Race Day | Chicagoland 400

DAVID POOLE, dpoole@charlotteobserver.com,
JIM UTTER, jutter@charlotteobserver.com

Saturday, Jul. 14, 2007

USG SHEETROCK 400
Where: Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill.
When: 4 p.m. today
Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees
TV: Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. on TNT.
Radio: Motor Racing Network, WSOC-FM (103.7)
Race distance: 400 miles (267 laps)
Track length: 1.5 miles

THREE THINGS TO WATCH
1. Chevrolet has won 14 of this year’s 18 races, but only one of the past four. Only two Fords qualified in the top 24 here Friday, but six of them were in the top 13 in Saturday’s final practice. Is this one, at least from a manufacturer’s perspective, up for grabs?
2. After four wins and eight top-five finishes in the first 11 races, Jimmie Johnson has only one top five since May at Charlotte. He’s never won at Chicagoland, but his worst finish here is sixth.
3. Everyone keeps waiting – and hoping – for the second groove to come in at this track. How much two- or even three-wide racing will we see today?

PRACTICE UPDATE
Mark Martin and Elliott Sadler both lost their primary cars to crashes in Saturday’s Nextel Cup practices. Martin wrecked in the first session and was able to get his backup car out for the final practice. Sadler, though, wrecked late in the final session and didn’t’ get any laps on the Dodge he’ll race today. Roush Fenway Racing teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth had the fastest cars in the first practice, while Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr. and Dave Blaney led happy hour.

OBSERVER PICKS
David Poole
Matt Kenseth – Wrecked late while leading last year, this year he brings it home.

Jim Utter
Kyle Busch – No teamwork will be necessary for this victory.

ELEVATORS

UP – Robert Yates Racing
Ricky Rudd starts 41st and David Gilliland 42nd, but both cars were in the top 11 in the final practice.

DOWN – Mark Martin and Elliott Sadler
To the back of the field in back up cars after Saturday crashes in practice.

DOWN – ESPN’s “Full Throttle”
Who thought it’d be a good idea to put 20 voices on television will all of them talking at the same time? The last time anybody tried that, it was called “Pit Bulls.”

Briefly
•  Beginning today, fans can register to win $1 million in the SprintSpeed Million contest presented by Motorola. Through Sept. 3, fans can select the driver they think will win the Nextel Cup championship at Sprint retail stores, online at www.sprint.com/speed or by texting “Million” to 7777 on any Sprint or Nextel phone. Twelve finalists will be selected and paired with each driver in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. The finalist paired with the driver who wins the title wins $1 million.

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