2019 Chicagoland Betting Preview: Gibbs has won last four in Joilet

Kyle Busch won last season at Chicagoland.

Sunday's race at Chicagoland Speedway will be the sixth race on a 1.5-mile track this season, and while the stable of Joe Gibbs Racing has 10 of the 16 races overall this season it's Team Penske that has won three of the first five on 1.5s so far.

Of course, the other two wins on 1.5s come from JGR, but the winning drivers were Denny Hamlin (Texas) and Martin Truex Jr. (Charlotte). Despite Kyle Busch not being in the mix and having top-fives in only two of those five races, he comes in as the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook's 3/1 betting favorite.

Others factors for Busch being so low this week besides four wins and 15 top-10 finishes in 16 starts in 2019 is that his wins at Fontana and Pocono were using the same race package being run this week with aero ducts and engines producing 550 horsepower. He's also got an amazing past history at Chicagoland with two wins, including last season, and leading at least 21 laps in his last six starts there.

But still, 3-to-1 odds is hard to swallow and it's especially hard to bet. Every race we've seen with this package on 1.5s has seen lots of parity with lots of different lap leaders. And somehow in three of those races, Penske has come out on top with Brad Keselowski winning at Atlanta and Kansas and Joey Logano winning at Las Vegas. Both of those drivers are at 8/1 odds this week.

In the case of Keselowski, an argument can be made that he has a better Chicagoland past history than Busch. He's averaged a 9.2 finish in 10 career starts and also has two wins. He's finished ninth or better in his last eight starts and got to the front leading laps in seven of those.

Truex is 6/1 this week and has got all four of his 2019 wins in the past eight races and he's been excellent at Chicagoland the past three years. All three of his top-fives have come in the last three seasons, including back-to-back wins in 2016-17.

“We started out the year kind of searching a bit on the mile-and-a-halves and the bigger tracks with the 550-horsepower package," Truex said. "For us, I definitely feel like we’ve learned a lot the past month and a half and really turned a corner there. That has given us a lot of confidence and we feel like Chicago will be a good race for us.’’

Hamlin has come in under the radar at 18/1 odds despite being good with this package this season and having a great past history at Chicagoland where he's finished seventh or better in his last five starts, including a 2015 win.

The only winless JGR this season is Erik Jones (20/1) who finished sixth last season. This is a track he's done well at throughout his young NASCAR career with two wins in the Xfinity Series. At the similar Kansas layout in May he finished third.

Chevrolet only has one win this season, but they've turned the corner with this package and it was most evident at Kansas when Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman was runner-up and Chase Elliott was fourth. They combined to lead 108 laps that day and I'm looking for both to be very good competing for the win this week.

“Chicago and Kansas are both really similar, but they drive extremely different," said Bowman. "Chicago is kind of bumpy compared to Kansas. They would be a lot similar if they paved the track.”

Bowman has never won a race before, but 30/1 odds should be enough reason to bet something that has never happened.

READ MORE HERE....TOP-5 FINISH PREDICTION ON VEGASINSIDER.COM

Jimmie Johnson is 30/1 to win at Chicagoland

Chicagoland is one of three tracks Johnson has never won at.

Jimmie Johnson on 1.5-mile track performance:
“I know the finish last week didn’t show it, we did have way stronger car than the finish showed. Our 1.5-mile track performances have really improved over the last few races and I am excited to see how we have built on that for this weekend. Chicago is a race that we have shown so much strength in the past and just never have been able to finish the job. It’s been so frustrating to have led so many laps and just been so close and not taken the checkers.”


1.5-MILE FINISHES IN 2019: Since the beginning of the 2019 season, Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Kevin Meendering and the No. 48 team have made some gains on 1.5-mile tracks. They recorded a 24th-place finish at Atlanta and a 19th-place finish at Las Vegas, but shortly after came a pole and fifth-place result at Texas Motor Speedway and a sixth-place finish at Kansas Speedway. Johnson then finished eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. His three straight top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile tracks is the longest active streak in the Cup Series.

SO CLOSE AT CHICAGO: The 695 laps Johnson has the led around Chicagoland Speedway are the most all-time of any driver in NASCAR Cup Series history at the venue. Johnson has also won two pole positions, the most of any driver at the track, but has yet to find Victory Lane. Three of Johnson’s seven top-five finishes at Chicagoland have been runner-up results – the closest was July 12, 2008, when he was edged out by competitor Kyle Busch in a wild finish where the margin of victory was a mere 0.159 seconds. His most recent runner-up finish at the track came in 2012 when he started from the pole position and led 172 laps.

