SPRINT CUP SERIES CHICAGOLAND

SPRINT CUP SERIES 9/17/15

‘Chasing’ Earnhardt And Petty: Johnson Sets Sites On Seventh Series Title

Ten races separate Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup No. 1 seed Jimmie Johnson from potential immortality. If Johnson wins NASCAR’s 16-driver, four-knockout round playoff, he will capture his seventh series title, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the all-time lead.

Johnson begins his quest in Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN). He has never won at the Windy City track, but boasts seven top fives, and seven top 10s to go along with the series-best average running position (7.129) and driver rating (115.5) there. Chicago remains one of four active tracks at which Johnson has not won (Homestead, Kentucky and Watkins Glen).

The No. 48 Chevrolet driver has won four races this season, but has made 13 starts since his last victory. He tends to elevate his elite skill to an even higher level during NASCAR’s playoffs though, as he leads all drivers with 25 total Chase wins.

Johnson is the only driver to make all 12 Chases since NASCAR first implemented the playoff format in 2004. Click here to see how others compare to Johnson in terms of Chases made.

Kyle Busch Tries To Put Disappointing Chase History In The Rearview Mirror

After reeling off four wins in just 15 races, Kyle Busch enters the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as one of the favorites, if not THE FAVORITE, to take home NASCAR’s ultimate crown.

Don’t mark Kyle Busch as the champion on your Chase Grid in Sharpie just yet.

Busch has the same amount of victories in the Chase as Brian Vickers, Dale Jarrett and Joe Nemechek – one. And that lone victory came in his first full-time season (2005) at Phoenix (when he wasn’t a member of the Chase field).

If you can’t win, the new Chase format makes it hard for a driver to get very far. A visit to Victory Lane in any race automatically advances a Chase driver to the next round.

Busch gets his first shot at a checkered flag at Chicagoland where he claims one win, four top fives and five top 10s in 10 starts.

Keselowski Quietly Roars Into The Chase

What a difference a year makes.

Last season, Brad Keselowski roared into the Chase with much fanfare after leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with four regular season wins, including the finale at Richmond. He kept his momentum going in the Chase winning the opener at Chicagoland on a banzai move, further asserting himself has the championship favorite.

This year, Keselowski roars into the Chase again, but without the same outside expectations. Quietly, he has the longest streak of top-10 finishes entering the Chase (9). His teammate Joey Logano has the next-best string of top 10s with five. Included in Keselowski’s streak are three runner-up finishes.

Chicagoland may be the perfect place for Keselowski to get his momentum going. The No. 2 Ford driver owns two wins, three top fives and four top 10s in six starts at the 1.5-mile track.

Speaking of Logano ….

He enters the Chase as the only non-Joe Gibbs Racing driver who has won in the last nine races – twice, at Watkins Glen and Bristol. He will attempt to get back to the Championship 4 Round for the second consecutive season.

Harvick Begins Second Leg Of Title Defense

Kevin Harvick begins the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with his mind on one goal, retaining his title of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.

Harvick’s two victories put him in a four-way tie for fifth in the series in wins, but he tops the leaderboards in almost every other category. The No. 4 Chevrolet driver ranks first in top fives (18), top 10s (22), average running position (7.5), laps led (1,450) and driver rating (118.8). His 10 runner-ups mark the first time a driver has logged double-digit second-place finishes since Bobby Allison tallied 12 in 1972.

Harvick begins the second leg of his title defense in Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, where he has two wins, eight top fives and nine top 10s in 14 starts.

All They Do Is Win: Joe Gibbs Racing

T-Pain helped the New England Patriots unveil their Super Bowl banner last Thursday by performing his hit song “All I Do Is Win.”

(Side note: He collaborated on the jam with Ludacris who is scheduled to address the media on Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway prior to the NASCAR XFINITY Series Furious 7 300)

He should probably head down to Huntersville, North Carolina and blare out the tune at the Joe Gibbs Racing shop.

JGR has won eight of the last 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races with drivers Kyle Busch (4), Matt Kenseth (3) and Carl Edwards (1). Denny Hamlin hasn’t won since Martinsville in March, but has finished sixth, third, third and fifth in his last four races.

