NASCAR Overton’s 400: Highlights, stage results and more from Chicagoland

It’s hot in Chicagoland, so keep cool and keep up with the Overton’s 400 with our live highlights, stage results and more.

How hot is too hot for racing? Temperatures at Chicagoland Speedway were scorching hot for the pre-July 4th NASCAR race, the Overton’s 400. Still, there was plenty of reason to be fired up (no pun intended) as Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his NASCAR on NBC broadcast debut.

Naturally, NASCAR had been promoting that fact as often as possible in the lead-up to what isn’t always the most exciting race on the schedule while also trying not to take the focus off the drivers in the actual race. Among them, Martin Truex Jr. figured to have a great shot at another victory, considering he had won the race the previous two years, but he started Sunday deep in the field.

An even bigger question was how the temperatures would affect the Cup Series drivers, as even Saturday’s XFINITY Series race — 100 miles shorter — tested some of their physical limits. That raised the question of whether the Overton’s 400 would turn into a battle of attrition, and not the kind that we usually associate with NASCAR where wrecks thin out the field.

The race also kicked off with one of the non-usual suspects leading the way, Paul Menard of Wood Brothers Racing. His No 21 Menards/Sylvania car was the fastest of six Fords in the top seven spots, something definitely worth keeping in mind as the race played out.

Ryan Blaney, who started on the outside of Row 1, was able to get out in front of Menard right after the green flag to show the way early in Stage 1.

Even among the Fords, though, there seemed to be a difference in speed. Clint Bowyer caught and passed Blaney, and it wasn’t long before his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola were right behind him in second and third.

Alas, when green flag pit stops came around, Bowyer received a pass-through penalty for a speeding violation on his stop, handing the lead away even after the remainder of the cars in the field came in for service. Brad Keselowski was one of the drivers who stayed out the longest, leading some laps in the process.

And Bowyer, who had to come back down pit lane, was busted for speeding again, then didn’t do a stop and go, so he was ordered to return and actually stop. The result? He went from race leader to multiple laps down just like that.

Almirola was the beneficiary of Bowyer’s trouble, inheriting the lead once everyone made their stops.

The digital thermometer in Kurt Busch’s car showed viewers just exactly how hot it was inside the cars: More than 150 degrees.

But Almirola didn’t seem to mind the heat, easily cruising to the Stage 1 win, the first of his Cup Series career.

Stage 1 results

1. Aric Almirola: 10 points plus 1 bonus playoff point
2. Kyle Larson: 9 points
3. Martin Truex Jr.: 8 points
4. Kurt Busch: 7 points
5. Kevin Harvick: 6 points
6. Brad Keselowski: 5 points
7. Ryan Blaney: 4 points
8. Joey Logano: 3 points
9. Chase Elliott: 2 points
10. Erik Jones: 1 point

Jimmie Johnson’s team tried to get him to block Almirola to prevent going a lap down late in Stage 1, but … well, it was not to be.

A yellow flag finally flew for something other than the end of a stage with debris on the track. Blaney decided to take two tires and restarted in the lead, but Almirola was able to track him down and pass him. Unfortunately, he pitted from the lead because he believed he had a loose wheel, the second SHR driver of the afternoon to give up the lead without losing it on the track.

With Almirola back in the pack, two of his teammates ended up battling for the stage win. And what a battle it was, with Kurt Busch and Harvick going all the way up to the wall before Harvick prevailed.

Stage 2 results

1. Kevin Harvick: 10 points plus one bonus playoff point
2. Kurt Busch: 9 points
3. Kyle Larson: 8 points
4. Martin Truex Jr.: 7 points
5. Ryan Blaney: 6 points
6. Brad Keselowski: 5 points
7. Chase Elliott: 4 points
8. Clint Bowyer: 3 points
9. Denny Hamlin: 2 points
10. Joey Logano: 1 point

Kurt Busch was unhappy with his teammate for that move at the end of Stage 2, but he got out in front of the 4 on the restart. However, Larson managed to pass all the Fords to take the lead, and Harvick passed Busch to take second and try to track down the 42.

It only took a few laps for Harvick to catch Larson, and the two cars battled for several laps before the caution flew for Denny Hamlin sliding into the inside wall.

That turned out to be the round of pit stops that could shake things up, as Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano made it to the front for the first time all afternoon. Kyle Busch popped into the top five as well, but it was Harvick, on fresh tires, who zoomed past the 2 and the 22 to take the lead again. Also, crew chiefs began talking about a line of thunderstorms that they believed was only 15 minutes out.

Another caution, this time for trouble with Corey LaJoie, brought on another round of pit stops. This one left Harvick and Kyle Busch battling for the lead and only a couple teams with any unused tires.

With the laps winding down, though, the battle for the win wasn’t waged between Busch and Harvick but instead between two Kyles, Busch and Larson. Running up in his customary high line, Larson closed to within one second of the 18, but the question was whether there would be enough time for the 42 to catch and pass him.

With less than 10 laps to go, Larson showed the dangers of running out near the wall when he brushed it. He was still faster than Busch with five laps to go, but likely wouldn’t have enough time to make it a race for the win.

It turned into a thrilling final lap, as Larson caught Busch and put a slide job on him, then put the bumper on him to temporarily take the lead. But Rowdy managed to gather himself and returned the favor in-between turns 3 and 4, knocking Larson sideways and escaping with the win.

That earned Busch a mixture of cheers and boos from the Chicagoland fans when he walked up to take the checkered flag, though Larson gave him the thumbs up when driving back by him on the cooldown lap.