ONE OF FOUR: Chicagoland is one of just four tracks on the Cup Series circuit where Johnson has not scored one of his 83 career wins. The other tracks are Watkins Glen, Kentucky and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

LONE XFINITY WIN: Though a Cup Series win has eluded Johnson so far at Chicagoland, he did record his only win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the inaugural event at the 1.5-mile track in 2001.

CHICAGOLAND TIES: Adam Wall, an engineer on the No. 48 team, is a native of Teutopolis, Illinois, but moved to North Carolina after high school and went to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to pursue his NASCAR engineering dreams. Tanner Andrews, front-tire changer for the No. 48 team, hails from North Aurora, Illinois, and graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in criminal justice. He was a four-year Greco-Roman wrestling standout and trained at the United States Olympic Education Center. Andrews was recognized as one of two recipients of the 2012 Jacob Curby Memorial Award, which is presented annually to a wrestler from each of USA Wrestling’s Olympic Training Centers for displaying strong personal character and commitment. He was a 2011 University Nationals champion at 70 kilograms and also won a bronze medal at the 2011 Dave Schultz Memorial International Championship. Andrews wrestled at the U.S. Open four times and placed fourth in his final tournament.

SONOMA RECAP: Johnson and the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team had a strong car for 20-lap runs at Sonoma, but the last run of the day was 28 laps. Johnson’s car became so tight he lost the grip on the front tires and slid from fifth to 12th in the closing eight laps, just missing a top-10 finish.

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2019 Season 17th in standings 16 starts 0 wins 1 pole position 1 top-five finish 6 top-10 finishes 68 laps led     Career 631 starts 83 wins 36 pole positions 225 top-five finishes 358 top-10 finishes 18,771 laps led     Track Career  17 starts 0 wins 2 pole positions 7 top-five finishes 11 top-10 finishes 695 laps led

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Aric Almirola is 30/1 to win at Chicagoland

ARIC ALMIROLA Summer Heat at Chicagoland  Aric Almirola led 70 laps last season at Chicagoland. KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (June 26, 2019) – Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) looks ahead to a 1.5-mile track that hosted his most laps led in a single race and his first stage win of his career.   Almirola raced the No. 10 Ford from sixth to the lead by lap 40 in the first stage at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet. He started Stage 2 from third and regained the lead until he reported a vibration and was forced to make an unscheduled green-flag pit stop putting him a lap down and in 25th when the checkered flag waved.  Although Almirola only has one top-10 at Chicagoland, the speed his SHR team found in 2018 is nothing to blink an eye at. This season, Almirola has scored four top-10s out of six races at 1.5-mile tracks and led 46 total laps.  “At about this time last year we really started to find speed and mesh as a team,” said Almirola.  “Johnny and the Smithfield team were able to bring me a really fast Ford and we ran up front for a while and earned some stage points. I’m going into the weekend with no expectation like I do every weekend, but it feels good knowing we had success here last year. I have confidence that we’re going to kick it in full gear before and during the playoffs and be serious competitors for the championship.”  Sonoma marks the 14th weekend the iconic black-and-white Smithfield livery will adorn Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Mustang. Smithfield, a brand of Smithfield Foods, which is based approximately five hours northeast of SHR headquarters in Smithfield, Virginia, is in its eighth season with Almirola and its second with SHR. Founded in 1936, Smithfield is a leading provider of high-quality pork products, with a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts. Fans can now get VIP, behind-the-scenes access in following “Aric ‘Beyond the 10’” by subscribing to his YouTube channel and following episodes on Facebook. Episodes will showcase never-before-seen footage of Almirola at the racetrack, on family trips, and “A Day in the Life” during the week, as well as all that goes into a NASCAR Cup Series driver’s season. Click here to subscribe on YouTube and watch the latest episode.  The 35-year-old Ford driver has earned one pole award, one top-five, nine top-10s and has led 100 laps through 15 races this season. His qualifying efforts have also been strong with five front-row starts and eight top-five starts this season.  Almirola sits 11th in the driver standings with 460 points, 183 behind leader and fellow Ford driver Joey Logano.

