SPRINT LifeLock.com 400
Final
for this game
LifeLock.com 400 Preview
Jul 8, 2008 - 6:41 PMJuly 12, 2008
Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, Illinois
Race 19 of 36 on Sprint Cup circuit
TV: TNT, 8 p.m. EDT
Laps: 267
Track length: 1 1/2 miles
Race length: 400 miles
Qualifying record: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 188.147 mph, 2005
Race record: Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 136.825 mph, 2002
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,898,632
One of the circuit's most consistent drivers, finished 37th at
Daytona last week and dropped to third in the standings, 202
points behind Kyle Busch; finished 15th at Michigan; won at
Bristol for first win of the season; finished 13th in the
Daytona 500 and eighth at California; was fifth in Las Vegas and
10th at Atlanta; has 10 top 10s through first 18 races;
finished eighth in last season's standings, one year after
placing seventh; finished in the top 10 in half of the races
last season, including nine top fives; lone win of the 2007
season came in April at Texas; finished the season strong with
five top 10s over the final six races; ran seventh in this race
last season.
Kyle Busch
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 18 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $4,145,588
Is in the midst of a stellar first season with Joe Gibbs Racing,
winning six races and posting 11 top fives through 18 races;
lead increased to 182 points atop the standings after winning at
Daytona; picked up his first road course win at Sonoma; ran dead
last at Pocono and then finished 13th at Michigan; finished 17th
at Bristol after power steering failed and transmission issues
relegated him to 38th at Martinsville; won at Atlanta,
Talladega, Darlington and Dover; runner-up finish at Richmond
was marred by a late-race incident with Dale Earnhardt Jr.; had
the dominant car and led the most laps at the Daytona 500; was
strong at Las Vegas early, but struggled late and wound up 11th;
is looking to build off a sensational run at Hendrick Motorsports
as he moves to JGR and Toyota; finished fifth in the final 2007
standings after qualifying for the Chase for the second
consecutive season; had 20 top-10 finishes in 36 races last
season, including 11 top fives; lone win came during the first
Bristol race - the inaugural Car of Tomorrow event; ran 13th in
this race last season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 88 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $2,777,070
The circuit's most popular driver finished eighth at Daytona and
moved up to second in the standings, 182 points behind Busch;
snapped a 76-race winless stretch by winning at Michigan on
fumes; nearly snapped skid but was involved in a late-race
incident with Kyle Busch at Richmond and wound up 15th; has 12
top 10s through 18 races; ran fifth at Bristol after a third at
Atlanta and second at Las Vegas; was the top finishing Hendrick
car at the Daytona 500 with a ninth-place showing; was involved
in an early race crash at California and finished 40th; made the
move from his father's Dale Earnhardt Inc., where he won 17 Cup
events, to Hendrick Motorsports; got off to a good start with
his new team by winning the Bud Shootout; suffered through a
tough final season at DEI, finishing 16th in the standings; had
12 top 10s last season, but also posted 11 finishes of 25th or
worse; finished 19th in this race last season.
Carl Edwards
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 99 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $4,014,425
Finished second to Busch at Daytona - his third runner-up finish
to the series leader this season; sits in fourth in the
standings, 249 points behind Busch; won at Texas for his third
win of the season; was docked 100 points and fell from the top
spot in the standings after being penalized after his win at Las
Vegas; victory at Texas was his 10th career Cup win; had the
dominant car again at Atlanta, but blew an engine and finished
42nd; ran 19th in the Daytona 500; qualified for the Chase last
year and won at Dover after placing 12th at New Hampshire, but
failed post-race inspection and was docked 25 points and fined;
penalty dropped him from third to sixth in the standings and he
never recovered; won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship;
finished with 11 top fives and 15 top 10s last year; also won at
Michigan and Bristol; was also second to Busch at Darlington and
Dover; finished third here last year.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $3,027,227
Finished 30th at Daytona after a late crash, yet remains sixth
in the standings; finished 18th at Michigan; ran second at
Martinsville; rebounded to finish fifth at Atlanta after being
involved in a scary late-race crash at Las Vegas where he
finished 35th; bounced back with a third at California after
opening his 2008 season with a disappointing 39th in the
Daytona 500; already has three DNFs this season after posting
just one last year; only a dominant finish by teammate Jimmie
Johnson kept him from capturing a fifth championship last
season; finished with 10 top-10 finishes in the final 11 races
- the other finish in that span was an 11th at Dover; totaled a
remarkable 30 top-10 finishes and 21 top fives in 36 races last
year; spun with less than two laps remaining at Watkins Glen
while leading, costing him another potential win - still managed
to finish ninth; had six checkered flags last season and 81
career, just two shy of tying Cale Yarborough for fifth place
all-time; had 10 poles last season - double that of Ryan Newman
who had five; finished eighth at this race last season.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Impala
2008 Earnings: $3,352,543
Ran 23rd at Daytona last week and remains fifth in the
standings; two-time defending series champion blew a motor at
Lowe's and finished in 39th place; bounced back with three
top-10s, including a sixth at Michigan; picked up his first win
of the season at Phoenix, then ran 13th at Talladega and 30th
at Richmond; finished second at Texas following a fourth at
Martinsville; had a disappointing three-race stretch at Las
Vegas, Atlanta and Bristol when his average finish was 20th;
ran second at California after starting this campaign with a
27th at the Daytona 500; battled teammate Gordon for the top
spot in the Chase early last season, then took off - winning
four straight races over the second half of the Chase; suffered
through an up-and-down season before the Chase, finishing 39th
at the Brickyard after a fiery crash on the heels of a 37th at
Chicago; finished the season with 10 wins, 20 top-fives, 24 top
10s, yet failed to finish four races; finished 37th in this
race last year.
