Stewart Sizzles In Summertime
As the temperatures heat up, so does Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet).
Not only does Stewart top the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, he has two wins under his belt and is moving in on Kyle Busch’s (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) and Mark Martin’s (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet) series-best three wins thus far. Seems like a good time to be heading to a track where he has excelled.
“It’s a place I like,” Stewart said of Chicagoland Speedway, site of Sunday’s LifeLock.com 400. “This place is really getting racy as far as finally being able to move around and change lines and run anywhere from the bottom to the top. It’s a fun track because of that.”
Stewart is tied with Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Pennzoil/Shell Chevrolet) for most wins at the track with two each. His wins came in 2004 and 2007, while Harvick won back-to-back in 2001 and 2002.
With a series-high Driver Rating of 105.0 over the next eight events, the highest percentage of laps in the top 15 (75.3) and top average running position (10.3), Stewart seeks to improve his potential Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup seeding.
“I don’t watch the stats very much,” he said. “You just take it week to week. Technology in this sport changes so fast. What was good the last time you were here doesn’t mean it’s going to be good the second time around. So you constantly have to work. You’ve got to keep pushing the envelope.”
Even though he leads the Race to the Chase – the 10-race stretch prior to the Chase – it’s key for Stewart to gain another 10 bonus points (Chase drivers are seeded according to the number of wins they accrue during the season’s first 26 races.)
Three Could Be The Magic Number For Montoya
Three just might be Juan Pablo Montoya’s (No. 42 Target Chevrolet) lucky number.
This is the third consecutive week the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing driver has secured a top-12 spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.
Three years ago at Chicagoland Speedway, the Colombian native announced he was leaving Formula 1 to come to NASCAR.
The 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ 2007 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award, and now in his third full season, Montoya currently is 11th in the standings, only 14 points behind 10th place Matt Kenseth (No. 17 USG Ford) and 21 points ahead of Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) in 12th.
With five top-10 finishes in the last seven starts, Montoya is looking to secure a spot in the Chase.
Race To The Chase Heats Up As Kasey Kahne Rejoins The Battle
Despite a 15th-place finish last Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, Kasey Kahne will head to Chicagoland Speedway inside the top 12, which makes him Chase eligible.
But he does have some work to do. Kahne leads 13th-place Mark Martin by only 65 points.
“To get caught up in that wreck on the last lap at Daytona and still gain a spot in the standings is pretty cool,” Kahne said. “The competition is so strong.
“It’s hard to gain ground when everyone challenging for those final Chase spots is getting strong finishes.”
And by strong finishes, he could mean fellow Chase contender Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished ninth at Daytona, and, of course, standings leader Tony Stewart who won last Saturday’s race and heads into Chicago with a 180-point lead over second-place Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Patriot Academy Chevrolet).
Even with five former series champions in the current top 12 – Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) and Matt Kenseth – Kahne is optimistic.
“There is still a lot of racing left before the Chase starts,” he said.
Chicagoland Speedway’s Victory Lane Has Seen Wide Variety Of Winners
Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet), Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet).
Sounds like a dream lineup, right?
Perhaps, but what they also have in common are NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Chicagoland Speedway. And two drivers have more than one victory here.
In only eight years, the track has seen six winners – including Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart, who both have two Chicagoland wins.
In fact, Harvick won the first two NASCAR Sprint Cup races the track hosted in 2000 and ’01 and has the best average finish at Chicagoland: 7.375.
Could returning to a track where he knows how to win be the boost Harvick needs in a difficult season? Chevrolet leads all manufacturers at the Joliet, Ill.-track with six and currently is leading the series in manufacturer points with 135 over Toyota (100), Ford (84) and Dodge (77).
One driver who could join Harvick and Stewart as a two-time Chicagoland winner is Kyle Busch, who won both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Chicagoland last season. Currently eighth in the standings, Busch said last year’s sweep was special.
“Winning both races at Chicago last year, it was just a great weekend,” he said. “It was special, but there have been several special wins the last couple of years.
“Winning at Atlanta, Daytona, and Infineon last year, and winning at home in Vegas and on my birthday in Richmond were also great races. But winning Chicago last year and beating Jimmie (Johnson) was definitely neat.
“Ultimately I have a lot of respect for him, Jeff Gordon, and anybody in this sport since it’s so competitive. To go out and beat guys like that, it’s something that’s pretty special. I really cherished that … and I know M&M’s did, too.”
Another driver battling for Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility, Kasey Kahne, would like to change his Chicagoland luck.
“I think this weekend could be one of those weekends where we qualify well and have a good race Saturday night,” Kahne said.
First-Half Highlights Promise More Close Competition, Excitement
As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series enters the second half of 2009, here’s a glance at the surprises, comebacks and new winners thus far.
The Return Of Mark Martin: Even though he currently finds himself outside of the Top 12, and Chase eligibility, he has three wins (at Phoenix, Darlington and Michigan) – tied for series best with Kyle Busch – and has made history as one of only four drivers to win a race after the age of 50.
The Rise Of Stewart-Haas Racing: Everyone knew Tony Stewart could win races, but could he do it as a driver/owner? Sure looks like it. In his first season as co-owner of Stewart-Haas, he leads the series standings and has two victories.
Three First-Time Winners: Brad Keselowski (No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet), David Reutimann (No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota) and Joey Logano (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) each captured their first NASCAR Sprint Cup wins this season. Logano also earned the title of youngest winner in series history at the age of 19 (besting Kyle Busch’s record of 20 years).
The Stats Speak: Seven different teams in the top 12; eight different Coors Light Pole winners; all four manufacturers have won a race and are in the top 12; and 11 different race winners this season (there were 12 different winners all of last year).
Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style: It kicked off at Pocono Raceway, creating exciting racing action and enhanced competition for drivers and fans alike.
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