Aric Almirola: Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Who inspired you to race? “I grew up watching my grandfather race dirt cars all over the Southeast and he was really talented. I fell in love with watching him race. He retired when I was 8 years old and asked me if I wanted to try my hand at racing. I did, so he bought me a go-kart and away we went. I started racing in Florida and, after the first year, we started traveling all over the East Coast racing in the World Karting Association. I raced on dirt ovals and I just loved it. From go-kart racing, I moved up to stock cars and Late Models and had some success in every rank that I competed at. It eventually led me to moving to North Carolina and I started driving a Late Model stock car for Joe Gibbs Racing. I kind of got my foot in the door with major teams in NASCAR and was able to bounce around for a few years until I found a home at Richard Petty Motorsports to drive in the Cup Series. That opportunity parlayed into the opportunity that I have now at Stewart-Haas Racing.”

Alex Bowman is 30/1 to win first career Cup race at Chicagoland

Alex Bowman finished second at Kansas in May.

Alex Bowman on Chicago:
“Last year this No. 88 team brought a great car to the track. We unloaded pretty good and was really fast right off the truck. We missed it a little bit there for the race, but still got a nice top-10 out of the day. The last two 1.5-mile tracks that we have gone to this season, we have done the same thing. We unload pretty good and the guys just continue to make great changes throughout the weekend.”

Bowman on comparing Chicago to Kansas:
“Chicago and Kansas are both really similar, but they drive extremely different. Chicago is kind of bumpy compared to Kansas. They would be a lot similar if they paved the track.”


AXALTA ON BOARD: This weekend marks the seventh of 12 events in which the Axalta colors will adorn Alex Bowman's No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Last year, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Axalta signed a four-year contract extension that will take the partnership through 2022. The leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings unveiled a new Axalta Racing website last year that includes plenty of behind-the-scenes content, photos, and videos. Check out Bowman’s page here.

BOWMAN IN CHICAGO: Bowman is set to make his fifth start at Chicagoland Speedway this Sunday. The Tucson, Arizona, native has two top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile track. In 2016, Bowman piloted the No. 88 machine to six laps led after qualifying 17th. In his last appearance at the track, the driver had a qualifying position of 15th and took the checkered flag in 10th to earn his second top-10 finish at the Illinois venue. The 26-year-old driver has made three starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the track, earning an average start of 13.0 and an average finish of 19.7. Back in 2012, the driver made his first and only start in the ARCA Series at Chicagoland, finishing eighth after 100 laps.

1.5-MILE STATS: On 1.5-mile tracks this season, Bowman has two top-10 finishes and four top-15s. The driver of the No. 88 Chevy finished in the runner-up position at Kansas last month and finished seventh at Charlotte. The No. 88 team has an average finish of 10.6 and an average start of 13.8 on the track length so far this season.

TRENDING TOWARD TOP-10s: In his 133 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, Bowman has 19 top-10 finishes. The 26-year-old has three top-10s at Kansas and two top-10 finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland and Talladega. The driver is tied for the second-longest active streak of top-10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks with two.

IVES STATS: No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives has called the shots four times at Chicagoland Speedway for Hendrick Motorsports. The Michigan native has two top-10 results at the track. Ives’ drivers have completed 99.9 percent of the total laps run during those four events.

PITCH TO WIN BIG: Small Business Week ran from May 5-11 and recognized small businesses everywhere. Nationwide and BlueVine are teaming up to give away up to $100,000 to one small business to help it grow. Until June 30, small-business owners can visit www.pitchtowinbig.com to enter for a chance to win funds to achieve their business goals. Nationwide and BlueVine will select the contest finalists, who will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Nationwide’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, to pitch business leaders during a live “Pitch to Win” event. The winning pitch will win the $100,000 prize, with second place receiving $20,000 and third place taking home $10,000.

EYES SET FOR THE GLEN: On Monday, June 17, Hendrick Motorsports partner Axalta Coating Systems, along with Bowman, announced a joint branding initiative with CARSTAR for the upcoming race at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 4. CARSTAR is North America’s premier network of independently owned and operated collision repair facilities. The CARSTAR logo will be featured on the television panel and roof of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Watkins Glen. In addition to the branding on the car, Bowman will also wear a special helmet designed through the “Accelerate the Cure” contest. Those affected by cystic fibrosis can design a helmet for Bowman in order to raise awareness for the disease. Those interested can visit the “Accelerate the Cure” website to submit an entry. The deadline to submit is July 5.

