Backstretch Motorsports

JOLIET, Ill. (July 11, 2009) — Body-slamming and bump-drafting were the order of the day — at 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway, no less — and 50-year-old Mark Martin was the last man standing in a wild LifeLock.com 400.

Pulling away after a double-file restart with two laps left in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race, Martin won his series-best fourth race of the season and the 39th of his career. Martin gained two positions to 11th in the standings and will have at least 40 bonus points for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup seven races hence, if he can hold a position in the top 12. [read more...]

JOLIET, Ill. –A gutsy call, or a mistake in judgement. You could’ve hung your hat on either opinion if you had been sitting in the stands at Chicagoland Speedway for the close of Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

It’s all point of view.. neither really matters now, Dave Rogers sold his concept to his driver on a final restart that led to Victory Lane.

“This guy (Dave Rogers, crew chief) is a heck of a motivator.” race winner Joey Logano told reporters in the post-race presser. “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard him on the radio, that guy will make you drive harder than anyone out there. You can have a ninth-place car and he’ll make you think you have a first-place car. Always being confident on the radio helps me a lot as a driver. I was going off what he said. At first I thought this was going to be bad and then he made me think 50-50 of what it was going to be. Either way, I just drove my brains out.” [read more...]

Teammate Speed’s second gives Team Red Bull complete front row

Qualifying Fast Facts
Chicagoland Speedway
LifeLock.com 400

Coors Light Pole Winner: Brian Vickers
Age: 25
Team : No. 83 - Red Bull Toyota
Owner: Dietrich Mateschitz
Crew Chief: Ryan Pemberton [read more...]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 6, 2009) – Kasey Kahne’s 15th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway last Saturday night was enough to vault him back into the top 12 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings. His entry inside the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cutoff made it seven different teams in the top 12, the most after 18 races since the Chase field was increased to 12 in 2007. Here’s the breakdown:
2007: Five (Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc.);
2008: Five (JGR, HMS, RCR, RFR and Gillett-Evernham Motorsports); [read more...]

JOLIET, Ill., Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008 - Ryan Briscoe returned to Chicagoland Speedway in style, winning the pole for the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 in his first visit to the 1.5-mile oval since a spectacular crash at the circuit in 2005.

Briscoe recorded a four-lap qualifying effort of 1 minute, 41.4190 mph, 215.818 mph as the last driver to go out, stealing the pole out of the hands of IndyCar Series points leader Scott Dixon, who had set the mark at 1:41.5435, 215.553 mph 15 drivers earlier.

[read more...]

Chicago ready to crown third IndyCar Series champion

The IndyCar Series champion will be crowned at Chicagoland Speedway for the third consecutive season. This year’s battle features Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves, neither who have won at the 1.5-mile oval. Dixon, who leads Castroneves by 30 points, has finished second three times in five starts, including last year when he ran out of fuel in the final turn of the final lap. His average finish in five starts is 6.4. Castroneves has three consecutive top-four finishes at Chicagoland, including a second in 2005. His average finish in six starts is 7.3. Who will fare better at Chicagoland?

[read more...]

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
LifeLock.com 400
Chicagoland Speedway
Fast Facts

Race Winner: Kyle Busch
Age: 23
Team: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota
Owner: Joe Gibbs
Crew Chief: Steve Addington

[read more...]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 7, 2008) – Tony Stewart is in familiar territory. And if the past is any indicator, he shouldn’t be all that worried that he’s winless over the first half of the season.
The exact same drought occurred last year, with Stewart not winning until race No. 19 at Chicagoland Speedway. That win spurred a two-race winning streak, and wins in three of four events.

[read more...]