NASCAR Chicago 2017 results: Martin Truex Jr. wins Tales of the Turtles 400, plus full finishing order

Martin Truex Jr. rallied from two miscues on pit road to win the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series playoff opener Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.

Truex was running solidly in the top three when he made his first pit stop of the afternoon, where he earned a speeding penalty. The Furniture Row Racing driver charged to finish 10th in the first stage, but on his pit stop between stages, Truex had to come back in due to two loose lug nuts on one of his wheels.

But from there Truex and his pit crew were flawless the rest of the way, and gradually he worked his way back toward the front. He finished third in the second stage, then passed Kevin Harvick for the lead on Lap 190 and regained the lead for the final time with 55 laps remaining. From there, he was never challenged in scoring his series-best fifth win of the season.

Truex’s victory Sunday in Tales of the Turtles 400 was his second consecutive at Chicagoland.

“This is unbelievable,” Truex said. “This is what it’s all about.”

With the win, Truex, who entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed, automatically transfers to the next playoff three-race round. The four lowest-ranked drivers in points without wins are eliminated following the Oct. 1 race at Dover International Speedway.

“I don’t care much about statements, I’m just having fun,” Truex said. “I’m proud of our pit crew for doing what they did and everyone on this team. It’s important to come here and not let the pressure get to you and I think we did a good job of that. Every time you go to victory lane, it’s special.”

Chase Elliott finished second, followed by Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Brad Keselowski, all of whom are among the 16 playoff-eligible drivers. Joey Logano in seventh was the only non-playoff driver inside the top 10, with Jimmie Johnson eighth, Matt Kenseth ninth, and Jamie McMurray 10th.

Kurt Busch is tied with Austin Dillon for the final transfer spot but would lose the tiebreaker, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-4 points), Kasey Kahne (-5 points), and Ryan Newman (-7 points).

The middle race of Round 1 is next Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.