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2019 Season 10th in standings 16 starts 0 wins 0 pole positions 3 top-five finishes 5 top-10 finishes 94 laps led     Career 133 starts 0 wins 2 pole positions 6 top-five finishes 19 top-10 finishes 368 laps led     Track Career  4 starts 0 wins 0 pole positions 0 top-five finishes 2 top-10 finishes 6 laps led

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Daniel Suarez is 40/1 to win at Chicagoland

DANIEL SUÁREZ Making Amigos at Chicagoland KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (June 26, 2019) – Daniel Suárez and the No. 41 Ruckus Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) venture to the Midwest for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. This weekend marks the second consecutive event and fourth time this season Ruckus will adorn the No. 41 machine. Ruckus Networks, an ARRIS company, is redefining connectivity by bridging the digital divide and connecting people around the world. Ruckus strives to deliver ubiquitous connectivity to its access points, switches and cloud services.   Suárez’s strong run in the top-five last Sunday in his third career start on the road course at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway was thwarted by a late-race pit stop penalty that dropped him from fifth to 25th before he finished 17th. The Mexico native has two starts in the Cup Series at Chicagoland with finishes of 12th and 11th, respectively, completing all 534 possible laps with an average starting and finishing position of 11.5. Dating back to 2014, he’s made six starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Chicagoland with an average start of 6.0 and an average finish of 9.2. Additionally, he’s led 21 laps and earned two top-five finishes and four top-10s. The 27-year-old driver also made two starts in the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series at Chicagoland. The efforts resulted in one top-five along with 46 laps led, and an average starting position of 4.5 and an average finish of 7.5. Finally, he’s made one start in the ARCA Racing Series at Chicagoland, in which he started second before an engine issue ended his day. In his last 10 starts at 1.5-mile tracks, Suárez has one top-five and three top-10s. He’s led 21 laps and completed 99.5 percent of all possible laps. This weekend, fans will have the opportunity to view Suárez’s perspective from inside the Ruckus Mustang courtesy of Coca-Cola, which is sponsoring his in-car camera. Additionally, there will be 200 “Daniel’s Amigos” in the grandstands Sunday, supporting the Monterrey, Mexico driver. “Daniel’s Amigos” is a fan-focused movement to engage and celebrate with Latino NASCAR fans. “We had a big group of Daniel’s Amigos at Auto Club (Speedway in Fontana, California) and they all had a great time, especially the ones who were at my car for prerace,” Suárez said. “This is the second time this season we’re having a group out to the track and I hope they have a great time just like the group in California.” Suárez is 13th in the Cup Series standings with 421 points to round out the four-car SHR contingent. The top 16 drivers after the 26 regular-season races will earn a spot in the NASCAR playoffs. So far this season, Suárez has garnered two top-five finishes and six top-10s and has led 52 laps behind the wheel of the No. 41 Ford Mustang. Team co-owner Tony Stewart currently has SHR’s only Cup win at Chicagoland which he captured in 2011. Ruckus, a technology provider, and SHR, a racing organization, both ultimately strive to achieve the same goals – to operate at high performance. Ruckus provides secure and reliable access to applications and services, and offers a complete offering of high-performance network equipment. The company’s portfolio includes Wi-Fi controllers, indoor and outdoor access points, switches, network access security, and support and services.

Daniel Suárez: Driver of the No. 41 Ruckus Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

As far as social media goes, is there a rule out there that you think everyone should follow when they use social media? “I feel like the number-one rule is to show your personality. I feel like when I was on social media in the very beginning a few years back, I took it very seriously and just did it for racing purposes. I wasn’t doing anything about my real life, I wasn’t doing anything about my cars, I wasn’t doing anything about what I like to do when I’m not racing. I feel like that wasn’t right because the fans want to know who you are as a person. What is in my car? What do I do on a weekly basis? So I feel like being yourself and having your personality out there and just having a little fun with the fans, that’s something that’s super important.” Were you able to watch NASCAR and other racing series growing up in Mexico? “I will say that NASCAR is like any other big sport in Mexico that you can watch on TV on the weekends and you can find it without problem, which is very good. When I was a little kid, I was a fan of racing and I used to watch NASCAR, Formula One and rallies on TV. I wasn’t even thinking about racing NASCAR in the U.S. when I was young in Mexico. For me, NASCAR in the U.S. was too far away. I didn’t know how to get there. I didn’t speak English. I didn’t have the money. I didn’t have any sponsors or the connections, so my original goal was just to race nationally in Mexico.”

