Denny Hamlin wins the 2015 myAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

Denny Hamlin’s Chase for the Sprint Cup began ominously when contact with AJ Allmendinger sent him spinning on the second lap of Sunday’s race at Chicagoland Speedway. The day ended with him celebrating in the NASCAR playoff opener.

Having sustained damage that required repairs, Hamlin would eventually fall a lap down. But a fast Toyota and sound pit strategy eventually returned the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to the same lap as the leaders.

Hamlin vaulted into the lead on a restart with five laps remaining when he passed Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon off Turn 2. The win assures Hamlin automatic advancement to the Chase’s second round.

“This is a great day for us,” Hamlin said. “We obviously came back from adversity and did a lot of great things throughout the day -- with the exception of Lap 2. I tell you, it’s just amazing that we were able to come back the way we were and do the things that we were able to do.”

JGR teammate Carl Edwards finished second, followed by Busch, Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth. Hamlin’s victory was the third consecutive for the team owned by the Super Bowl-winning head coach, and the ninth in 12 races.

Not only did Hamlin have to overcome his early spin, he had other factors working against him Sunday. A poor qualifying effort saw him start 29th, then there is the torn ACL in his right knee Hamlin suffered Sept. 8 playing basketball.

Hamlin postponed surgery until the offseason because he didn’t want to impede a potential title run. The 34-year-old nearly won the championship a year ago, advancing to the deciding race employing consistency rather than sheer speed. But with JGR dominating this season, Hamlin is optimistic of obtaining a first-ever series crown.

NASCAR’s playoff format consists of four rounds with eliminations every three weeks.

“I think we can make a run,” Hamlin said. “I’ve told everyone these Chase tracks set up better for nobody than it does for me as the Chase goes on. “So I think the next round is the most challenging for us personally. You just get us to (Round 3) and I’m pretty confident we’ll be at (the championship finale) with a chance.”

As Hamlin celebrated, another title contender fumed. Defending series champion Kevin Harvick cut a tire after contact with Jimmie Johnson on a restart, causing him to spin and crash.

The resulting 42nd-place places Harvick in danger of playoff elimination. He needs either to win next week at New Hampshire or Oct. 4 at Dover, or overcome a 22-point deficit to move clear of the cutline.

Harvick blamed Johnson for his troubles and when the six-time series champion, a quasi-teammate of Harvick’s, attempted to explain what happened, Harvick hit Johnson in the chest with a closed fist. The two were separated without further incident.

“I just held my line and (Johnson) slammed into the side of my door,” Harvick said. “That was pretty much it.”

Along with Harvick, Jamie McMurray (finished 16th), Paul Menard (17th) and Clint Bowyer (19th) need to show improved performance to avoid Chase elimination.

Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, who led a race-high 121 laps, and Aric Almirola completed the top-10.