Nationwide Series In The Limelight This Weekend

Sunday Showcase: Nationwide Series In The Limelight This Weekend

For a little twist this Sunday, the NASCAR Nationwide Series will take center stage for the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. The opportunity for the points leaders like Regan Smith, Sam Hornish Jr. and Austin Dillon to showcase their skills is evident, but also up-and-coming drivers like Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman also get to take advantage of the exposure. 

Young standout Larson leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings and is currently seventh in series standings 48 points behind leader Smith. Larson continues to impress fans and media alike. His past two starts on 1.5-mile tracks has resulted in top-10 finishes. Larson also has a season-to-date Driver Rating of 89.0 and an Average Running Position of 13.6.

Another driver on the rise is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brian Vickers. Flying high on his momentum from winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in New Hampshire last weekend, Vickers promised his NNS sponsors a win is coming soon.  Watch for him to possibly break through and visit Victory Lane for the first time this season.  Vickers has made four series starts at Chicago posting three top fives and an average finish of 10.3.

Joey Logano will be the only full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver participating this weekend. He sat on the Coors Light pole for this event last season. In total he has made four starts at Chicago posting one win (2009), two top fives and three top 10s. Without a doubt, expect Logano to contend this weekend; his pre-race Driver Rating is 119.2 - third-best in the series.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader Matt Crafton will mark his return to the series this weekend. Crafton finished third in his series debut earlier this year at Kentucky Speedway. Chicagoland Speedway, like Kentucky, is a 1.5-mile speedway; though the configurations are different. Crafton has already proven he is good on intermediate layouts.

ESPN’s pre-race show begins at 2:30 p.m. with the green flag set to wave shortly after 3 p.m. ET.

 

Round Three: Who You Got Taking Home The Dash4Cash?

The Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash (#Dash4Cash) has reached its third round in which NASCAR Nationwide Series points eligible drivers clash to earn $100,000 bonuses for their finishes. Drivers and fans alike have boasted how successful the program has been in creating an intense race-within-a-race for the extra cash in its first two rounds and that enthusiasm should carry over this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

Elliott Sadler banked the first round of Dash 4 Cash in Daytona with a third-place finish. Austin Dillon won the D4C $100,000 bonus with a third-place finish at New Hampshire last weekend.

With winning the award Dillon automatically qualifies for the next payout this Sunday at Chicagoland. He will compete against Brian Vickers, Brian Scott and Michael Annett for the bonus.

Of the four competing, Dillon has the best average finish at Chicago with a 4.5. 

 

Championship Contenders Clash As Top 10 Heats Up

Nothing bodes better for great action than a little controversy among title contenders. Regan Smith and Elliott Sadler have some unfinished business heading into Chicagoland following some tough racing this past weekend.

Championship standings leader Smith and defending race winner Sadler tangled on track in New Hampshire this past weekend. Frustrations and tempers were high following the incident and Sadler vowed in post-race remarks that Smith would not win the championship at season's end. Smith currently holds a 24-point lead over Sadler, who is in fifth.

Smith will have more than a smoldering Sadler on his bumper. He also must contend with the other eight drivers in the top 10 in the standings nipping at No. 7 Chevrolet’s quarter panels. Smith’s points lead had grown to 58 points over second heading into Road America, just four races ago. Since then it has dwindled to five points over second-place Sam Hornish Jr. But what is even more interesting is 10th-place Parker Kligerman is only 69 points back. Smith will have to be on his game the remainder of the season to hold his lead.

If Smith’s past is any indication of how he will do this weekend at Chicago, his pursuers should enter the race with optimism. The standings leader has made three series starts at Chicago posting an average finish of 31.3.

 

 

NASCAR Nationwide Series Etc.

Announced For all you historians, make sure to check out the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford driven by Michael Annett this weekend. Not only will their STP sponsorship coincide with the race entitlement, but also the car will run the famous Petty Blue and STP Orange color scheme the NASCAR Hall of Famer made famous. …  Joey Coulter will be stepping into the rocket known as the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend in Kyle Busch’s stead.  The No. 54 leads the owner standings by 51 points over the No. 22 team.