NASCAR’s top three national series, Sprint Cup, XFINITY, and Camping World Trucks, are at Chicagoland Speedway in Joilet, Illinois this weekend. While most of the focus is on the Sprint Cup Series Chase contenders as they start NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, teams in the other two series see their season winding down as well; there are plenty of storylines to follow in all three divisions… ‘Chasing’ Earnhardt And Petty: Johnson Sets Sites On Seventh Series Title Ten races separate Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup No. 1 seed Jimmie Johnson from potential immortality. If Johnson wins NASCAR’s 16-driver, four-knockout round playoff, he will capture his seventh series title, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the all-time lead. Johnson begins his quest in Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN). He has never won at the Windy City track, but boasts seven top fives, and seven top 10s to go along with the series-best average running position (7.129) and driver rating (115.5) there. Chicago remains one of four active tracks at which Johnson has not won (Homestead, Kentucky and Watkins Glen). The No. 48 Chevrolet driver has won four races this season, but has made 13 starts since his last victory. He tends to elevate his elite skill to an even higher level during NASCAR’s playoffs though, as he leads all drivers with 25 total Chase wins. Johnson is the only driver to make all 12 Chases since NASCAR first implemented the playoff format in 2004. Click here to see how others compare to Johnson in terms of Chases made. Kyle Busch Tries To Put Disappointing Chase History In The Rearview Mirror After reeling off four wins in just 15 races, Kyle Busch enters the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as one of the favorites, if not THE FAVORITE, to take home NASCAR’s ultimate crown. Don’t mark Kyle Busch as the champion on your Chase Grid in Sharpie just yet. Busch has the same amount of victories in the Chase as Brian Vickers, Dale Jarrett and Joe Nemechek – one. And that lone victory came in his first full-time season (2005) at Phoenix (when he wasn’t a member of the Chase field). If you can’t win, the new Chase format makes it hard for a driver to get very far. A visit to Victory Lane in any race automatically advances a Chase driver to the next round. Busch gets his first shot at a checkered flag at Chicagoland where he claims one win, four top fives and five top 10s in 10 starts. Keselowski Quietly Roars Into The Chase What a difference a year makes. Last season, Brad Keselowski roared into the Chase with much fanfare after leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with four regular season wins, including the finale at Richmond. He kept his momentum going in the Chase winning the opener at Chicagoland on a banzai move, further asserting himself has the championship favorite. This year, Keselowski roars into the Chase again, but without the same outside expectations. Quietly, he has the longest streak of top-10 finishes entering the Chase (9). His teammate Joey Logano has the next-best string of top 10s with five. Included in Keselowski’s streak are three runner-up finishes. Chicagoland may be the perfect place for Keselowski to get his momentum going. The No. 2 Ford driver owns two wins, three top fives and four top 10s in six starts at the 1.5-mile track. Speaking of Logano …. He enters the Chase as the only non-Joe Gibbs Racing driver who has won in the last nine races – twice, at Watkins Glen and Bristol. He will attempt to get back to the Championship 4 Round for the second consecutive season. Harvick Begins Second Leg Of Title Defense Kevin Harvick begins the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with his mind on one goal, retaining his title of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. Harvick’s two victories put him in a four-way tie for fifth in the series in wins, but he tops the leaderboards in almost every other category. The No. 4 Chevrolet driver ranks first in top fives (18), top 10s (22), average running position (7.5), laps led (1,450) and driver rating (118.8). His 10 runner-ups mark the first time a driver has logged double-digit second-place finishes since Bobby Allison tallied 12 in 1972. Harvick begins the second leg of his title defense in Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, where he has two wins, eight top fives and nine top 10s in 14 starts. All They Do Is Win: Joe Gibbs Racing T-Pain helped the New England Patriots unveil their Super Bowl banner last Thursday by