THE RACE: LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway
WHEN: 3:30 p.m., Saturday, July 12
TV: TNT (Ch. 54)
RADIO: MRN, Sirius Satellite Radio
CHASING THE CHASE: THIS WEEK’S TOP 20: Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, David Ragan, Brian Vickers, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Bobby Labonte, Travis Kvapil
DEFENDING LIFELOCK.COM 400 CHAMPION: Tony Stewart
RACE TO THE CHASE FACTS:
• The 10 races preceding the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
• The top 12 drivers in the series standings make the Chase.
• The 10 tracks represented in the Race to the Chase are some of the most unique and storied tracks on the circuit. The list includes three of the most famous tracks the sport offers: Daytona International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. There are also tracks in two of the country’s largest markets: Auto Club Speedway (Los Angeles) and Chicagoland Speedway.
THE SCHEDULE: Race to the Chase (track sizes in parentheses)
June 29—New Hampshire (1.058 miles); July 5—Daytona (2.5 mile); July 12—Chicagoland (1.5 miles); July 27—Indianapolis (2.5 miles); Aug. 3—Pocono (2.5 miles); Aug. 10—Watkins Glen (2.45 mile); Aug. 17—Michigan (2 miles); Aug. 23—Bristol (.533 miles); Aug. 31—Auto Club Speedway (2 mile); Sept. 6—Richmond (.75 miles).
SOME STORYLINES:
• Kyle Busch is pulling away in the battle for potential Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup bonus points. Each race winner earns 10 potential Chase bonus points with each win during the first 26 races. With his win at Daytona, Busch now has 60 bonus points, 40 more than any other driver.
• If it wasn’t for bad luck, Tony Stewart would have no luck at all. Stewart had the dominant car at New Hampshire two weeks ago, but rain spoiled any chance at victory. At Daytona, Stewart again had a strong machine, but illness forced him out of the car after less than half the race completed. Now, he’s just two points inside the Chase cut-off. The good news: in 2007, Stewart got his first victory of the season at Chicagoland Speedway, the site of this Saturday night’s race.
• The man chasing Stewart is Kevin Harvick, winner of the first two races ever held at Chicagoland (2001 and 2002). Harvick, 13th in the series standings, sits only two points behind Stewart. Harvick’s Chicagoland success has continued through the years. Since 2005, he has a Driver Rating of 114.6, second-best in the series.
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