2010 LifeLock.com 400 Preview:
This weekend the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into Chicagoland Speedway for the 2010 Lifelock.com 400. Chicagoland Speedway hasn't had many exciting races in its relatively short Sprint Cup history. Based on the "cookie cutter" principle of track design this is one of the tracks I'd love to see bulldozed.
Tickets:
Speedway ticket office 815-727-RACE
The Track:
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 mile D-shaped oval. This is a fan-friendly speedway with great sightlines from nearly every seat. Unfortunately the racing here hasn't been very exciting. Only once has this race track put on an interesting race. Mostly Chicagoland Speedway sees long green flag runs with one car hitting the setup and driving away from the pack.
Race Distance:
267 laps = 400 miles
The Big Picture:
Last Saturday night Kevin Harvick's win extended his point lead as The Big One and the crazy Daytona luck shuffled the points behind him.
The top twelve:
- Kevin Harvick
- Jeff Gordon -212
- Jimmie Johnson -225
- Kurt Busch -245
- Denny Hamlin -284
- Kyle Busch -308
- Matt Kenseth -362
- Jeff Burton -365
- Tony Stewart -433
- Greg Biffle -450
- Dale Earnhardt. Jr. -507
- Carl Edwards -514
Storylines:
If ths weekend's race at Chicagoland Speedway holds true to form there will be plenty of time for the announcers to discuss the drivers' off-track activities since the action on the track will be nap-worthy.
One of the big topics of conversation this weekend will be four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson who welcomed his first child into the world on Wednesday. Jimmie's wife Chandra delivered a baby girl on Wednesday.
Jimmie will be at the track this weekend and you can bet that he will be the center of attention for the broadcast crew.
Media Coverage:
TV: TNT Saturday, July 10th, 6:30PM Eastern.
Actual Race: 7:30PM
Radio: MRN and SIRIUS Satellite
Recent Events:
2009 Polesitter: Brian Vickers
2009 Winner: Mark Martin
Last Year:
The 2009 LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway delivered the type of race that Chicagoland is best known for. Mark Martin thoroughly dominated the boring event. There was some excitement at the end due to late race cautions and double-file restarts but Mark Martin came out on top.
Predictions:
Point leader Kevin Harvick comes into Chicagoland fresh from his big Daytona win last week. Harvick has won here twice before and is clearly on top of his game in 2010. Harvick could easily run away with the 2010 Lifelock.com 400.
For my backup this week I'm looking back to 2009. Last year Mark Martin lead 195 laps en route to a blowout Chicagoland victory. Mark currently finds himself 13th in points in desperate need of a strong run. Chicagoland opened with back-to-back wins when Kevin Harvick swept the first two races in 2001 and 2001. Mark Martin makes a solid pick this weekend to repeat.
