History

·        Construction of the Chicagoland Speedway began in August 1999.

·        The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicago was July 14, 2001.

·        The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on July 15, 2001 – won by Kevin Harvick.

·        This weekend marks the third year Chicagoland Speedway has been included in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – Sept. 18, 2011.

Notebook

·        There have been 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland Speedway, one race per season since the first event in 2001.

·        105 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway; 81 in more than one. 

·        10 drivers have competed in all 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Chicagoland Speedway; four of which are Chase Contenders: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick.

·        Todd Bodine won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Chicago in 2001 with a speed of 183.717 mph. 

·        10 drivers have Coors Light poles at Chicago, led by Jimmie Johnson with two. 

·        Youngest Chicago pole winner: Ryan Newman (7/14/2002 – 24 years, 7 months, 6 days).

·        Oldest Chicago pole winner: Matt Kenseth (9/19/2011 – 39 years, 6 months, 9 days).

·        Nine different NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have won at Chicagoland Speedway, led by Tony Stewart with three; followed by Kevin Harvick with two (first two series events at speedway). 

·        Three Chase Contenders are former winners at Chicagoland Speedway: Harvick, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

·        Kevin Harvick (2001, 2002) is the only driver to post consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Chicagoland Speedway

·        Youngest Chicago winner: Kyle Busch (7/12/2008 – 23 years, 2 months, 10 days).

·        Oldest Chicago winner: Mark Martin (7/11/2009 – 50 years, 6 months, 2 days).

·        Joe Gibbs Racing has the most wins at Chicago in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with three: Tony Stewart (two) and Kyle Busch (one). Richard Childress Racing, Penske Racing and Hendrick Motorsports each have two.

·        Three different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Chicago; led by Chevrolet with eight victories; followed by Toyota and Dodge with two each. Ford has yet to win at Chicago.

·        One of the 12 (8.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicago have been won from the Coors Light pole; Kyle Busch in 2008.

·        Four of the 12 (33.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Chicago have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·        Three of the 12 (25%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicago have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·        The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Chicago is 32nd, by Kevin Harvick in 2002.

·        Kyle Busch swept the weekend at Chicagoland Speedway winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2008.   

·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in runner-up finishes at Chicago with three; followed by Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth with two each.

·        Tony Stewart leads the series in top-five finishes at Chicago with eight; followed by Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon with six each.  

·        Tony Stewart leads the series in top-10 finishes at Chicago with 10; followed by Jeff Gordon with nine.

·        Brian Vickers leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Chicago with a 5.833.

·       Tony Stewart leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at 8.500.

·       Eight of the nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Chicagoland Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Kevin Harvick won at Chicago in his first two appearances (2001, 2002). Ryan Newman won in his second appearance (2003).     

·        Mark Martin competed at Chicagoland Speedway eight times before winning in 2009; the longest span of any the nine Chicago NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·        Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Joe Nemechek and Matt Kenseth lead the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicago without visiting Victory Lane at 12.

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Chicagoland Speedway was the July 12, 2008 race won by Kevin Harvick over Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.159 second. It is the 75th closest finish scored by electronic scoring in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

·        Eight out of the 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland Speedway have had a Margin of Victory less than a second.

·        Only one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race has resulted with a green-white-checkered finish at Chicagoland Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 7/9/2006 (267/270).

·        None of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.   

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Chicagoland Speedway once – the 2008 event.  

·        Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Chicagoland Speedway: David Stremme (7/10/2005) and Josh Wise (9/19/2011).

·        Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Chicago with 537 laps led in 11 starts.

·        Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed at Chicagoland Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; Shawna Robinson attempted to in 2001 but failed to qualify for the event.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Danica Patrick	41	25	9/16/2012

 

Chicagoland Speedway Data

Season Race #: 26 of 36 (09-15-13)

Chase Race #: 1

Track Size: 1.5-miles

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 18 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 18 degrees

Banking/Tri-Oval: 11 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  2,400 feet

Backstretch Length:  1,700 feet

Race Length: 267 laps / 400 miles

 

Top 12 Driver Rating at Chicago

Jimmie Johnson....................... 116.2

Tony Stewart............................ 109.8

Brian Vickers............................ 101.5

Matt Kenseth............................ 101.5

Kyle Busch................................. 99.4

Kevin Harvick............................. 95.8

Jeff Gordon................................ 94.6

Clint Bowyer............................... 91.8

Carl Edwards............................. 90.9

Brad Keselowski......................... 90.2

Mark Martin................................ 89.6

Dale Earnhardt Jr....................... 89.5

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (eight total) among active drivers at Chicagoland Speedway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 182.865 mph, 29.530 secs. 9-14-12

2012 race winner: Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 143.363 mph, (02:47:37), 9-16-12

Track qualifying record: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 188.147 mph, 28.701 secs. 7-8-05

Track race record: David Reutimann, Toyota, 145.138 mph, (02:45:34), 7-10-10

NASCAR in Illinois

·        There have been 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among three different tracks in Illinois.