In its tune-up for the Chase at Richmond, all four JGR drivers placed in the top 11: Kenseth (first), Busch (second), Hamlin (sixth) and Edwards (11th). Also of note, Edwards will be making his 400th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start Sunday at Chicagoland.

When asked Saturday about potentially having all four of his drivers make the Championship 4 Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, owner Joe Gibbs replied: “Obviously you'd love that.  But that's a dream.  It's hard for a dream to come true.  I don't think anybody here is realistically thinking about that as a possibility. I think there are so many good cars in there.  We were just talking about the 4 car (Kevin Harvick), the 22 (Joey Logano), the 2 (Brad Keselowski).  All those cars are capable of winning a championship, period.”

Jeff Gordon – NASCAR’s New Iron Man

When Jeff Gordon rises out of his car following Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, he can pull a Tony Stark and say, “I am Iron Man.”

That’s because Gordon will join Ricky Rudd as NASCAR’s “Iron Man” when he ties Rudd’s record of 788 consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts by beginning Sunday’s race. When Gordon competes at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 27, he will subsequently break Rudd’s mark.

While the consecutive starts record is quite the milestone, Gordon is also focused on trying to capture his fifth career NSCS championship. The 13th seed entering this season’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Gordon is trying to win his first title in the Chase era.

In 14 Chicagoland starts, Gordon has one win, seven top fives and nine top 10s. He finished second in the Chase opener at the 1.5-mile track last season.

In his 23 full-time NSCS seasons, Gordon has tallied 92 victories, which rank third in NSCS history behind Richard Petty and David Pearson.

Chasing At Last! Sprint Cup Series Veterans McMurray and Menard Ready for Playoff Debuts

After more than 10 years of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition for each, Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard have finally made their first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

McMurray, one of NASCAR’s best big-race drivers, has come painstakingly close to previous Chase berths, but had always fallen just short. After being active in the NSCS for 14 years, the 39-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing driver finally made NASCAR’s playoffs. McMurray boasts seven wins in his career including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 (both in 2010). He has also visited Victory Lane in the Sprint All-Star race (2014) and Rolex 24 (2015). He enters the Chase as the 12 seed.

Menard heads to the Chase for the first time as its 15 seed. The 2015 campaign marks his 12th season competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In 317 starts, he claims one win, 17 top fives and 51 top 10s. Menard’s lone win was a big one – the 2011 Brickyard 400.

Similar to last season with AJ Allmendinger and Aric Almirola, McMurray and Menard are the only two drivers making their Chase debuts. For an infographic on McMurray and Menard’s Chase debut, click here.

Spoiler Alert: Stewart and Larson Attempt To Block Advancing Spot From Chase Drivers

Any Chase-eligible driver who wins a race in a specific round automatically advances to the next segment of NASCAR’s playoffs.

Non-Chase drivers can nullify these automatic advancements by making their own visits to Victory Lane.

At Chicagoland, non-Chasers Tony Stewart and Kyle Larson are prime candidates to play spoiler.

Stewart holds the Chicagoland track record with three wins and also has three Coors Light Pole Awards there.  His 105.0 driver rating is the third-best total at the 1.5-mile track.

Larson led 20 laps and finished third in his only career start at Chicagoland last season.

Chase Fest Set for Thursday in Chicago

As The Chase rapidly approaches, so too does the fan celebration that will help kick it off in Chicago – Chase Fest sponsored by Toyota. The free outdoor fan fest will feature all 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Challengers and culminate with a live concert by Grammy-nominated band, 3 Doors Down.

NASCAR Chase Fest will take place on Weed Street between Fremont and Kingsbury streets from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. CDT on September 17 and will feature appearances and autograph sessions from all 16 drivers competing in the Challenger Round, as well as a number of recognizable NASCAR personalities. Fans in attendance will be treated to good from renowned Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, beverages from Coors Light (with proper ID), attractions such as the Toyota Ferris Wheel and NASCAR on NBC Sports Bumper Cars, activations from event sponsor Sprint including an appearance by Miss Sprint Cup and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Trophy, and another live musical performance by a Chicago favorite, country cover band the Suburban Cowboys.