Chase Elliott is 10/1 to win at Chicagoland

Chase Elliott won at Talladega for lone 2019 Chevrolet win.

Chase Elliott on what makes Chicagoland different from other 1.5-mile tracks:
“The age of the surface is the fun part about it. The last couple times we’ve been there we’ve been able to move around and stuff, which is cool. I hope that with this package we are still able to do that and I think if so, it will be a fun race.”


Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to the media on Saturday, June 29, at 12 p.m. local time in the media center at Chicagoland Speedway.

CHICAGOLAND STATS: This weekend, Chase Elliott will make his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Chicagoland Speedway. In his previous three starts, he has garnered two top-five finishes and averaged a starting position of 8.3 and finishing position of 8.0. Elliott has led a total of 117 laps at the venue, ranking him third to teammate Jimmie Johnson (695 laps) for most laps led without a win at the track. Chicagoland is one of seven venues on the Cup circuit where the Dawsonville, Georgia, native has led at least 100 laps (117). He also has five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, collecting a win in his first start at the speedway in July 2014. The driver has finished in the top-15 positions in each of his Xfinity starts to earn an average finishing position of 9.8 along with an average starting position of 7.8.

GUSTAFSON AT CHICAGOLAND: The No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 15th Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway from atop the pit box this weekend. In his previous 14 races calling the shots for five different drivers (Elliott, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon) at the Joliet, Illinois, track, Gustafson has collected five top-five finishes – including a win in 2009 with Martin and two runner-up results – and 403 laps led. In Gustafson’s previous six races at the track with Elliott and Gordon, he averages a starting position of 8.2 and finishing position of 7.7 and has accumulated 206 laps led.

1.5-MILE TRACK STATS: Elliott will make his 40th start on a 1.5-mile track this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. At 1.5-mile tracks, the driver has led 412 laps and averaged a starting position of 14.1 and finishing position of 13.2. So far this season, Elliott has earned the second-highest amount of points (185) on 1.5-mile tracks. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native scored his first 1.5-mile track win last October at Kansas Speedway. Along with that win, Elliott has collected 13 top-five finishes – two of which are runner-up results – and 22 top-10s on 1.5-mile tracks.

LAST SEVEN: The driver of the No. 9 Chevy currently holds the longest active streak in the Cup Series by leading laps in seven straight races. He has collected top-five finishes (Talladega – first; Dover – fifth; Kansas – fourth; Charlotte – fourth; Pocono – fourth) in five of the seven events. Elliott ranks second – tied with teammate Alex Bowman – for the most top-10 finishes (five) in the last seven races. Kyle Busch leads the rankings with six.

RED, WHITE AND BATTERIES: On Tuesday afternoon, Elliott’s patriotic scheme for the Fourth of July weekend at Daytona International Speedway was revealed. The No. 9 NAPA Batteries Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will promote Military Month. During the month of July, a portion of the proceeds from select products will go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

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2019 Season 7th in standings 16 starts 1 win 2 pole positions 6 top-five finishes 7 top-10 finishes 406 laps led     Career 129 starts 4 wins 6 pole positions 39 top-five finishes 66 top-10 finishes 1,649 laps led     Track Career  3 starts 0 wins 0 pole positions 2 top-five finishes 2 top-10 finishes 117 laps led

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2019 Chicagoland Speedway Track Facts

Kyle Busch won at Chicagoland last season and is 3/1 favorite to win Sunday.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2019 Top 16 at Chicagoland Speedway

Rank	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Joey Logano	10	1	0	2	6	1	12.4	91.6
2	Kyle Busch	14	1	2	5	8	1	10.6	107.8
3	Kevin Harvick	18	0	2	10	11	0	11.2	101.1
4	Brad Keselowski	10	0	2	4	8	0	9.2	101.1
5	Martin Truex Jr	13	0	2	3	5	1	13.0	95.6
6	Denny Hamlin	13	0	1	3	7	1	14.5	89.6
7	Chase Elliott	3	0	0	2	2	0	8.0	111.4
8	Kurt Busch	18	0	0	2	9	1	15.7	89.2
9	Ryan Blaney	3	0	0	1	1	0	11.0	86.7
10	Alex Bowman	4	0	0	0	2	0	23.0	65.8
11	Aric Almirola	7	0	0	0	1	1	23.1	76.9
12	Clint Bowyer	13	0	0	2	8	1	13.7	85.8
13	Daniel Suarez	2	0	0	0	0	0	11.5	82.3
14	William Byron	1	0	0	0	0	0	20.0	65.0
15	Kyle Larson	5	0	0	3	4	0	7.0	101.9
16	Ryan Newman	17	1	1	4	9	1	14.7	82.0