Track Name	City	NSCS	Years
Chicagoland Speedway	Joliet	12	2001-2013
Santa Fe Speedway	Willow Springs	1	1954
Soldier Field	Chicago	1	1956

·        74 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Illinois.

·        Two of the 74 have posted at least one victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. 

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Fred Lorenzen	26	0	0
Tom Pistone	2	0	0
Justin Allgaier	0	3	0
Bobby Dotter	0	1	0
Erik Darnell	0	0	2

 

CHICAGO-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

 

1 - Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.6

2013 Rundown

·        Five wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 13.9

·        Led 17 races for 1,149 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        Two top fives, four top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 12.8 in 12 races

·        Average Running Position of 10.9, fourth-best

·        Driver Rating of 101.5, fourth-best

·        178 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 168.894 mph, third-fastest

·        1,473 Laps in the Top 15 (68.9%), fifth-most

 

2 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.3

2013 Rundown

·        Four wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 12.8

·        Led 14 races for 1,139 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        Six top fives, nine top 10s; two poles

·        Average finish of 9.3 in 11 races

·        Series-best Average Running Position of 7.2

·        Series-best Driver Rating of 116.2

·        Series-high 310 Fastest Laps Run

·        Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 169.329 mph

·        Series-high 1,856 Laps in the Top 15 (86.8%)

·        226 Quality Passes, seventh-most

 

3 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 Doublemint Toyota)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.2

2013 Rundown

·        Four wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s; three poles

·        Average finish of 13.9

·        Led 13 races for 1,102 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        One win, three top fives, three top 10s

·        Average finish of 13.4 in eight races

·        Average Running Position of 11.1, fifth-best

·        Driver Rating of 99.4, fifth-best

·        95 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

·        455 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 168.646 mph, fourth-fastest

·        1,533 Laps in the Top 15 (71.7%), fourth-most

·        246 Quality Passes, fifth-most

 

4 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.1

2013 Rundown

·        Two wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s

·        Average finish of 12.7

·        Led 8 races for 51 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        Two wins, six top fives, seven top 10s

·        Average finish of 10.5 in 12 races

·        Average Running Position of 12.0, seventh-best

·        Driver Rating of 95.8, sixth-best

·        439 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 168.640 mph, fifth-fastest

·        1,462 Laps in the Top 15 (68.3%), sixth-most

·        207 Quality Passes, ninth-most

 

5 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Fastenal Ford)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.6

2013 Rundown

·        Two wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 12.3

·        Led 11 races for 447 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        Three top fives, three top 10s

·        Average finish of 16.6 in eight races

·        Average Running Position of 15.2, 15th-best

·        Driver Rating of 90.9, ninth-best

·        110 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

·        1,393 Laps in the Top 15 (65.1%), seventh-most

·        263 Quality Passes, third-most

 

6 - Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.6

2013 Rundown

·        One win, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 14.7

·        Led 9 races for 216 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        One top 10

·        Average finish of 15.0 in four races

·        Average Running Position of 16.8, 18th-best

·        Driver Rating of 78.8, 21st-best

 

7 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 Post-It Ford)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.5

2013 Rundown

·        One win, three top fives, 10 top 10s

·        Average finish of 15.1

·        Led 3 races for 115 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        One top five, one top 10

·        Average finish of 18.2 in 10 races

·        Average Running Position of 15.8, 17th-best

·        Driver Rating of 87.6, 13th-best

·        71 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

·        Series-high 559 Green Flag Passes

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 168.251 mph, 12th-fastest

 

8 - Clint Bowyer (No. 15 Peak Antifreeze Toyota)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.3

2013 Rundown

·        Eight top fives, 13 top 10s

·        Average finish of 12.3

·        Led 6 races for 285 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        One top five, six top 10s

·        Average finish of 10.1 in seven races

·        Average Running Position of 12.6, eighth-best

·        Driver Rating of 91.8, eighth-best

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 168.346 mph, 10th-fastest

·        1,277 Laps in the Top 15 (68.2%), ninth-most

·        229 Quality Passes, sixth-most

 

9 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.3

2013 Rundown

·        Five top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 14.2

·        Led 7 races for 146 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        One win, three top fives, five top 10s

·        Average finish of 14.3 in 12 races

·        Average Running Position of 13.5, ninth-best

·        Driver Rating of 89.5, 12th-best

·        64 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most

·        516 Green Flag Passes, second-most

·        Average Green Flag Speed of 168.246 mph, 13th-fastest

·        1,383 Laps in the Top 15 (64.7%), eighth-most

·        251 Quality Passes, fourth-most

 

