Next Race: Camping World 400 The Place: Chicagoland Speedway The Date: Sunday, June 30 The Time: 3:00 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267) 2018 Race Winner: Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing’s teammate rivalry may heat up at Chicago Recent history at Chicagoland Speedway has a distinct similarity to the current competitive situation in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship standings. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch are the most recent Chicago winners – Truex earning back-to-back trophies in 2016-17 and Busch winning last year. The two drivers come to the Camping World 400 (Sunday, June 30 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR radio) as the Monster Energy Series’ winningest drivers this season. Truex picked up his fourth victory Sunday in Sonoma to tie Busch in the win count. Chicagoland Speedway, however, has long been one of Busch’s best tracks – and he’s performed best in the last few years. In addition to his 2018 win at the track, he won from the pole position in 2008 – the only driver in history to win from pole. He has earned an all-time high four pole positions in all. In just the last six years Busch has won three poles and one race. His 399 laps led during that time frame is 69.9 percent of his career total laps led (573) at Chicago. He has six top-10 finishes in the last seven races. And Busch has three Xfinity Series and five Gander Outdoor Truck Series wins at Chicago, too. Last year’s Monster Energy Series victory is among the most memorable in Busch’s career as he prevailed in a spirited last lap exchange with Kyle Larson. Larson used a “slide job” maneuver to get by Busch out of Turn 2 and then Busch caught back up to Larson and the two made contact as Busch got around Larson between Turns 3 and 4 en route to the checkered flag. The two shook hands after one of the more exciting finishes of the 2018 season. That success all lines up well with his current season’s work. He has a series-best 15 top-10 finishes in 16 races, including top-five finishes in his last four races. He finished runner-up to Truex Sunday at Sonoma. He’s led laps in 12 races – double-digit laps in nine of those. And he trails reigning series champion Joey Logano by a single point in the championship standings. “Back when we first started racing there in the summer, it was a night race, so with a hot track now and the surface worn out more now, it certainly tends to play to my strengths and as we saw last year, we can put on a really good race with the heat, combined with the worn-out surface,’’ Busch said. Its Truex time Martin Truex Jr. has shown no signs of any transitional snafus moving from the Furniture Row Racing team, where he won the 2017 series championship, to the Joe Gibbs Racing operation this year where he just earned his fourth trophy in the season’s opening 16 races. And he and his No. 19 JGR Toyota team arrive at Chicagoland Speedway with every reason to feel optimistic about carrying on the good vibes. Truex won back-to-back races in 2016-17 on the Chicago mile-and-a-half oval and finished fourth there last summer. Truex has led laps in only three of the last seven races at the Chicago track – a career-best 77 laps in his 2017 victory. Statistically, Truex certainly seems to be getting better with age – scoring three of his five career top-five finishes in the last three races. He has 13 starts in total. Since his first win of 2019 – at Richmond on April 13 – Truex has only gone more than two weeks without a trip to Victory Lane only one time. There were three weeks between his win at Charlotte and last week on the Sonoma, Calif. road course. He’s led 493 laps in his four wins – that’s 95.1 percent of all his laps led (518) this season. Interestingly though, in his 23 career victories, Truex has never won back-to-back races on the schedule. “I think JGR, all of our cars are running good at places throughout the season but for us personally on the 19, the last couple of mile-and-a-halves we’ve really turned a corner,’’ Truex said. “Michigan was a great run for us, Charlotte obviously, winning there was big. “We started out the year kind of searching a bit on the mile-and-a-halves and the bigger tracks with the 550-horsepower package. For us, I definitely feel like we’ve learned a lot the past month and half and really turned a corner there. That has given us a lot of confidence and we feel like Chicago will be a good race for us.’’ Harvick still waiting on a win Kevin Harvick won the very first two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races ever held at Chicagoland Speedway and visiting Victory Lane again – for the first time in 17 years since – would be a timely dose of can-do for a team that had already hoisted five trophies by this time last season. Harvick boasts the most top-five (10) and top-10 (11) finishes in the field this weekend and his 101.1 driving rating is third best among drivers with more than five starts in Chicago. He’s finished top-five in four of the last six races and third both in 2017 and 2018. He’s led an impressive 471 laps at the track and led laps in four of the past five races. He’s started in the top-five in three of the last four races, including from the pole position in 2015. And . …. Harvick has never suffered a DNF at Chicago. This time last year Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing team had won seven of the opening 16 races – nearly half. This year SHR is still contending for its first win. Although the team has certainly been close. Harvick has 11 top-10 and five top-five finishes – five times finishing a season-best fourth place. And that work – even without a win – has been good enough to place him third in the driver points standings. He trails leader Joey Logano, a two-time winner in 2019 by 70 points. But he’s got a four-point advantage over three-race winner Brad Keselowski in fourth place and a 70-edge over four-race winner Truex, who is in fifth place. Logano continues his reign Reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano has won half as many races (two) as Kyle Busch and last week’s Sonoma champion Martin Truex Jr., but he has been good enough to maintain his position atop the points standings – by a single point over four-time winner Busch. Logano’s 23rd-place finish at Sonoma matched his worst finish of the season – at Atlanta in February – and snapped a three-race top-10 run. But he still maintains a one-point edge over four-race winner Kyle Busch atop the points standings. Logano has only led laps in one of the last five races (163 of 203 laps in his Michigan win two weeks ago). The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford has never won at Chicago before, but earned the pole position for the 2013 race and has top-10 finishes in six of the last seven races – including the last five consecutively. His best showing at Chicago is runner-up to Martin Truex Jr. in 2016. Keselowski is a good bet at Chicago Brad Keselowski is one of only four multi-time winners (also Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick) at this week’s Chicagoland Speedway venue – taking the trophies in 2012 and 2014. He shows up with eight consecutive top-10 finishes there and a pair of front row starts (outside pole in 2013 and 2016). His 9.2 average finish is best among active drivers with more than five starts. And he’s led laps in seven of his 10 starts. It’s been five races since Keselowski earned his third win of 2019 – at Kansas. Two of this three victories (at Atlanta and Kansas) and one of his two runner-up finishes (at Las Vegas) have come on 1.5-mile tracks similar to Chicagoland. Newman is a new man Ryan Newman’s move to Roush-Fenway Racing this season has been a revitalization of his competitive spirit and talent can do. He’s been making an especially impactful run at the Playoff 16 in recent weeks and shown no signs of letting up. Newman’s sixth-place showing at Sonoma, Calif. on Sunday was his second straight top-10 finish and fifth of the season. And it was good enough to move him into the 16th place – final cutoff position – in the series driver standings. He trails 15th place Kyle Larson by nine points and holds a one-point edge on 17th place Jimmie Johnson. It’s Newman’s first time back inside the top 16 since the first week of May. The native Midwesterner, Newman, shows up in Chicago fresh off back-to-back top-10 finishes – eighth at Michigan and sixth place at Sonoma – his best showing at the California road course venue since a seventh place in 2008. The driver of the No. 6 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford is one of only six active drivers with a previous win at this week’s Chicagoland Speedway venue. He won the pole position in his very first start (2002) and he won the race in his second start (2003). And he’s one of only two drivers (also Kyle Busch won a race from pole in 2008) to win a pole position and also a race at the track. Next Race: Camping World 300 The Place: Chicagoland Speedway The Date: Saturday, June 29 The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 3:00 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 300 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200) 2018 Race Winner: Kyle Larson Xfinity’s ‘Big 3’ look to be unstoppable This season’s NASCAR Xfinity Series ‘Big 3’ – Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Cole Custer – look to be on another level compared to the rest of the competition. For starters, 10 of the first 14 races this season have been won by the ‘Big 3’ including the last eight consecutive races – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell has four wins (Atlanta, Bristol, Dover, and Iowa), Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick has three wins (Talladega, Charlotte, and Michigan) and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer has three wins (California, Richmond, and Pocono). But it’s not that they are just winning – Bell, Custer, and Reddick are dominating. Bell has led laps in all 14 races this season, Custer in 11 of the 14 and Reddick in 10 of the 14. But it doesn’t end there, the ‘Big 3’ have also combined to lead 1,619 of a possible 2,587 laps raced this season – that’s 62.5% (Bell with 758 laps led, Custer with 543 and Reddick has 318). Looking to Chicago this weekend, Custer has performed the best at the 1.5-mile speedway amongst the three drivers. In two starts, Custer has grabbed one top five and two 10s. His average finish at Chicago