* – Based on last 14 races at Chicagoland Speedway.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2019 Top Five Leaders In Loop Data:

Chicagoland Speedway (Loop Data Era: 2005-Present)

Driver Rating		Average Running Position		Laps in The Top 15
Drivers	Driver Rating	Drivers	Avg. Running Pos.	Drivers	Laps in Top 15
Chase Elliott	111.4	Chase Elliott	5.064	Jimmie Johnson	3,215 (85.9%)
Jimmie Johnson	110.2	Jimmie Johnson	8.012	Kyle Busch	2,960 (79.1%)
Kyle Busch	107.8	Kyle Larson	8.848	Kevin Harvick	2,594 (69.3%)
Kyle Larson	101.9	Kyle Busch	9.189	Kurt Busch	2,507 (67.0%)
Kevin Harvick	101.1	Brad Keselowski	9.619	Martin Truex Jr	2,474 (71.2%)
Laps Led		Quality Passes		Fastest Laps Run
Drivers	Laps Led	Drivers	Quality Passes	Drivers	Fastest Laps
Jimmie Johnson	637 (17.0%)	Jimmie Johnson	451	Jimmie Johnson	413 (11.0%)
Kyle Busch	573 (15.3%)	Kyle Busch	444	Kyle Busch	252 (6.7%)
Kevin Harvick	283 (7.6%)	Martin Truex Jr	444	Martin Truex Jr.	243 (7.0%)
Martin Truex Jr.	176 (5.1%)	Kurt Busch	437	Kevin Harvick	185 (4.9%)
Brad Keselowski	168 (6.3%)	Kevin Harvick	416	Brad Keselowski	157 (5.9%)

Chicagoland Speedway:

History

·        Construction of the Chicagoland Speedway began in August of 1999.

·        The first NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Chicago was July 14, 2001 and won by Jimmie Johnson in Stanley Herzog’s Chevrolet (119.469 mph, 02:30:40).

·        The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was held on July 15, 2001 and won by Kevin Harvick in a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (121.200 mph, 03:18:16).

·        The first NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race was held on August 28, 2009 and was won by Kyle Busch in the Billy Ballew Motorsport’s Toyota (119.293 mph, 01:53:13)

·        For seven seasons Chicagoland Speedway was the opening race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (2011 – 2017).

·        There have been 18 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races held at Chicagoland Speedway, one race per season since the first event in 2001.

Starts

·        A total of 128 different drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway; 103 have competed in more than one.  

·        Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Chicagoland Speedway with 18 each.

·        Eight drivers all-time have posted their first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Chicagoland Speedway -  Ray Black Jr. (2017), Joey Gase (2014), Justin Allgaier (2013), Josh Wise (2011), Todd Kluever (2006), David Stremme (2005), Chad Blount (2004) and Johnny Sauter (2003).

·        Chase Elliott leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Chicago with an 8.333 in three starts.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Chicagoland Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Avg. Start	Starts	Rank	Active Drivers	Avg. Start	Starts
1	Chase Elliott	8.333	3	1	Chase Elliott	8.333	3
2	Brian Vickers	9.500	9	2	Jimmie Johnson	10.000	17
3	Jimmie Johnson	10.000	17	3	Ryan Newman	11.235	17
4	Ryan Newman	11.235	17	4	Daniel Suarez	11.500	2
5	Jeff Gordon	11.267	15	5	Kyle Busch	11.500	14
6	Daniel Suarez	11.500	2	6	Austin Dillon	11.600	5
7	Kyle Busch	11.500	14	7	Ryan Blaney	12.000	4
8	Austin Dillon	11.600	5	8	Joey Logano	12.100	10
9	Ryan Blaney	12.000	4	9	Brad Keselowski	12.200	10
10	Joey Logano	12.100	10	10	Kyle Larson	12.400	5

Poles

Monster Energy Series
Active Pole Winners at Chicago
Pole Winners (5)	Busch Pole Awards
Jimmie Johnson	2
Joey Logano	1
Kyle Busch	1
Paul Menard	1
Ryan Newman	1

·        A total of 13 different Monster Energy Series drivers have won Busch poles at Chicago, five are active this weekend.