Kasey Kahne
Team: Gillett Evernham Motorsports
Car: No. 9 Dodge
2008 Earnings: $4,009,621
Bounced back from disappointing 33rd at Sonoma and 30th at
Loudon by running seventh at Daytona; finished second to
Earnhardt at Michigan; won at Pocono from the pole; had a
stellar two weeks at Lowe's, winning the Sprint All-Star
Challenge then snapping a 52-race winless skid by taking the
checkered flag in the Coca-Cola 600; has eight top 10s this
season; after winning six races in 2006, struggled in 2007 when
he finished 19th in the standings with just one top five and
eight top 10s; also had six DNFs and dipped as low as 36th in
the standings at one point; took on the famed Budweiser
sponsorship after Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved to Hendrick
Motorsports; finished 32nd in this race last year.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2008 Earnings: $2,928,176
Finished third at Daytona and has seven top-10s in past eight
races; also ran third at Michigan; finished 38th at Richmond and
41st at Talladega; ran 38th at Phoenix following a ninth at
Texas and 30th at Martinsville; had consecutive top 10s at
Bristol and Atlanta; was 20th at Las Vegas due to a late-race
incident with Jeff Gordon; ran fifth at California, fresh off a
disappointing 35th place showing at the Daytona 500; last season
had a late-Chase surge with a win at the season-ending race at
Homestead, following a third at Phoenix and a second at Texas;
finished fourth in the final standings; had 13 top five finishes
and 22 top 10s last season; won the series championship in 2003
despite capturing only one checkered flag, prompting NASCAR to
change to its current Chase format; enters this season without
long-time crew chief Robbie Reiser who has been replaced atop
the box by Chip Bolin; ran second in this race last year.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Toyota Camry
2008 Earnings: $3,454,734
Fell ill at Daytona and was relieved by J.J. Yeley who finished
20th; is now in 12th place, just two points ahead of Kevin
Harvick for the final Chase berth; was involved in an early
crash at Dover and finished 41st; came close to winning at
Lowe's, but cut down a tire with three laps remaining while
leading and finished 18th; with rumors swirling about his future
at JGR, finished 38th at Talladega; bounced back to finish
fourth at Richmond; ran 14th at Phoenix following back-to-back
top-10 finishes at Martinsville and Texas; finished second to
teammate Kyle Busch at Atlanta, but was vocal about the poor
Goodyear tire quality; suffered a hard crash at Las Vegas,
injured his ankle and finished last; had another disappointment
at Daytona, finishing third despite having the lead with one lap
to go; moved within two points of the points lead after the
first two Chase races last year, but could not keep pace with
Johnson and Gordon and faded to sixth in the final standings;
won this race last year.
2007 Top 10
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1. Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet
2. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford
3. Carl Edwards (99), Ford
4. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet
5. Casey Mears (25), Chevrolet
6. Kurt Busch (2), Dodge
7. Jeff Burton (31), Chevrolet
8. Ryan Newman (12), Dodge
9. Jeff Gordon (24), Chevrolet
10. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet
Past Champions
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2007 Tony Stewart, 134.258 mph
2006 Jeff Gordon, 132.077 mph
2005 Dale Earnhardt Jr., 127.638 mph
2004 Tony Stewart, 129.507 mph
2003 Ryan Newman, 134.059 mph
2002 Kevin Harvick, 136.825 mph
2001 Kevin Harvick, 121.200 mph
