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Status: Final

Last Updated: Sunday, Jul 19, 2009 1:41 am, EDT

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Chicagoland Speedway

Race Capsule

  • What:

    Race 19 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit

  • Where:

    Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL

  • When:

    July 11, 2009 8:16 pm EDT

  • Laps:

    267

  • Track Length:

    1.5 miles

  • Race Length:

    401.00 miles

  • Purse:

    $6,182,706

Drivers to Watch

Jimmie Johnson Johnson has never won at Chicagoland but was second last year, and he was in front before being passed by Kyle Busch on the final lap. That left Johnson to feel as if he had nothing that could slow down Busch, who was the hottest driver at the time, but that all changed later in the season, of course, when Johnson won his third consecutive championship. Johnson has five top-five finishes and one other top-10 in seven Chicagoland starts. He will attempt to use "risk management" at Chicagoland. "We took a risk at Michigan, and it didn't pay off and it hurt us pretty good in the points," he said.
Denny Hamlin Hamlin is 0-for-3 at Chicagoland in wins, top-fives and top-10s. He was 40th last year. "Chicago has been a bit of a struggle for us -- we had some electrical issues last season and a loose wheel a few years ago -- but I am really excited about heading there this weekend," Hamlin said. "We had a really strong car at Michigan, a place where we have struggled in the past, and we were really excited about hitting on something at a track where we needed to make a big step forward. After talking to Mike (Ford) and the engineers on the No. 11 team, I think we are close to making that step at Chicago also, and I am excited about having a really competitive package going to that mile-and-a-half track this weekend. It's a track I like to race, and to have a strong car only increases that. It's a track that you can't compare to any other mile-and-a- half. It's relatively flat, and it seems to have lost a lot of grip there over the years for whatever reason. We've had really good racing there in the past and had a really good finish last season with the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and the 18 (Kyle Busch). I like the racing at Chicago because you can move around, from the wall to the line and back, to find a place where your car is working. Any of the drivers will tell you they really like being able to search for that line to find that place where you can pass and make your car work. You work to get your car ready in practice and make it adjustable -- but as it gets cooler things definitely tend to change a lot and you have to be ready to move around."
Clint Bowyer Bowyer has two top-10s in three starts at Chicagoland but hasn't been happy with his performance there. "I've always run a lot better at Kansas than I have at Chicago and they are supposed to be alike. We have to run better this time around at Chicago," said Bowyer. "We need a good finish (to stay alive in his bid to make the Chase)."
Kyle Busch Busch won this race from the pole last year and has one other top-five finish but no other top-10s in four Chicagoland starts. But the way he defeated Jimmie Johnson on the final lap is what stands out the most to him. "When he went to the bottom through (turns) one and two on the final lap, I figured, 'Really, outside is open -- that's where I'm going to have to go,'" Busch recalled. "If he was going to go outside, then I was going to go to the bottom, and so it didn't matter where he was going to go. I was going to go the opposite way. Somehow, I just got the momentum. I was going to try to get to the inside and he wasn't going to let that go. I didn't think my car would keep the momentum and stay free enough on the outside to get up alongside of him. But somehow, it did, and I was just able to get up there. And once I got to him, I'm like, 'All right, this is going to be an exciting (turns) three and four. Let's see if we can get down here.' And then we were able to get by him through the center of the corner and off the exit and lead the last lap there and we did."
Jeff Gordon Gordon has one win at Chicagoland, in 2006 when he nudged race-leader Matt Kenseth out of the way in the second turn to take the lead before Kenseth crashed. That set up a green-white-checkered finish that Gordon went on to win. That victory is one of his four top-five and five top-10 finishes in eight Chicagoland starts. He was 11th last year. "I feel our intermediate track program has really turned a corner this year," Gordon said. In six starts on intermediate tracks (1.5 to two miles in length) in 2009, Gordon has one win (Texas), three second-place finishes (California, Atlanta and Michigan), a sixth (Las Vegas) and a 14th (rain-shortened Charlotte event). "Another strong run would be nice, especially going into an off weekend," said Gordon, scheduled to be an award presenter at the 2009 ESPYs next week. "It gives the guys some confidence heading into the Brickyard."
David Reutimann Reutimann finished 14th last year at Chicago for his best finish in two starts at the track. He knows he needs a top-10 run this weekend to boost his chances of getting back into the top 12. "We can't afford any more races like Daytona," said Reutimann. "We need another finish like we had at Loudon (fourth)."
Marcos Ambrose Ambrose will be making his first Sprint Cup start at Chicagoland. He does have two Nationwide Series starts at the track, and 15th was his best finish. "The first half of the season has really been amazing, and I just hope the second half goes as well," he said.