·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in Busch Pole awards at Chicagoland Speedway with two (2005 and 2012).  

·        Todd Bodine won the inaugural Monster Energy Series  Busch Pole Award at Chicago in 2001 with a speed of 183.717 mph in a Ford. 

·        Youngest Chicago Monster Energy Series pole winner: Joey Logano (September 15, 2013 – 23 years, 3 months, 22 days).

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

·        No driver has won consecutive poles at Chicagoland Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series; the track is currently on a streak of nine different pole winners dating back to 2006.  

·        Three different manufacturers have won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles at Chicago led by Chevrolet with seven, followed by Ford (five) and Toyota (two). 

Wins

Monster Energy Series
Active Pole Winners at Chicago
Race Winners (6)	Wins
Brad Keselowski	2
Kevin Harvick	2
Kyle Busch	2
Martin Truex Jr	2
Denny Hamlin	1
Ryan Newman	1

·        A total of 12 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Chicagoland Speedway; six are active this weekend.

·        Tony Stewart leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Chicago with three victories (2004, 2007, 2011).

·        Kevin Harvick (first two series events at the speedway; 2001 and 2002), Brad Keselowski (2012 and 2014), Kyle Busch (2008 and 2018) and Martin Truex Jr. (2016 and 2017) lead all active drivers in wins at Chicago with two each.

·        Kevin Harvick (2001, 2002) and Martin Truex Jr. (2016, 2017) are the only two drivers to post consecutive series wins at Chicagoland Speedway.

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

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

·        Only one of the 18 (5.6%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Chicago have been won from the pole position. Kyle Busch accomplished the feat in 2008 - it is also the only win from the front row.

Monster Energy Series Wins by Starting Positions at Chicagoland Speedway

Starting Position	Wins	Winning %	Starting Position	Wins	Winning %
1	1	5.56%	16	1	5.56%
3	1	5.56%	19	1	5.56%
6	2	11.11%	25	2	11.11%
7	1	5.56%	26	1	5.56%
10	2	11.11%	29	1	5.56%
13	2	11.11%	32	1	5.56%
14	2	11.11%
Stats				Winning %	Wins
Winning from the First Starting Position:				5.56%	1
Winning from the Front Row:				5.56%	1
Winning from a Top-Five Starting Position:				11.11%	2
Winning from a Top-10 Starting Position:				38.89%	7
Winning After Starting Outside the Top 20:				27.78%	5

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

·        Seven of the eight active Monster Energy NASCAR 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).     

·        Kurt Busch leads the series among active drivers with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Chicago without visiting Victory Lane at 18.

Monster Energy Series
Chicagoland Speedway Winners
Organizations	Wins
Joe Gibbs Racing	6
Team Penske	3
Furniture Row Racing	2
Hendrick Motorsports	2
Richard Childress Racing	2
Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	1
Michael Waltrip Racing	1
Stewart-Haas Racing	1

·        A total of eight different organizations have won at Chicagoland Speedway in the Monster Energy Series, led by Joe Gibbs Racing with six victories: Tony Stewart (two), Kyle Busch (two), Matt Kenseth (one) and Denny Hamlin (one).

·        Four different manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy Series at Chicago led by Chevrolet with eight victories; followed by Toyota with seven, Dodge has two and Ford has one.

Additional Finishing Position Stats

·        A total of 12 different drivers have finished runner-up in the Monster Energy Series at Chicagoland Speedway, six are active this weekend.

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson lead the series in runner-up finishes with three each.

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Chicagoland Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Runner-Ups	Rank	Active Drivers	Runner-Ups
1	Jeff Gordon	3	1	Jimmie Johnson	3
2	Jimmie Johnson	3	2	Chase Elliott	1
3	Carl Edwards	2	3	Joey Logano	1
4	Matt Kenseth	2	4	Kevin Harvick	1
5	Chase Elliott	1	5	Kyle Busch	1
	Jeff Burton	1		Kyle Larson	1
	Joey Logano	1
	Kevin Harvick	1
	Kyle Busch	1
	Kyle Larson	1
	Robert Pressley	1
	Tony Stewart	1

·        A total of 32 different drivers have finished in the top-five at Chicago in the Monster Energy Series.