is an impressive 5.0. Last week’s winner, Bell, has had the next best experience at Chicago, making his series track debut last season starting 11th and finishing 12th. Reddick, on the other hand, will be looking to rebound from his series track debut at Chicago last season. The RCR driver was caught in a multi-car incident that relegated him to 30th-place finish after starting on the front row (second). Former Chicago winner Joey Logano returns to the Xfinity Series This weekend, Team Penske’s Joey Logano will be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series 2019 season debut in the Camping World 300 at Chicagoland Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). When Logano rejoins the fold, the competition takes notice as the Connecticut native is ranked seventh all-time on NASCAR Xfinity Series wins list with 30 victories; including two from Chicagoland Speedway (2009 and 2013). This weekend at Chicago will mark Logano’s 175th series start. In his previous 174, he has put up 30 wins, 94 top fives, 142 top 10s and 35 poles (second-most poles all-time). Additionally, he has led 4,660 laps. Logano will be piloting the No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang this weekend with crew chief Matt Swiderski calling the shots from the pit box. This will be the first time the duo has worked together. Despite it being his first race of the season in the series and his first race working with Swiderski, expect Logano to challenge for the win. In seven series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, he has posted one pole (2012), two wins (2009 and 2013), four top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 5.9. Illinois native Justin Allgaier has Chicago circled on the schedule JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier from Riverton, Illinois, scored a career-best five wins last season, but 14 races into 2019 is still looking for his first victory. The 33-year-old Allgaier remains poised, and returning to his home track just might be the spark he needs to get him back to Victory Lane. Currently ranked fourth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings – the highest ranked contender without a win – Allgaier has posted seven top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 11.1 this season. His winning hopes should be high, Chicagoland Speedway has been good to Allgaier in the past. In 11 starts on the 1.5-mile track, he has picked up two wins (2011, 2017), four top fives and eight top 10s. Chicago Fun Fact Despite Jimmie Johnson having 83 Cup wins and seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships, he only has one victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and it was at Chicagoland Speedway in the track’s inaugural Xfinity Series event on July 14, 2001. Smith Grabs A Gear JR Motorsport’s part-time driver and former NASCAR Next alum Zane Smith has continued to improve his finishes with each NASCAR Xfinity Series start he’s made this season. Though only running part-time this year, Smith has run five races in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, putting together one top five and three top 10s; including his career-best finish of fifth at Iowa. Smith is scheduled to run eight races this season, with five in the books and three left to go including this weekend’s Camping World 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. It will be his series track debut at Chicago. Like Father, Like Son For just sixth time in their NASCAR Xfinity Series career’s Joe Nemechek and his son John Hunter Nemechek will be competing in the same series race. John Hunter runs full-time this season in the Xfinity Series for GMS Racing and Joe will be making just his second series start of the season. The first Xfinity race the two competed in was last season at Bristol Motor Speedway (April 14, 2018); John Hunter bested his father Joe finishing 13th to his 19th. Earlier this season the two both raced at Charlotte in the Xfinity Series, all five previous races the two have battled it out John Hunter has prevailed. This will be the first time the duo has raced together at Chicagoland Speedway. JRM Taps Regan Smith JR Motorsports will have Regan Smith back behind the wheel at two upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series road course races – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Aug. 10) and Road America (Aug. 24). It will be the first time in two years Smith will be back in the series. “I can’t tell you how pumped I am for this,” Smith said. “Dale, Kelley and everyone at JRM has been like family to me, so in a way, it feels like I’m coming home.” Smith has previously made 102 starts for JR Motorsports in his Xfinity career, posting six wins (including Mid-Ohio in 2015) and 27 top fives. Chastain & Kaulig Racing Reunite One driver certainly making headlines this season is former Florida watermelon farmer and current NASCAR driver, Ross Chastain, who will be back in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Chastain will be pulling triple duty this weekend running in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race Friday, June 28, again on Saturday, June 29, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race and then finally in the