It’s official: Chicagoland to open 2011 Chase

It’s official: Chicagoland to open 2011 Chase

Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Service
Racing HellonWheels
(August 9, 2010)

NASCAR and Chicagoland Speedway officials confirmed Monday that the 1.5-mile oval in Joliet, Ill., will open the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. It will replace Auto Club Speedway among the 10 Chase tracks.
Chicagoland has had a race in July—the week after the July 4 weekend race in Daytona—since its first race in 2001. Next year’s race will be Sept. 18. Since the Chase started in 2004, New Hampshire has opened the Chase.
“When we were offered the opportunity to get this race and relocate our event on the schedule to the first (Chase) race, we jumped at it,” Chicagoland Speedway president Craig Rust said.
The move puts the first Chase race in the nation’s third-largest media market, although it replaces Auto Club Speedway in California—which is considered the Los Angeles market (second nationally)—among the 10 Chase tracks. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations, said no other Chase venues will change.
“Chicago will be the only new race in the Chase and our biggest market,” O’Donnell said Monday. “Chicago has a huge sports background. It’s a track that is a fast track and has some unique qualities that we can bring to the Chase.
“We’ve got a tremendous fan base in the Midwest that will get behind this date. It’s no secret that a lot of sponsorships, a lot of big companies are based in Chicago, so it makes sense for us.”
Track operating company International Speedway Corp., which owns several tracks, is expected to announce the realignment of a Cup race from Auto Club Speedway to Kansas Speedway on Tuesday as well as the dates of the Kansas events. Auto Club Speedway is expected to have its lone Cup race March 27; Kansas likely will have a June date for its first race and then keep an October date in the Chase.
“What we’ve done is ultimately give each track the best opportunity to succeed,” O’Donnell said. “California … we think has a much better date for them, kind of back to their traditional date they used to have in the California marketplace that worked well for them.”
Auto Club Speedway had sold out its Sprint Cup races each year from 1997 to 2003 when it had only one event.
NASCAR is expected to release the complete 2011 Sprint Cup schedule this month.