-half tracks used to be the biggest challenge for Front Row Motorsports, but the numbers prove that David Gilliland and his No. 38 team are making progress. The Long John Silver's crew has averaged a top-25 finish at the intermediate tracks this season and goes into Chicagoland Speedway this weekend with confidence.

If you see David Ragan at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend, check to see if he still has all his fingers and toes. The driver of the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford spent the days leading into the race weekend hunting gators near Lafayette, La.

The last time Stenhouse raced at Chicagoland, he celebrated in victory lane after his dominating performance in the Dollar General 300.

With everything on the line as far as Chase berths, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 56th annual Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

The decision was unexpected even to the beat reporters who follow NASCAR daily. After Saturday’s race, thing just didn’t look right, something officials missed. By Sunday at the truck race in Iola, Mike Helton, NASCAR’s President, commented that NASCAR was going to review the race and radio transmissions. That was the first clue that something was up. A timeline was not given, however.

Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway turned into one of the most controversial races in the history of the sport. Fan response to Clint Bowyer’s well-timed and seemingly intentional spin that brought out a late race caution, coupled with an un-needed trip down pit road by Brian Vickers was unprecedented.