Monster Energy Series race on Sunday, June 30. Chastain has made 13 series start this season 11 with JD Motorsports and two with Kaulig Racing (Daytona and Talladega); his average finish this season is 16.2. XCI Racing & Earnhardt Return XCI Racing and Jeffrey Earnhardt return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. XCI Racing will be looking to make the team’s second series start – ever. The organization made its series debut with Earnhardt piloting the No. 81 Toyota at Texas Motor Speedway; he started 14th and finished inside the top-10 (eighth). In total Earnhardt has made six starts this season – the other five were with Joe Gibbs Racing – posting one top five, three top 10s and an average finish of 13.3. Next Race: Camping World 225 The Place: Chicagoland Speedway The Date: Friday, June 28 The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 9:00 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 225 miles (150 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 160) 2018 Race Winner: Brett Moffitt The “Melon Man” meets the challenge When Ross Chastain made the switch to declare for NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series points prior to the Texas race in June, he knew he had to do two things in order to qualify for the Playoffs – win a race and work his way into the top 20 in points. At Iowa, he thought he had checked off the first box, but a post-race inspection failure led to a disqualification and it was back to the drawing board. But the driver of the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet found redemption the next weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, using a combination of clever pit strategy to gain track position and gutsy driving to hold off Christian Eckes for the win that held up through post-race inspection. Now the 26-year-old hailing from a watermelon farming family out of Alva, Florida, needs to maintain the level of consistency that he has shown all season in order to overcome the 38 points separating him from the top 20. So far in 2019, Chastain has recorded a top 10 in every race except Iowa, where he was relegated to a last-place finish after the disqualification. Including Iowa, he has an average finish this year of 8.5. Tossing that result out, he has an average finish of 6.2 in the other 10 races. And he’s heading to a track that should give him confidence. Chastain earned his first career Gander Trucks victory earlier this year at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5-mile sister track to this weekend’s Chicagoland Speedway. Chastain can make up some ground on the top 20 this weekend as neither Cory Roper (19th with 127 points) nor Josh Reaume (20th with 126 points) are on the entry list as of Wednesday afternoon. Natalie Decker in 21st with 125 points is entered in the race. Moffitt returns to defend Chicagoland win 2018 was a banner year for Brett Moffitt consisting of six wins, including at this weekend’s venue of Chicagoland Speedway, and a NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship. Last year’s edition of the Windy City race was Moffitt’s third win of the season and sixth top five. So far this year, he has one win (Iowa Speedway) and has already amassed six top fives through the first 11 races. Moffitt’s win at Chicagoland last year marked his first visit to the speedway. Overall at 1.5-mile tracks, Moffitt has made 21 starts and tallied three (out of his eight career total) Gander Trucks wins. He has eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes at that distance. The only other previous Chicagoland race winner in the field is Johnny Sauter, who won the 2017 race. Kyle Busch is the only driver who has repeated as a winner in the Gander Trucks at Chicago – and he has five wins (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016). Enfinger, ThorSport still on top Although he has yet to visit Victory Lane in 2019, ThorSport Racing driver Grant Enfinger has been at the top of the points standings for the majority of the season. And that could pay off handsomely for him come Playoff time, as the regular season champion nets 15 Playoff points for use in the postseason. Enfinger is joined in the top four in the points standings by teammates Matt Crafton (third) and Ben Rhodes (fourth). The fourth in the ThorSport stable, Johnny Sauter, fell to 10th in the standings after missing last weekend’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway due to a suspension stemming from an on-track incident at Iowa Speedway. Sauter, however, remains Playoff eligible and already has a win on the season…therefore the entire Sandusky, Ohio-based quartet of trucks would be eligible for the postseason were it to start now. The remainder of the top five consists of Stewart Friesen in second and Brett Moffitt in fifth. Friesen is not only searching for his first win of the season…he’s pursuing his first career Gander Trucks win. But he’s having a solid year and one has to think the first win isn’t far off. He’s tallied six top-five and seven top-10 finishes so far this season…and he had nine top fives in all of last year. He finished runner-up at Texas (a 1.5-mile track like Chicagoland) and was third at Charlotte and Gateway. source – NASCAR communications