·        Kevin Harvick leads the series in top-five finishes at Chicago with 10 top fives.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Chicagoland Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Top Fives	Rank	Active Drivers	Top Fives
1	Kevin Harvick	10	1	Kevin Harvick	10
2	Tony Stewart	8	2	Jimmie Johnson	7
3	Jeff Gordon	7	3	Kyle Busch	5
4	Jimmie Johnson	7	4	Brad Keselowski	4
5	Kyle Busch	5	5	Ryan Newman	4

·        A total of 47 different drivers have finished in the top-10 at Chicago in the Monster Energy Series.

·        Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick lead the series in top-10 finishes at Chicago with 11 each.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Chicagoland Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Top 10s	Rank	Active Drivers	Top 10s
1	Jimmie Johnson	11	1	Jimmie Johnson	11
2	Kevin Harvick	11	2	Kevin Harvick	11
3	Tony Stewart	10	3	Kurt Busch	9
4	Jeff Gordon	9	4	Ryan Newman	9
	Kurt Busch	9	5	Brad Keselowski	8
	Matt Kenseth	9		Clint Bowyer	8
	Ryan Newman	9		Kyle Busch	8

·        Chase Elliott leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position with a 2.5. Below are the top five all-time and active average finishing positions:

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Chicagoland Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Avg. Finish	Starts	Rank	Active Drivers	Avg. Finish	Starts
1	Kyle Larson	7.000	5	1	Kyle Larson	7.000	5
2	Chase Elliott	8.000	3	2	Chase Elliott	8.000	3
3	Brad Keselowski	9.200	10	3	Brad Keselowski	9.200	10
4	Jimmie Johnson	9.647	17	4	Jimmie Johnson	9.647	17
5	Kyle Busch	10.643	14	5	Kyle Busch	10.643	14
6	Tony Stewart	10.733	15	6	Ryan Blaney	11.000	3
7	Matt Kenseth	11.000	17	7	Kevin Harvick	11.222	18
8	Ryan Blaney	11.000	3	8	Daniel Suarez	11.500	2
9	Jeff Gordon	11.133	15	9	Joey Logano	12.400	10
10	Kevin Harvick	11.222	18	10	Martin Truex Jr	13.000	13

Track / Event Specific Stats

·        Since the advent of electronic scoring, the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Chicagoland Speedway was the July 12, 2008 race won by Kyle Busch over Jimmie Johnson with a margin of victory of 0.159 second – the only race won from the pole.

Top Five Closest MENCS Margins of Victory at Chicago

Margin of Victory	Date	Race Winner	Runner-Up
0.159	7/12/2008	Kyle Busch	Jimmie Johnson
0.291	7/10/2005	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Matt Kenseth
0.415	7/11/2009	Mark Martin	Jeff Gordon
0.461	7/9/2006	Jeff Gordon	Jeff Burton
0.649	7/15/2001	Kevin Harvick	Robert Pressley

·        Two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race has resulted with NASCAR Overtime:

Date	Scheduled No. of Laps	Actual No. of Laps	NASCAR Overtime Laps	Race Winner
9/18/2016	267	270	3	Martin Truex Jr
7/9/2006	267	270	3	Jeff Gordon

·        None of the series races at Chicagoland Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.   

·        Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy Series at Chicagoland Speedway four times – 2008, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Lap Leaders

·        A total of 56 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at Chicagoland Speedway.

·        Jimmie Johnson leads the series in laps led at Chicago with 695 laps led in 17 starts.

Top 10 in Laps Led in the Monster Energy Series at Chicagoland Speedway

Rank	All-Time Drivers	Starts	Laps Led	Laps Completed	% Led
1	Jimmie Johnson	17	695	4499	15%
2	Kyle Busch	14	573	3732	15%
3	Kevin Harvick	18	471	4736	10%
4	Matt Kenseth	17	438	4541	10%
5	Tony Stewart	15	434	3997	11%
6	Mark Martin	13	239	3471	7%
7	Jeff Gordon	15	223	3911	6%
8	Ryan Newman	17	185	4432	4%
9	Martin Truex Jr	13	176	3421	5%
10	Brad Keselowski	10	168	2670	6%

·        NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin has led the most laps in a single Monster Energy Series race at Chicagoland Speedway and won, leading 195 of the scheduled 267 laps (73%) on July 11, 2009.

·        Matt Kenseth has led the most laps in a single Monster Energy Series race at Chicagoland Speedway and did not win, leading 176 of 267 scheduled laps (66%) on July 10, 2005; he finished second.