Below is a look at how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field has performed at Chicagoland Speedway going into the GEICO 400 on September 18.
The Chase Is On
The Top 12 Following Race 26 of 36
CHICAGOLAND-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
1 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 Wrigley Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.4
2011 Rundown
· Four wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 10.9
· Led 19 races for 1,181 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, two top 10s
· Average finish of 13.5 in six races
· Average Running Position of 12.2, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 98.3, seventh-best
· 73 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· 320 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.567 mph, seventh-fastest
· 1,031 Laps in the Top 15 (64.2%), seventh-most
· 154 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), 10th-most
2 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.9
2011 Rundown
· Four wins, seven top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.6
· Led 12 races for 332 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, five top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 11.2 in 10 races
· Average Running Position of 11.3, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 98.5, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.847 mph, fifth-fastest
· 1,162 Laps in the Top 15 (72.4%), fourth-most
· 141 Quality Passes, 11th-most
3 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.9
2011 Rundown
· Three wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.6
· Led 17 races for 721 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 8.6 in 10 races
· Average Running Position of 9.9, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 100.7, fifth-best
· 87 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.704 mph, sixth-fastest
· 1,332 Laps in the Top 15 (83.0%), second-most
· Series-high 231 Quality Passes
4 - Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.4
2011 Rundown
· Two wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.9
· Led 14 races for 579 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 11.4 in 10 races
· Average Running Position of 11.7, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 102.4, fourth-best
· 156 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 168.063 mph, third-fastest
· 1,052 Laps in the Top 15 (65.5%), fifth-most
· 160 Quality Passes, eighth-most
5 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.4
2011 Rundown
· One win, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.0
· Led 17 races for 558 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, two top 10s
· Average finish of 18.3 in six races
· Average Running Position of 16.8, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.4, 10th-best
· 93 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 985 Laps in the Top 15 (61.4%), eighth-most
· 187 Quality Passes, third-most
6 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.7
2011 Rundown
· One win, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.6
· Led 14 races for 655 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Five top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 10.0 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 8.4, third-best
· Series-best Driver Rating of 112.0
· Series-high 187 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 168.376 mph
· 1,326 Laps in the Top 15 (82.6%), third-most
· 169 Quality Passes, fifth-most
7 - Kurt Busch (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.0
2011 Rundown
· One win, seven top fives, 14 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 12.9
· Led 14 races for 548 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Five top 10s
· Average finish of 18.1 in 10 races
· Average Running Position of 15.5, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.7, 16th-best
· 350 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· 933 Laps in the Top 15 (58.1%), 11th-most
· 156 Quality Passes, ninth-most
8 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Medical Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.0
2011 Rundown
· One win, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.1
· Led 12 races for 267 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.8 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 17.2, 17th-best
· Driver Rating of 76.7, 19th-best
· 336 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
9 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.3
2011 Rundown
· Three top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.2
· Led 13 races for 340 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, seven top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 9.5 in 10 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.4
· Driver Rating of 110.4, second-best
· 124 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 168.340 mph, second-fastest
· Series-high 1,446 Laps in the Top 15 (90.1%)
· 196 Quality Passes, second-most
10 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.9
2011 Rundown
· Three top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.3
· Led 8 races for 50 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, three top 10s
· Average finish of 16.0 in 10 races
· Average Running Position of 13.2, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.9, 11th-best
· 61 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 337 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· 1,046 Laps in the Top 15 (65.2%), sixth-most
· 179 Quality Passes, fourth-most
11 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.6
2011 Rundown
· Three wins, six top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.6
· Led 12 races for 268 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Average finish of 25.0 in two races
· Average Running Position of 20.9, 23rd-best
· Driver Rating of 65.5, 28th-best
12 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.7
2011 Rundown
· One win, four top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.1
· Led 14 races for 392 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, two top 10s
· Average finish of 16.8 in five races
· Average Running Position of 16.7, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.7, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 167.496 mph, eighth-fastest
· 902 Laps in the Top 15 (67.4%), 13th-most
· 164 Quality Passes, seventh-most
At Chicagoland Speedway:
History
· Construction began in August 1999.
