LifeLock.com 400, Chicagoland Speedway

By Yahoo Sports Staff
July 8, 2010


Chicagoland Speedway, IL — The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Chicagoland Speedway for Saturday's LifeLock.com 400. This is the only Cup race there this season.

Mark Martin is the defending race winner.

Who Will Win?

Busch.

Kyle Busch: The entire Gibbs team should be strong this weekend, so it could be any one of those guys. From what we've seen this year, it could be anyone. You think someone has a handle on things, then all of the sudden someone else surprises you. But from what I've seen on the 1.5-mile tracks, the Gibbs cars are pretty tough, and Busch usually rebounds pretty good coming off a bad weekend. – Wally Dallenbach

Jeff Gordon: Drivers like to say that if you put yourself in position enough times, the wins will eventually come. Well, Gordon has certainly done that, as only one driver (Kurt Busch) has led more laps than him this season. Saturday night's race marks his 600th start, and I'm predicting it will also mark his 83rd career win. – Jay Hart

Kevin Harvick: All season long, we've expected that the Chase would come down to Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, all the while ignoring the guy who's spent most of the season at the top of the standings. But Harvick now has two wins on the season, and his strategy of hanging around until late and making a sneaky run doesn't just appear to be his strategy for each race – it might just be his strategy for the whole season.– Jay Busbee

Three things to watch for

1. Race to the Chase: I really think this is a key race for the guys on the Chase bubble. They're running out of time, and this is a pivotal race for all the drivers from about ninth on down.

2. What will Mark Martin do? If those guys don't show something this weekend, I'm writing them off. I don't see the fire, the excitement that I saw last year. If they're going to make the Chase, they're going to have to step it up, and this is a track where Mark historically has performed very well. You would think they would be up for this weekend, but if they're not – if it's just another lackluster run – then they've got some issues there that I'm not sure they'll be able to iron out.

3. All out for Kevin Harvick?: No one can argue that Harvick's restrictor-plate program is very good this year. I still think he has to figure out how to win races, especially on the intermediate tracks. To win the championship that's what it's going to take, because Jimmie Johnson is going to be winning races. So I will be watching to see if Harvick can get a win on a non-restrictor plate track. If they do, then Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team should be worried, as should everyone else.

Top storyline

• Is it too early to pit Jimmie Johnson vs. Denny Hamlin? Chicagoland is, after all, a track that's a lot like five of the tracks in the Chase. So, in a way, Saturday night's race serves as sort of a preview of what's to come. Which of this season's five-time winners will come out on top? – Jay Hart

• Will someone new win this weekend? There are so many solid drivers who haven't won this year. Maybe this is it. Jeff Gordon runs well at Chicagoland. Jeff Burton hasn't won. Neither has Kasey Kahne. It will be interesting to see if someone who hasn't won yet can. – Wally Dallenbach

• What's up with the 5 team? Mark Martin is the defending champion at Chicagoland, but is there anybody not on the Hendrick payroll who thinks that Martin has a real chance at making noise this season? He's run in competent but unspectacular fashion all season long, a sharp contrast to his championship-hopeful 2009. So which is the real Martin? He's said he plans to drive for several more years, but the way he runs the second half of this season will determine how long he gets to do that on his own terms. – Jay Busbee

From The Source

Kyle Busch: "We went from having the best eight or 10 weeks of [Joe Gibbs Racing's] life to having a couple of the worst. That’s how quick this sport can change. The thing is, it’s not like we all haven’t been running well. We’ve just all had some really rotten luck."

•  NASCAR News Archive Index:
2010, 2009
•  NASCAR Tickets
•  NASCAR Schedule