performing his hit song “All I Do Is Win.” (Side note: He collaborated on the jam with Ludacris who is scheduled to address the media on Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway prior to the NASCAR XFINITY Series Furious 7 300) He should probably head down to Huntersville, North Carolina and blare out the tune at the Joe Gibbs Racing shop. JGR has won eight of the last 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races with drivers Kyle Busch (4), Matt Kenseth (3) and Carl Edwards (1). Denny Hamlin hasn’t won since Martinsville in March, but has finished sixth, third, third and fifth in his last four races. In its tune-up for the Chase at Richmond, all four JGR drivers placed in the top 11: Kenseth (first), Busch (second), Hamlin (sixth) and Edwards (11th). Also of note, Edwards will be making his 400th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start Sunday at Chicagoland. When asked Saturday about potentially having all four of his drivers make the Championship 4 Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, owner Joe Gibbs replied: “Obviously you’d love that. But that’s a dream. It’s hard for a dream to come true. I don’t think anybody here is realistically thinking about that as a possibility. I think there are so many good cars in there. We were just talking about the 4 car (Kevin Harvick), the 22 (Joey Logano), the 2 (Brad Keselowski). All those cars are capable of winning a championship, period.” Jeff Gordon – NASCAR’s New Iron Man When Jeff Gordon rises out of his car following Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, he can pull a Tony Stark and say, “I am Iron Man.” That’s because Gordon will join Ricky Rudd as NASCAR’s “Iron Man” when he ties Rudd’s record of 788 consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts by beginning Sunday’s race. When Gordon competes at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 27, he will subsequently break Rudd’s mark. While the consecutive starts record is quite the milestone, Gordon is also focused on trying to capture his fifth career NSCS championship. The 13th seed entering this season’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Gordon is trying to win his first title in the Chase era. In 14 Chicagoland starts, Gordon has one win, seven top fives and nine top 10s. He finished second in the Chase opener at the 1.5-mile track last season. In his 23 full-time NSCS seasons, Gordon has tallied 92 victories, which rank third in NSCS history behind Richard Petty and David Pearson. Chasing At Last! Sprint Cup Series Veterans McMurray and Menard Ready for Playoff Debuts After more than 10 years of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition for each, Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard have finally made their first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. McMurray, one of NASCAR’s best big-race drivers, has come painstakingly close to previous Chase berths, but had always fallen just short. After being active in the NSCS for 14 years, the 39-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing driver finally made NASCAR’s playoffs. McMurray boasts seven wins in his career including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 (both in 2010). He has also visited Victory Lane in the Sprint All-Star race (2014) and Rolex 24 (2015). He enters the Chase as the 12 seed. Menard heads to the Chase for the first time as its 15 seed. The 2015 campaign marks his 12th season competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In 317 starts, he claims one win, 17 top fives and 51 top 10s. Menard’s lone win was a big one – the 2011 Brickyard 400. Similar to last season with AJ Allmendinger and Aric Almirola, McMurray and Menard are the only two drivers making their Chase debuts. For an infographic on McMurray and Menard’s Chase debut, click here. Spoiler Alert: Stewart and Larson Attempt To Block Advancing Spot From Chase Drivers Any Chase-eligible driver who wins a race in a specific round automatically advances to the next segment of NASCAR’s playoffs. Non-Chase drivers can nullify these automatic advancements by making their own visits to Victory Lane. At Chicagoland, non-Chasers Tony Stewart and Kyle Larson are prime candidates to play spoiler. Stewart holds the Chicagoland track record with three wins and also has three Coors Light Pole Awards there. His 105.0 driver rating is the third-best total at the 1.5-mile track. Larson led 20 laps and finished third in his only career start at Chicagoland last season. Joe Gibbs Racing Returns To Pull 2015 Sweep At