Ryan Newman Newman won the 2003 race at Chicagoland and has two top-five and four top-10 finishes in seven starts there. He was 10th last year. "I look forward to it because of the 18-degree banking and the fact that it is kind of unique," Newman said. "Chicago is really a big circle. It is rewarding if you are good in the corners because even the back straightaway has a kink in it. You have to carry a lot of momentum there."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt won the Chicagoland race in 2005 and has two other top-10 finishes in eight starts at the track. "It's going to be a good weekend hopefully," said Earnhardt. "We went and tested there for Goodyear back in May. So I feel good about this weekend."
Mark Martin Martin has three top-10 finishes in eight starts at Chicago. Martin believes the team's "on-track performance has been really spectacular (in 2009). Even though we've had an unusual amount of trouble and disappointments, I still am having a great time. The team's performance has exceeded even my expectations."
Kasey Kahne Kahne finished 15th last year at Chicagoland for his best finish in five starts at the track. "I think that Chicago is just one of those tracks that we haven't hit our stride for some reason," said Kahne. "It's also one of those tracks that I've enjoyed racing at and coming to. So hopefully we'll have a good race Saturday night."
Sam Hornish Jr. Hornish finished 37th last year in his first Sprint Cup start at Chicagoland. But he still calls it a "special place" because of his two IndyCar wins at the track and the fact that he clinched an IndyCar championship there.
Juan Pablo Montoya Montoya has finished 18th and 15th in his two starts at Chicagoland. The car he will be driving this weekend has been raced three previous times this year, finishing 11th at California, seventh at Texas and sixth at Michigan. "We feel really good about how it will run this weekend," said Montoya.
Martin Truex Jr. Truex finished ninth at Chicagoland a year ago for his first top-10 finish in three starts at the track. Truex began the year with high hopes of making the Chase, but a season filled with "bad luck and bad breaks" has caused him to reset his goals. He now hopes for a top-20 finish.
Kurt Busch Not only has Busch never won at Chicagoland, he has never finished in the top five. But he does have five top-10 finishes in eight starts there. Last year wasn't one of them, though, as he finished 28th.
Jeff Burton Burton has three top-10 finishes in eight starts at Chicagoland. His best finish is second in 2006, and he also won the pole that year. "Chicago is the kind of track that we have struggled on (this year), and it's the kind of place that has needed the most attention," said Burton.
Joey Logano Logano will be making his first start at Chicagoland this weekend. But he said that because he participated in the Goodyear tire test in May, "I won't be completely lost when I get there. I believe we were pretty good during the test, and I learned a ton. I am actually looking forward to this weekend."
Carl Edwards Edwards has no wins, just one top-five finish (third in 2007) and no other top-10s in four starts at Chicagoland. "Last year we were running away with the race and we had a little trouble -- the splitter broke and we ended up falling back," said Edwards, who was 32nd last year. "We run really well at Chicago, and I feel like there's a good chance for us to get our first win of the season there. If not a win, our No. 1 goal is to consistently be in the top five like we've been running lately and gain some more points."
Jamie McMurray McMurray has only one top-10 finish in six starts at Chicagoland, and that came in his first start. "Racing at Chicago has just been a tough place for me to get a solid finish at, and I'm still not sure why exactly that is," said McMurray. "I've always seemed to struggle there."
Tony Stewart Stewart has built his points lead to 180 over Jeff Gordon just past the halfway point of the season. There are no changes in the order of the top 10 this week from last week. Stewart is a two-time Chicagoland winner (2004, 2007) and has six top-five finishes and no other top-10s in eight starts there. He was fifth in last year's race.
Matt Kenseth Kenseth has two top-five finishes (he was second in 2005 and 2007) and four top-10s in eight Chicagoland starts. He was seventh last year. "I'm looking forward to Chicagoland; it's the closest track to home for me," said Kenseth, a native of Cambridge, Wis. "We'll have more family and friends at Chicagoland than anywhere we go. I also look forward to going there because we always perform well there. We haven't won there yet, but we've finished second there a couple of times and we've been close there, so it would be great to get a win there. I also really like night racing -- especially the Saturday night races. That's where we all started, racing on local tracks on Saturday nights. It's a little cooler and you can see the sparks flying in the stands, and it just seems to add to the excitement."
Elliott Sadler Sadler has only one top-10 finish in eight starts at Chicagoland. He will be driving the same car that he drove to a 12th-place finish at Michigan last month. "The last month has been a good stretch for all the guys on the 19 team," said Sadler. "To have two top-10s and three top-12s in the last four races is nice."
Greg Biffle Biffle has just one top-five finish (fourth last year) and no other top-10s in six races at Chicagoland.
Casey Mears Mears won the pole and finished fifth in the 2007 race at Chicago for his best finish in five starts at the track. He also was ninth in 2005. "For some reason, Chicagoland has always been one of those tracks that just works for me," said Mears. "I don't know why, but it just always seems to be a place where I've been fast and run well."