Analyzing the MyAfibRisk.com 400

Brad Keselowski celebrates in victory lane after winning the 2014
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CHASE race at Chicagoland Speedway.

(PHOTO: Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Chicagoland "Tale of the Tape"

1 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.6
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.1
· Led 9 races for 467 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Seven top fives, ten top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.000, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 7.129, series-best
· Driver Rating of 115.5, series-best
· 359 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.733, second-fastest
· 2350 Laps in the Top 15 (87.9%), series-most
· 320 Quality Passes, sixth-most

2 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 107.8
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.4
· Led 11 races for 538 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One win, four top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 11.600, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 9.879, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 103.6, fifth-best
· 136 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.145, sixth-fastest
· 2060 Laps in the Top 15 (77.1%), fourth-most
· 322 Quality Passes, fifth-most

3 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.3
2015 Rundown
· Four wins, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 13.3
· Led 13 races for 645 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One win, three top fives, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.900, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 10.093, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 104.8, fourth-best
· 226 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.342, third-fastest
· 1993 Laps in the Top 15 (74.6%), sixth-most
· 289 Quality Passes, eighth-most

4 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.7
2015 Rundown
· Three wins, 16 top fives, 20 top 10s; five poles
· Average finish of 8.6
· Led 18 races for 862 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, two top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.8, 17th-best
· Average Running Position of 16.314, 19th-best
· Driver Rating of 83.0, 18th-best
· 30 Fastest Laps Run, 18th-best
· 650 Laps in the Top 15 (40.6%), 21st-most

5 – Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 118.7
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 18 top fives, 22 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 7.6
· Led 20 races for 1,450 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, eight top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 10.500, third-best
· Average Running Position of 11.240, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 99.5, seventh-best
· 89 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.158, fifth-fastest
· 1879 Laps in the Top 15 (70.3%), eighth-most

6 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.5
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.2
· Led seven races for 203 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One win, three top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 13.600, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 13.182, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.2, 11th-best
· 74 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.683, 11th-fastest
· 1803 Laps in the Top 15 (67.5%), ninth-most
· 332 Quality Passes, fourth-most

7 – Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.6
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, eight top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 10.9
· Led 12 races for 728 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 14.300, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.086, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.5, 13th-best
· 67 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.610, 12th-fastest
· 1576 Laps in the Top 15 (59%), 13th-most
· 288 Quality Passes, ninth-most

8 – Carl Edwards (No. 19 STANLEY Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.1
2015 Rundown
· Two wins, three top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 16.1
· Led 16 races for 336 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, three top 10s
· Average finish of 16.400, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.167, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.6, 12th-best
· 112 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.485, 13th-fastest
· 1676 Laps in the Top 15 (62.7%), 10th-most
· 334 Quality Passes, third-most

9 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.2
2015 Rundown· One win, six top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.3
· Led 18 races for 607 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, three top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 10.667, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.000, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 98.5, eighth-best
· 125 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.133, eighth-fastest
· 985 Laps in the Top 15 (61.5%), 12th-most
· 191 Quality Passes, 11th-most

10 – Martin Truex Jr. (No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.2
2015 Rundown
· One win, seven top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.1
· Led 10 races for 497 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· Two top 10s
· Average finish of 16.7, 16th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.254, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 85.3, 15th-best
· 79 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· 1,482 Laps in the Top 15 (61.6%), 12th-most

11 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 95.8
2015 Rundown
· One win, nine top fives, 13 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.1
· Led 13 races for 491 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, three top 10s
· Average finish of 18.8, 21st-best
· Average Running Position of 16.367, 20th-best
· Driver Rating of 82.6 19th-best
· 23 Fastest Laps Run, 21st-best
· 1,505 Laps in the Top 15 (62.6%), 11th-most

12 – Jamie McMurray (No. 1 McDonald’s/CESSNA Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.3
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 15.0
· Led three races for 14 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, three top 10s
· Average finish of 21.2, 23rd-best
· Average Running Position of 20.868, 25th-best
· Driver Rating of 73.6 23rd-best
· 50 Fastest Laps Run, 14th-best
· 788 Laps in the Top 15 (29.5%), 19th-most