Chicagoland Joe Gibbs and the No. 54 Toyota team relished the spoils of Victory Lane thanks to the skills of Erik Jones back in June when the NASCAR XFINITY Series made its first stop at Chicagoland Speedway. This weekend, the JGR camp looks to sweep both NASCAR XFINITY Series races at Chicagoland Speedway in 2015 and has tapped Daniel Suarez, Matt Kenseth and the series’ all-time winningest driver Kyle Busch to accomplish the feat. Joe Gibbs Racing is currently tied with Richard Childress Racing for the most series wins at Chicago with four victories each. Kyle Busch will be in the No. 54 this weekend. He has made 11 starts at Chicago posting three wins (tied for the series most with Kevin Harvick), seven top fives and an average finish of 12.0. Kenseth has made eight starts at Chicago posting three top fives, five top 10s and average finish of 10.8. Suarez has made two starts at Chicago posting a best finish of seventh earlier this season. Last season, JR Motorsports swept both races at Chicago in the first season the track had hosted more than one race in a year – Chase Elliott (June) and Kevin Harvick (September). Consistent Chris Buescher Tough To Catch For the 15th time in 25 starts, ‘Mr. Consistent’ Chris Buescher, posted a top-10 finish and sustained his points lead over second-place Chase Elliott (-21) and third-place Ty Dillon (-27). Buescher has been the series standings leader for the last 16 races, dating back to May 17 at Iowa Speedway. Buescher’s 2015 season has been nearly flawless. In 25 starts this season, he has posted two wins (Iowa-1, Dover-1), 11 top fives, 15 top 10s and an average finish of 8.3. He has zero DNFs and his worst finish of 2015 is 20th. Buescher has led 263 laps this season, 5.9% of his laps completed. Chicagoland Speedway is a track Buescher has excelled at. In three starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, Buescher has posted one top five and two top 10s. His average finish at Chicago is an 8.3. Chase Elliott Looks To Make It Back-To-Back Victories JR Motorsports star Chase Elliott snapped a 39-race winless streak last weekend at Richmond International Raceway to claim his fourth career NASCAR XFINITY Series victory. The 19-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia native now sits second in the XFINITY Series standings and is primed to make it back-to-back wins and close the gap on standings leader Chris Buescher in Saturday’s Furious 7 300 (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN). Back in the winning saddle again, Elliott has posted one win (Richmond-2), 10 top fives, 20 top 10s and an average finish of 9.2 in 2015. Elliott is no stranger to consecutive wins in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The 2014 series champ did it last season winning at Texas and then Darlington. This weekend, Elliott will need to ride the momentum of last week to continue his push for the 2015 title. Elliott has made three starts at Chicago, posting one win (June, 2014), two top 10s and an average finish of 8.3. Ty Dillon Still Amongst The Scramble For The Title Despite dropping to third in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings this past weekend at Richmond — six points behind second-place Chase Elliott and 27 points back from standings leader Chris Buescher — Ty Dillon is still in the thick of the scramble for the title this season. Dillon’s performance in 2015 has been solid. In 25 starts, he has posted seven top fives, 18 top 10s and an average finish of 9.0. With eight races to go this season, any mistakes by the top three in points will be vastly exacerbated by the lack of time left in the season to recover in the standings. In the last eight races last season, Chase Elliott (7.6) had the best average finish, followed by Dillon (10.1) and Buescher (10.8). Who Needs A Win Most? Winless Streaks To Watch With Chase Elliott snapping a 39-race winless streak last weekend at Richmond International Raceway; it shined a light on the list of drivers dealing with a winless streak, begging the question, who needs a win the most among the championship contenders? The first name that arises amongst the victory starved is Roush Fenway Racing’s Elliott Sadler. Sadler is currently fifth in points, having posted four top fives and 12 top 10s in 25 starts this season. His last win came at Talladega Superspeedway on May 3, 2014 a total of 49 races ago. His best finish since his last win was a second-place showing in the 2015 season opener at Daytona. Sadler has made 12 starts at Chicago posting one win (2012), six top 10s and an average finish