10 - Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row/Serta Chevrolet)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.1

2013 Rundown

·        Eight top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole

·        Average finish of 15.2

·        Led 13 races for 441 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        Six top 10s

·        Average finish of 18.3 in 12 races

·        Average Running Position of 15.2, 14th-best

·        Driver Rating of 84.3, 15th-best

·        60 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most

·        1,239 Laps in the Top 15 (57.9%), 10th-most

·        193 Quality Passes, 12th-most

 

11 - Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.2

2013 Rundown

·        Two wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s

·        Average finish of 16.2

·        Led 6 races for 466 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        Two top fives, three top 10s

·        Average finish of 19.0 in nine races

·        Average Running Position of 18.0, 21st-best

·        Driver Rating of 81.0, 18th-best

·        74 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

 

12 – Ryan Newman (No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)

·        Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 81.3

2013 Rundown

·        One win, six top fives, 12 top 10s, one pole

·        Average finish of 16.0

·        Led 10 races for 84 laps

Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:

·        One win, three top fives, seven top 10s, one pole

·        Average finish of 15.5 in eight races

·        Average Running Position of 15.0, 13th-best

·        Driver Rating of 82.8, 17th-best

·        20 Fastest Laps Run, 22nd-most

·        468 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most

·        1,166 Laps in the Top 15 (54.5%), 14th-most

·        192 Quality Passes, 15th-most

 

Chase Contenders

The Top 12

Following Race 26 of 36

                                                                                Rank          Season

                                                                                                    Last            Driver

Driver                                    Points    Wins       Poles         Week         Rating

1. Matt Kenseth            2,015       5           2              6           108.6

2. Jimmie Johnson       2,012       4           2              1           104.3

3. Kyle Busch               2,012       4           3              5           102.2

4. Kevin Harvick           2,006       2           0               3             93.1

5. Carl Edwards            2,006       2           1               4             94.6

6. Joey Logano            2,003       1           1               8            89.6

7. Greg Biffle               2,003       1           0               9             82.5

8. Clint Bowyer             2,000       0           0              2             94.3

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.     2,000       0           1               7             94.3

10. Kurt Busch                2,000       0           1            10             95.1

11. Kasey Kahne            2,000       2           0            12             98.2

12. Ryan Newman           2,000       1           1            14             81.3

    ___________________________________________________________

 

ADDITIONAL DRIVERS

13. Jeff Gordon                        750          34. Bobby Labonte           343

14. Jamie McMurray                721          35. J.J. Yeley                      340

15. Brad Keselowski                720          36. AJ Allmendinger         337

16. Paul Menard                       698          37. Timmy Hill                   127

17. Martin Truex Jr.                  691          38. Michael McDowell      122

18. Aric Almirola                       664          39. Michael Waltrip           102

19. Juan Pablo Montoya         656          40. Scott Speed                   99

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.          644          41. Ken Schrader                92

21. Marcos Ambrose               638          42. Terry Labonte                77

22. Jeff Burton                          628          43. Boris Said                       48

23. Tony Stewart                      594          44. Ron Fellows                   31

24. Casey Mears                      544          45. Alex Kennedy                21

25. David Ragan                      489          46. Justin Marks                   14

26. Denny Hamlin                    485          47. Victor Gonzalez Jr        10

27. Danica Patrick                    473          48. Scott Riggs                     10

28. David Gilliland                   462          49. Brian Keselowski            9

29. Mark Martin                         457          50. Tomy Drissi                      8

30. Dave Blaney                       396          51. Jacques Villeneuve        3

31. David Stremme                 362          52. Jason Leffler                    1

32. David Reutimann              353

33. Travis Kvapil                       352

Note: The first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season determine which 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, contested over the final 10 races of the season. After race No. 26, the top 10 earn a berth in the Chase. Spots 11 and 12 – the Wild Cards – will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Top 12 at Chicagoland Speedway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Matt Kenseth	12	1	0	2	4	0	12.8	101.5
2	Jimmie Johnson	11	2	0	6	9	1	9.3	116.2
3	Kyle Busch	8	0	1	3	3	1	13.4	99.4
4	Kevin Harvick	12	0	2	6	7	0	10.5	95.8
5	Carl Edwards	8	0	0	3	3	0	16.6	90.9
6	Joey Logano	4	0	0	0	1	0	15.0	78.8
7	Greg Biffle	10	0	0	1	1	1	18.2	87.6
8	Clint Bowyer	7	0	0	1	6	0	10.1	91.8
9	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	12	0	1	3	5	1	14.3	89.5
10	Kurt Busch	12	0	0	0	6	1	18.3	84.3
11	Kasey Kahne	9	0	0	2	3	2	19.0	81.0
12	Ryan Newman	11	1	1	3	7	1	15.5	82.8

* – Based on last eight races at Chicagoland Speedway.