How to follow MyAfibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway online, TV schedule, radio and more

With rain shutting down qualifying for the first race of the Chase, those who were best prepared to run their practice sessions like qualifying runs were rewarded with prime positions in the first leg of NASCAR’s revamped postseason. That included “pole” winner Kyle Busch, along with second- and third-place qualifiers Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards.

But Busch isn’t resting on his laurels -- or his start at the front of the pack -- with the new Chase format putting an emphasis on consistent performance at each race. As he explained to the Associated Press, “Having a good (speed) there in practice means a lot, but there’s obviously a lot of things that need to happen in the race this weekend for us and getting off to a good start and being able to carry that into the next 10 weeks.”

The things he’ll have to contend with are “a lot” of his fellow Chase qualifiers close behind him -- like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who qualified seventh and eighth. He’ll also have to worry about the bunched-up trio of Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch, who ran strong enough in practice to grab the 12-14th spots in the lineup. Johnson hopes to bounce back from his dehydration scare last week, coming into the race with a new cooling system to try to prevent the cramps that sidelined him in Richmond.

It will be little adjustments like these that will likely make the difference in the Chase as more and more racers will be eliminated every few weeks. That’s something Carl Edwards is acutely aware of, as he explained while talking about the changes his crew chief Jimmy Fennig made before his run to third place in qualifying. “We started the day thinking this might happen and Jimmy did a great job with a strategy. I think that’s what all of us are going to have to do through the Chase -- we’re just going to have to get every little bit you can every race weekend.”

You can see for yourself whether the changes made a difference by watching ESPN, beginning with pre-race coverage at 1 p.m ET on “NASCAR Countdown” featuring Nicole Briscoe, Brad Daugherty and Rusty Wallace. Live race coverage will begin at 2 p.m. with Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree in the booth. The green flag is tentatively scheduled for 2:16 p.m. In addition to the television coverage, viewers with a subscription to RaceView will be able to follow the race online. Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90 will provide radio coverage.

TV: ESPN -- 1 p.m.

Green flag: Approximately 2:16 p.m.

Radio: Motor Racing Network -- SiriusXM channel 90