- Construction on the site began in August 1999. It wasn't until May 2000 that it was officially named Chicagoland Raceway.
- The Raceway complex consists of a 1.5 mile D-shaped oval, a state of the art NHRA drag strip, and a dirt track. The complex sits on 930 acres, and provides 500 acres of free parking for more than 50,000 vehicles.
- The first NASCAR Winston Cup race took place on July 15, 2001, the Tropicana 400. From sixth position, rookie driver Kevin Harvick won the inaugural race at Chicagoland. He would repeat the feat the following year, starting from the 32nd position.
- Along with Harvick, Tony Stewart is the only other two-time winner (2004 and 2007).
- Hard to believe, but no Ford driver has ever won at this track. Chevrolet has dominated, winning six of the eight races. (Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon are the other Chevrolet drivers that have won.) Ryan Newman (Dodge) won in 2003 and Kyle Busch (Toyota) won last year.
- Could this be the year that Ford breaks its winless streak at the track? Look for Matt Kenseth to be strong.
Predicted Race Winner: Kurt Busch. Busch has been stout at the 1.5 milers, and this time he breaks through.
9 comments:
NO Ford? Not even Dale Jarrett? lol
I'm getting my trip to Savannah, won't be watching racing or blogging! Have a great race day!
Nice info, Jon. Toyotas looked strong in qualifying. But, I think that Carl Edwards is way overdue for his 1st win this year, and he'll win Sat night. Boooooo!
Kurt certainly loves Chicago although the track itself hasnt been that kind to him...he should be good but we might see a Ford take it this weekend!
Nice run-down as usual.
Matt Kenseth would have won one for Ford a few years back if he hadn't gotten spun out by Jeff Gordon.
I'm going to have to pick Jimmie to win the race. It's going to be hard starting third for anyone to beat him...
Beverly, it's entirely possible a Ford could win. I just don't see it happening, though.
Gene, thanks. The Toyotas always qualify well, but for some reason they haven't been able to find Victory Lane, except for rain-shortened races. I can see Edwards winning, but I think it's going to be later in the year. I just have a gut sense Kurt's going to pull this one out.
Kristen, it's possible. IF a Ford wins, I look for Kenseth to snag that win. I'm still going with my gut and say Kurt wins.
Gonger, thanks. While Jimmie's not been as strong this year as last, he's still been very strong. A LOT of drivers would like to be running like he is now. He's starting towards the front (second row) and that should help him.
Kurt Busch? Ugh...
Nice history lesson :)
I'm away this weekend and the VCR isn't that brilliant quality I've discovered, so I won't be surprised if Marcos decides to pick this race to score his date with Vicky, LOL!
Kyle winning there is going to be a matter of not wrecking in the last lap or any of the other laps. Smoke or the 42 other drivers have a chance though.
Lori, glad you enjoyed the history lesson! After examining as many factors as I could, I couldn't go against Kurt Busch this weekend.
Tez, it's a possibility.
Photogr, Kyle has to run a smart race, and to pick his spots to be aggressive.
Post a Comment