of 14.0. The driver with the next-longest stretch since his last win is Richard Childress Racing’s Ty Dillon, with 39 races since his last win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26, 2014. Dillon is currently third in the series standings, having posted seven top fives, 18 top 10s and an average finish of 9.0. Dillon’s best finish since his last win was a third-place result posted four times: Kentucky (2014), Daytona-1, Atlanta and Mid-Ohio (2015). Sunoco Rookie Update: Top Three Of 2015 The 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year class has been outstanding this season. Below is a quick snapshot of the top three rookies in the standings and how they have progressed this season: 1.) Daniel Suarez (Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 18 ARRIS Toyota) from Monterrey, Mexico currently leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 30 points over second-place Darrell Wallace Jr. In 25 starts this season, Suarez has posted two poles, six top fives, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 12.7. Suarez’s best finish this season was second at Bristol Motor Speedway. 2.) Darrell Wallace Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing, No. 6 Ford EcoBoost Ford) from Mobile, Alabama is currently second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, just 30 points behind Suarez. In 25 starts this season, Wallace has posted one pole, two top fives, nine top 10s and an average finish of 12.5. Wallace posted his best finish of the season (fifth) twice – Charlotte and Road America. 3.) Ross Chastain (JD Motorsports, No. 4 teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet) from Alva, Florida is currently third in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 80 points back from the standings leader Daniel Suarez and 50 points back from second-place Darrell Wallace Jr. Chastain has posted four top-10 finishes this season. His average finish in 25 starts in 2015 is 20.3. Chastain’s best finish was in the season opener at Daytona where he palced ninth. NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.: Seven Former XFINITY Series Champions Made The Chase: Of the 16 drivers that made the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, seven are former NASCAR XFINITY Series champions – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1998, 1999); Kevin Harvick (2001, 2006); Martin Truex Jr. (2004, 2005); Carl Edwards (2007); Clint Bowyer (2008); Kyle Busch (2009) and Brad Keselowski (2010). NASCAR In Illinois: NASCAR has held 73 national series events (NSCS 16, NXS 34, NCWTS 23) in the state of Illinois among five different tracks. The first NASCAR national series event was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held in Willow Springs, Illinois at Santa Fe Speedway in 1954 – the event was won by Dick Rathmann (72.216 mph, 1:23:05, 07-10-1954). … The NASCAR XFINITY Series has held 34 races among two tracks in the state of Illinois (Chicagoland Speedway 19 and Gateway Motorsports Park 15). The first NASCAR XFINITY Series race held in Illinois was at Gateway Motorsports Park in 1997 – won by Elliott Sadler (78.803 mph, 3:48:25, 07/26/1997). … Four drivers posted their first NASCAR XFINITY Series career win at Chicagoland Speedway: Casey Mears, Johnny Sauter, Jimmie Johnson and Justin Labonte. Illinois Drivers In NASCAR: 78 different drivers that have competed in a NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Illinois. Of the 78 Illinois drivers, only 14 have competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Of the 14 Illinois drivers to compete in the XFINITY Series, only two have won – Justin Allgaier (three wins) and Bobby Dotter (one win). Allgaier is the only Illinois native to win an XFINITY Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (2011). … Milestones: Matt Kenseth (29) can become just the sixth driver in series history to post 30 or more series wins in his career with a victory this weekend. Jones vs. Crafton vs. Reddick: Three-Horse Race For NCWTS Championship The race for the NCWTS title is jam-packed, with Erik Jones leading second-place Matt Crafton by three points and third-place Tyler Reddick by 15 points. On Friday, the trio will continue their battle for the series crown in the American Ethanol E15 225 at Chicagoland Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1). Crafton’s five top 10s at Chicagoland rank tied with Kyle Busch for the track record. His highest finish at the 1.5-mile track was a runner-up result last season. Dominant at intermediate courses, the No. 88 