13 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.6
2015 Rundown
· Three top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 16.0
· Led nine races for 167 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One win, seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.600, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 11.032, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 100.1, sixth-best
· 167 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 170.135, seventh-fastest
· 2036 Laps in the Top 15 (76.2), fifth-most
· 365 Quality Passes, series-most

14 – Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 79.2
2015 Rundown
· Four top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.8
· Led four races for 19 laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One win, three top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.538, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.996, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.1, 17th-best
· 33 Fastest Laps Run, 17th-best
· 1,417 Laps in the Top 15 (53%), 13th-most

15 – Paul Menard (No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menard’s Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 77.6
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 16.7
· Led one race for one lap
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One top-10 finish
· Average finish of 23.875, 27th-best
· Average Running Position of 19.645, 23rd-best
· Driver Rating of 67.9, 25th-best
· 11 Fastest Laps Run, 24th-best
· 805 Laps in the Top 15 (37.7%), 18th-most

16 – Clint Bowyer (No. 15 PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 77.8
2015 Rundown
· Two top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.6
· Led five races for eight laps
Chicagoland Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 13.222, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.846, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.4, 10th-best
· 29 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 169.742, 10th-fastest
· 1693 Laps in the Top 15 (70.4), seventh-most
· 335 Quality Passes, second-most

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 Challengers at Chicagoland Speedway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Jimmie Johnson	13	2	0	7	10	1	9.2	115.5
2	Kyle Busch	10	0	1	4	5	1	11.6	103.6
3	Matt Kenseth	14	1	1	3	6	0	11.7	104.8
4	Joey Logano	6	1	0	1	2	1	16.8	83.0
5	Kevin Harvick	14	0	2	8	9	0	9.6	99.5
6	Dale Earnhardt Jr	14	0	1	3	5	2	15.5	89.2
7	Kurt Busch	14	0	0	1	8	1	16.5	86.5
8	Carl Edwards	10	0	0	3	3	0	16.4	88.6
9	Brad Keselowski	6	0	2	3	4	0	10.7	98.5
10	Martin Truex Jr	9	0	0	0	2	1	16.7	85.3
11	Denny Hamlin	9	0	0	1	3	1	18.9	82.6
12	Jamie McMurray	12	1	0	1	3	1	21.2	73.6
13	Jeff Gordon	14	1	1	7	9	2	10.9	100.1
14	Ryan Newman	13	1	1	3	8	1	14.5	84.1
15	Paul Menard	8	0	0	0	1	1	23.9	67.9
16	Clint Bowyer	9	0	0	1	7	1	13.2	89.4

* – Based on last 10 races at Chicagoland Speedway (2005-2014).

Chicagoland Speedway Data Season Race #: 27 of 36 (09-20-15) 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 / 400.5 miles Top 10 Driver Rating at Chicago Jimmie Johnson........................ 115.5 Kyle Larson............................... 110.1 Tony Stewart............................. 105.0 Matt Kenseth............................. 104.8 Kyle Busch............................... 103.6 Jeff Gordon.............................. 100.1 Kevin Harvick.............................. 99.5 Brad Keselowski......................... 98.5 Clint Bowyer............................... 89.4 Dale Earnhardt Jr........................ 89.2 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (10 total) among active drivers at Chicagoland Speedway. Qualifying/Race Data 2014 pole winner: None – Due to weather 2014 race winner: Brad Keselowski, Ford 142.330 mph, (02:48:50), 09-14-14 Track qualifying record: Joey Logano, Ford 189.414 mph, 28.509 secs. 09-13-13 Track race record: David Reutimann, Toyota 145.138 mph, (02:45:34), 07-10-10

Chicagoland Speedway:

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 fourth year Chicagoland Speedway has been included in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – Sept. 18, 2011.

Starts

·         There have been 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland Speedway, one race per season since the first event in 2001.

·         114 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway; 86 in more than one.  

·         Six drivers have competed in all 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Chicagoland Speedway; five of which are Chase Contenders: Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Joe Nemechek.

·         Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Chicagoland Speedway:Justin Allgaier (09/15/2013) and Josh Wise (9/19/2011).

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Chicago with a 7.615.

Poles

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

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

·         Youngest Chicago NSCS pole winner: Joey Logano (09/15/2013 – 23 years, 3 months, 22 days).

