NASCAR at Chicagoland

A look out the rear view mirror at the Chicagoland weather

Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the Geico 400 on Sunday was correct. A cold front moved out of western Canada and combined with an area of low pressure in the days leading up to the race. Coming to the scheduled green flag, there were scattered showers at and around the track. NASCAR started the race about 90 minutes late.

The Sprint Cup race went about 108 laps before rain brought out the red flag for a long while. Five hours and ten minutes to be precise. Even when the radar cleared, the front stalled. Fog and mist took over, reminding some of the Chicago Fog Bowl playoff game of 1998. By about 9 PM CDT, racing was back underway.

By the time it was all said and done, Matt Kenseth brought the field to the checkered flag and extended his lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kyle Busch was close for the trifecta with a 2nd place finish. Harvick, Kurt Busch and Johnson rounded out the top five.

For more insight on the Geico 400, here’s Speedway Digest’s insight.

2013 Chase

 

A Winning burnout tops off a Kyle Busch win

Winning is something that Kyle Busch has figured out at all of the top three levels of NASCAR. On Friday night, he guided his #51 Dollar General Toyota Tundra to Victory Lane for the 122nd time in his NASCAR career. For more on his 17th win of the 2013 season, go to SpeedwayDigest.com.

(Source: Fox News)
(Source: Fox News)

Adding a 13th on Friday the 13th

A strange thing happened on the way to Chicagoland. Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky day for Jeff Gordon. After a week of grousing but still looking forward to the remainder of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports got their wish…a thirteen team was added to the Chase.

The complete statement from NASCAR is available for review at Speedway Digest.

Jeff Gordon speaks to members of the media during qualifying at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Gordon won the pole for Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Jeff Gordon speaks to members of the media during qualifying at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va., Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Gordon won the pole for Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)