ThorSport Racing driver boasts a streak of 13 top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile tracks dating back to Kansas Speedway in 2014. Included in the streak are five wins captured at Kentucky (2015, the last 1.5-mile NCWTS race), Texas-1 (2014,’15), Atlanta (2015) and Kansas (2015). The only driver other than Crafton to win at a 1.5-mile track this season was Kasey Kahne at Charlotte. Jones has never competed in a truck at Chicagoland, but won the XFINITY race there earlier this season. He won the last NCWTS race, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Reddick, who has led the standings five weeks this season, finished fourth in his lone start at Chicagoland last season. New Winner Guaranteed At Chicagoland No driver on the entry list for Friday’s American Ethanol E15 225 at Chicagoland Speedway has won at the 1.5-mile track, guaranteeing a new visitor to Victory Lane. Drivers in the field with the highest Chicagoland finishes include: Matt Crafton – Second (09/12/14) Timothy Peters – Third (07/12/12) Tyler Reddick – Fourth (9/12/14) Johnny Sauter – Fourth (8/27/10) John Wes Townley – Sixth (09/13/13) Crafton leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with a career-high four wins, while Erik Jones and Reddick each have two victories. Mr. 200: Timothy Peters Competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the 11th consecutive season, Timothy Peters will make his 200th start in Friday’s American Ethanol E15 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. For his career, Peters owns eight wins, 42 top fives, 94 top 10s and six Keystone Light Pole Awards. His high championship finish was a runner-up showing in 2012. This season, the 35-year-old Toyota driver ranks seventh in the NCWTS with two top fives and eight top 10s. In six starts at Chicagoland, he claims two top 10s with a high finish of third (2012). Peters made his first career start at his home track – Martinsville Speedway – on April 9, 2005. Coincidentally, he won his first career race at Martinsville on Oct. 24, 2009, defeating two-time NCWTS champion Todd Bodine by 1.815 seconds. Larson To Pilot JR Motorsports No. 00 Dale Earnhardt Jr. has tabbed Kyle Larson to take the wheel of his JR Motorsport No. 00 Chevrolet in Friday’s American Ethanol E15 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. The race will be Larson’s first NCWTS start of the season. In nine Truck Series starts in his career, Larson has one win, four top fives, six top 10s and two poles. His last NCWTS appearance came in last year’s season finale at Homestead where he finished second after starting from the pole. Larson earned his first NASCAR national series win in a truck at Rockingham on April 14, 2013. That day, he became the first Asian-American and first NASCAR Drive for Diversity alumnus to visit Victory Lane in a NASCAR national series race. NASCAR Next driver Cole Custer has made seven starts in the No. 00 this year, while Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Alex Bowman have each competed in it once. Custer piloted the No. 00 to Victory Lane at Gateway in June, while Kahne won in the truck in May at Charlotte. Additionally, Larson is scheduled to run in all three races at Chicagoland this weekend. NASCAR Next Takes Windy City Two NASCAR Next drivers are set to make their first career Chicagoland starts this weekend – John Hunter Nemechek and Jesse Little. Nemechek has notched a top-10 finish in his last two races, including a career-best third-place result at Bristol. Friday night’s race marks his second career start on a 1.5-mile track (he finished 11th at Kentucky in July). Jesse Little takes the seat of the No. 97 Toyota Tundra for his second NCWTS start this season. He made his debut at Dover and is also scheduled to compete at Texas and Homestead later this year. Little has one win in five NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts in 2015. Mark It On Your Calendar – 500th NCWTS Race At New Hampshire At New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 26, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will run its 500th race. The NCWTS began in 1995 and is in its 21st season of operation. Ron Hornaday Jr. has won the most NCWTS championships (4) and races (51). Mike Skinner earned the first series title driving for legendary owner Richard Childress. Over the years, many of NASCAR’s stars have matriculated in the NCWTS, including Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Challengers: Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski. source – NASCAR communications