·         Oldest Chicago NSCS pole winner: Matt Kenseth (09/19/2011 – 39 years, 6 months, 9 days).

Wins

·         10 different NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have won at Chicagoland Speedway, led by Tony Stewart with three (2004, 2007, 2011); followed by Kevin Harvick with two (first two series events at speedway; 2001, 2002) and Brad Keselowski (2012, 2014).  

·         Seven Chase Contenders are former winners at Chicagoland Speedway: Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski 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 NSCS winner: Kyle Busch (07/12/2008 – 23 years, 2 months, 10 days).

·         Oldest Chicago NSCS winner: Mark Martin (07/11/2009 – 50 years, 6 months, 2 days).

·         Joe Gibbs Racing has the most wins at Chicago in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with four: Tony Stewart(two), Kyle Busch (one) and Matt Kenseth (one). Team Penske has the second most wins with three; followed by Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports with two each.

·         Three different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Chicago. Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Chicago with eight victories; followed by Toyota with three, Dodge with two and Ford has one.

·         Only one of the 14 (7.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicago have been won from the Coors Light pole - Kyle Busch in 2008.

·         Only two of the 14 (14.2%) races have won from the front row starting positions – Coors Light Pole (1) and second-place (1).

·         Five of the 14 (35.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Chicago have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Four of the 14 (28.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicago have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – most recent was Brad Keselowski (25^th) last season.

·         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.    

·         Seven of the eight 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).     

·         Kurt Busch leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicago without visiting Victory Lane at 14.

Additional Finishing Position Stats

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

·         Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick lead the series in top-five finishes at Chicago with eight each; followed byJimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon with seven each.   

·         Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart lead the series in top-10 finishes at Chicago with 10 each; followed by Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick with nine each.

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at 9.154.

Track / Event Specific Stats

·         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.

·         Nine out of the 14 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 twice – the 2008 event and last season.   

·         Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Chicago with 577 laps led in 13 starts.

Female Competitor Stats

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

Season	Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Driver Rating
2014	Danica Patrick	18	19	69.2
2013	Danica Patrick	23	20	61.2
2012	Danica Patrick	41	25	49.0
Averages:		27.3	21.3	59.8

NASCAR in Illinois

·         There have been 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among three different tracks in the state of Illinois.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held in Willow Springs, Illinois at Santa Fe Speedway in 1954 – the event was won by Dick Rathmann (72.216 mph, 1:23:05, 07-10-1954). 

Track Name	City	NSCS Races
Chicagoland Speedway	Joliet	14
Santa Fe Speedway	Willow Springs	1
Soldier Field	Chicago	1

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

·         Five of the 78 have posted at least one victory in a NASCAR national series event; including NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen with 26 victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. 

Driver	NSCS	NXS	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

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Milestones

DRIVER	HAS	NEEDS	MILESTONE	DESCRIPTION
Jeff Gordon	787	1	788th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Consecutive Start	This weekend Jeff Gordon will tie Ricky Rudd (788 consecutive starts) for the series all-time lead in consecutive starts.
Carl Edwards	399	1	400th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Start	Edwards is 55th on the NASCAR Sprint Cup all-time starts list, three starts behind Lake Speed (402) in 54th.
Jimmie Johnson	74	2	76th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win	Jimmie Johnson is eighth on the all-time NSCS wins list, two wins behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt in seventh (76 wins).
Tony Stewart	48	2	50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win	Stewart is 12th on the all-time NSCS wins list, two wins behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett in 10th (50 wins).
Tony Stewart	299	1	300th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top-10 Finish	Stewart is 17th on the all-time NSCS top-10 finishes list, two top 10s behind James Hylton in 16th (301 top 10s).
Jeff Gordon	24,831	169	25,000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Laps Led	Gordon can become the sixth driver in NSCS history to lead 25,000 laps; joining Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Bobby Allison.
#43 car	199	1	200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wins	The No. 43 car is second on the all-time NSCS wins list, five wins behind the No. 11 car in first (204). The last win for the No. 43 car came at Daytona last season.
Chevrolet	749	1	750th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win	Chevrolet will attempt to post the manufacturer's 750th win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this weekend. Chevrolet leads the series in wins.