With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on its final bye weekend of the season, the Nationwide Series takes center stage in one of the hotbed areas known for its big stages, bright spotlights, and launching pads for historic careers – the “Windy City,” Chicago, Ill.
The same town that gave us young performers John Belushi and Bill Murray in renowned “The Second City” theatre, Chicago will provide the weekend entertainment for Midwest race fans with Nationwide Series’ EnjoyIllinois.com 300 at nearby Chicagoland Speedway. Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet, looks to close the 13-point deficit to teammate Regan Smith for first place in the point standings at a track he’ll see twice in the next two months. Only 16 races remain, as last weekend the Nationwide Series surpassed the halfway point of the 2014 season.
Elliott has never raced at Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile tri-oval. That doesn’t make it any more unique than, say, Darlington Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, both tracks where Elliott has been victorious this year. The EnjoyIllinois.com 300 begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2. It will mark the 18-year-old’s fifth start this season at a 1.5-mile track. So far he has one win and two top-five finishes at tracks of that distance.
Elliott enters the weekend leading the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings with a 47-point advantage over Ty Dillon.
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