Heading to Chicagoland Speedway, the teams that ran well a few weeks ago at Michigan International Speedway should be strong again because it's a similar track, even though it's a half-mile shorter.
Fuel mileage played a role in the outcome at Michigan so you can't necessarily look at the finishing order. You've got to look at how the teams ran.
Who to Watch
Martin Truex Jr.: If I had to pick a little bit of a darkhorse, I'm going to go with Truex. Both he and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished in the top five at Michigan, which is a similar track. Plus, Dale Jr. won this race two years ago.
Jeff Gordon: If I had to pick the blind obvious, last year's winner and his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, would be my pick because they're good everywhere they go.
Tony Stewart: The Gibbs cars should run well. Stewart finished third at Michigan, and J.J. Yeley actually sat on the pole before the team shot itself in the foot during the race. But all of the Chevrolet teams should probably run well, as they've done at most places we've raced this season.
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NASCAR TV schedule and more |
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Program of the week
Saturday, 5/10 on FOX
7 p.m. ET: Dodge Challenger 500
This week on SPEED
Saturday, 5/10
3:30 p.m. ET: Tradin' Paint
4 p.m. ET: NASCAR Performance
4:30 p.m. ET: NASCAR in a hurry
5 p.m. ET: NASCAR Raceday
Sunday, 5/11
8 p.m. ET: NASCAR Victory Lane
Race Trax: Updates, live results
NASCAR on SPEED schedule
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Jamie McMurray: But certainly, look at the Fords of Roush-Fenway Racing. They continue to get their act together. McMurray had a good run at Michigan, and Carl Edwards won that race. Those drivers will contend as well.
Ryan Newman and
Kurt Busch: The Penske Dodges up at the front every week are going to be pretty good. Both were pretty good at Michigan but ended up encountering problems. Busch ran out of fuel, and Newman had some problems on pit road. But those two guys will run well this week.
What to Watch
Two tires can be way to win: Like Michigan, Sunday's race at Chicagoland could come down to strategy and fuel mileage because we tend to get long, green runs. Like Michigan, when someone jumps out front and gets clean air, they can be tough to run down, even if they're just on two tires. Weather can dictate strategy. Warm weather will take grip away from the track and put a premium on fresh tires. Throughout the event, you'll see teams try just two right-side tires, especially if there isn't a long run and a lot of laps on a set of tires.
Race where you want: Like so many of the mile-and-a-half, flatter racetracks — with less banking than Lowe's or Atlanta but more banking than some short tracks and bigger tracks like Indy and Pocono — drivers can choose where they want to race because there are now a multitude of grooves as the track hosts its seventh Cup race. During qualifying, they will be right around the bottom, but when they get ready to race, they'll be all over the racetrack.
Pit window closes: The cars will get about 4 1/2 miles per gallon. With the old 22-gallon fuel cell, drivers could run about 65 laps. With the new 19-gallon cell, teams will probably run 54 to 58 laps.
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Speed Mail Larry McReynolds |
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Different agendas: Sitting second in the standings with eight races until the Chase, Denny Hamlin and crew chief Mike Ford have stated that they're going to be testing and trying things. Don't be surprised if Jeff Gordon and his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, start trying some things. You never really know what Matt Kenseth is going to do. As these teams go down the Race to the Chase interstate, it's OK to take an exit ramp, but you'd better make sure there's an on-ramp before you do. The moral of the story is don't stray too far from your base line that you can't get back. Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, would tell you too many science projects got them in trouble two years ago.
Last TNT race: I'm looking forward to finishing strong with TNT at Chicagoland Speedway. I'm very anxious to get back to work with my FOX group during Speedweeks 2008. I'm sure we'll have a couple of meetings soon, but I've enjoyed these six races with the Turner group. It's just like driving a race car, playing the piano or playing baseball. More repetitions can't hurt.
FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds has more than 25 years of NASCAR experience as a mechanic, crew chief and broadcaster. He and his fellow Crew Chief Club members take you behind the wall at www.crewchiefclub.com.
"How to Become a Winning Crew Chief" is on bookstore shelves, or you may order your own autographed copy from www.DWStore.com.
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