· The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was July 14, 2001.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on July 15, 2001.
· This weekend marks the first time Chicagoland Speedway will be included in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – Sept. 18, 2011.
Notebook
· There have been 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Chicagoland Speedway.
· 12 drivers have competed in all 10 races.
· Todd Bodine won the first pole.
· There has been a different pole winner after every qualifying session (qualifying was canceled in 2008).
· Kevin Harvick won the first two races; six drivers have won races, led by Harvick and Tony Stewart, each with two.
· Kyle Busch won the 2008 race from the pole, the first time a driver won from the pole. It was also the only time a driver had won from a top-five starting position.
· Kevin Harvick won the 2002 race from the 32nd starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner ever started at Chicago.
· Only one starting position has multiple wins: 14th. Mark Martin won from the 14th starting position in 2009, as did Ryan Newman in 2003.
· Jeff Gordon (8.6), Jimmie Johnson (10.0), Tony Stewart (9.5) and Brian Vickers (8.8) are active drivers who average a top-10 finish.
· Five of the last six races have ended with a margin of victory under one second.
NASCAR in Illinois
· There have been 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Illinois.
· 74 drivers all-time in NASCAR three national series have their home state recorded as Illinois.
Chicagoland Speedway Data
Race #: 26 of 36 (9-18-11)
Track Size: 1.5 miles
Race Length: 400.5 miles (267 laps)
Banking/Corners: 18 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Banking/Tri-Oval: 11 degrees
Qualifying/Race Data
2010 pole winner: Jamie McMurray, (183.542 mph, 29.421 seconds)
2010 race winner: David Reutimann, (145.138 mph, 7-10-10)
Track qualifying record: Jimmie Johnson (188.147 mph, 28.701 seconds, 7-8-05)
Track race record: David Reutimann, (145.138 mph, 7-10-10)
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
· 23 different drivers have made the Chase; 11 drivers in this year’s field have made a prior Chase, the only first-time Chase driver is Brad Keselowski.
· In the 70 Chase races, Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with 19 Chase wins. Carl Edwards is second, with eight.
· Champion’s wins during each Chase:
o 2004: Kurt Busch, one win
o 2005: Tony Stewart, no wins
o 2006: Jimmie Johnson, one win
o 2007: Jimmie Johnson, four wins
o 2008: Jimmie Johnson, three wins
o 2009: Jimmie Johnson, four wins
o 2010: Jimmie Johnson, one win
· Champion’s average finish during each Chase:
o 2004: Kurt Busch, 8.9
o 2005: Tony Stewart, 8.7
o 2006: Jimmie Johnson, 10.8
o 2007: Jimmie Johnson, 5.0
o 2008: Jimmie Johnson, 5.7
o 2009: Jimmie Johnson, 6.8
o 2010: Jimmie Johnson, 6.2
· Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to make all eight editions of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
· Three drivers have made seven Chases: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth. Gordon missed in 2005; Stewart in 2006; Kenseth in 2009.
· Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to average a top-10 finish in Chase races (8.1).
· Four drivers have 20 or more top-five finishes during Chase races: Jimmie Johnson (40), Jeff Gordon (27), Carl Edwards (23), Greg Biffle (23), Matt Kenseth (21).
· Nine drivers have 30 or more top-10 finishes during Chase races: Jimmie Johnson (54), Jeff Gordon (45), Kevin Harvick (38), Carl Edwards (37), Kurt Busch (34), Tony Stewart (34), Matt Kenseth (31), Greg Biffle (31), and Denny Hamlin (30).
· Jimmie Johnson has the most laps led during the Chase (3,423). Matt Kenseth is second with 1,715.
· Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, Jimmie Johnson is the only driver with a Chase Driver Rating of over 100.0. He has a rating of 110.1. Jeff Gordon is second with a 98.4.
· Jimmie Johnson’s average start during the Chase is 9.8. He has nine poles in the 70 Chase races, which is tied with Ryan Newman for most in the Chase.
· There have been 13 races won by drivers who did not qualify for the Chase. The last to do so was Jamie McMurray, at Charlotte last year.
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