Top 20 Driver Ratings at Chicago
Chase Elliott……………………….. 111.4
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 110.2
Kyle Busch…………………………. 107.8
Kyle Larson………………………… 101.9
Kevin Harvick……………………… 101.1
Brad Keselowski………………….. 101.1
Martin Truex Jr……………………… 95.6
Joey Logano…………………………. 91.6
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 89.6
Kurt Busch…………………………… 89.2
Ryan Blaney…………………………. 86.7
Clint Bowyer…………………………. 85.8
Daniel Suarez……………………….. 82.3
Ryan Newman………………………. 82.0
Aric Almirola…………………………. 76.9
Erik Jones……………………………. 75.8
Austin Dillon…………………………. 74.6
Paul Menard…………………………. 69.1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr………………… 68.7
Alex Bowman……………………….. 65.8
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2018 races (14 total) among active drivers at Chicagoland Speedway.
History
- Construction of the Chicagoland Speedway began in August of 1999.
- The first NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Chicago was July 14, 2001 and won by Jimmie Johnson in Stanley Herzog’s Chevrolet (119.469 mph, 02:30:40).
- The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was held on July 15, 2001 and won by Kevin Harvick in a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (121.200 mph, 03:18:16).
- The first NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race was held on August 28, 2009 and was won by Kyle Busch in the Billy Ballew Motorsport’s Toyota (119.293 mph, 01:53:13)
- For seven seasons Chicagoland Speedway was the opening race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (2011 – 2017).
- There have been 18 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races held at Chicagoland Speedway, one race per season since the first event in 2001.
Starts
- A total of 128 different drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway; 103 have competed in more than one.
- Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Chicagoland Speedway with 18 each.
- Eight drivers all-time have posted their first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Chicagoland Speedway – Ray Black Jr. (2017), Joey Gase (2014), Justin Allgaier (2013), Josh Wise (2011), Todd Kluever (2006), David Stremme (2005), Chad Blount (2004) and Johnny Sauter (2003).
- Chase Elliott leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Chicago with an 8.333 in three starts.
- A total of 13 different Monster Energy Series drivers have won Busch poles at Chicago, five are active this weekend.
- Jimmie Johnson leads the series in Busch Pole awards at Chicagoland Speedway with two (2005 and 2012).
- Todd Bodine won the inaugural Monster Energy Series Busch Pole Award at Chicago in 2001 with a speed of 183.717 mph in a Ford.
- Youngest Chicago Monster Energy Series pole winner: Joey Logano (September 15, 2013 – 23 years, 3 months, 22 days).
- Oldest Chicago Monster Energy Series pole winner: Matt Kenseth (September 19, 2011 – 39 years, 6 months, 9 days).
- No driver has won consecutive poles at Chicagoland Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series; the track is currently on a streak of nine different pole winners dating back to 2006.
- Three different manufacturers have won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles at Chicago led by Chevrolet with seven, followed by Ford (five) and Toyota (two).
- A total of 12 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Chicagoland Speedway; six are active this weekend.
- Tony Stewart leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Chicago with three victories (2004, 2007, 2011).
- Kevin Harvick (first two series events at the speedway; 2001 and 2002), Brad Keselowski (2012 and 2014), Kyle Busch (2008 and 2018) and Martin Truex Jr. (2016 and 2017) lead all active drivers in wins at Chicago with two each.
- Kevin Harvick (2001, 2002) and Martin Truex Jr. (2016, 2017) are the only two drivers to post consecutive series wins at Chicagoland Speedway.
- Youngest Chicago series winner: Kyle Busch (July 12, 2008 – 23 years, 2 months, 10 days).
- Oldest Chicago series winner: Mark Martin (July 11, 2009 – 50 years, 6 months, 2 days).
- Only one of the 18 (5.6%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Chicago have been won from the pole position. Kyle Busch accomplished the feat in 2008 – it is also the only win from the front row.
- The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Chicago is 32nd, by Kevin Harvick in 2002.
- Seven of the eight active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winners at Chicagoland Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Kevin Harvick won at Chicago in his first two appearances (2001, 2002). Ryan Newman won in his second appearance (2003).
- Kurt Busch leads the series among active drivers with the most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Chicago without visiting Victory Lane at 18.
- A total of eight different organizations have won at Chicagoland Speedway in the Monster Energy Series, led by Joe Gibbs Racing with six victories: Tony Stewart (two), Kyle Busch (two), Matt Kenseth (one) and Denny Hamlin (one).
- Four different manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy Series at Chicago led by Chevrolet with eight victories; followed by Toyota with seven, Dodge has two and Ford has one.
Additional Finishing Position Stats
- A total of 12 different drivers have finished runner-up in the Monster Energy Series at Chicagoland Speedway, six are active this weekend.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson lead the series in runner-up finishes with three each.
- A total of 32 different drivers have finished in the top-five at Chicago in the Monster Energy Series.
- Kevin Harvick leads the series in top-five finishes at Chicago with 10 top fives.
- A total of 47 different drivers have finished in the top-10 at Chicago in the Monster Energy Series.
- Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick lead the series in top-10 finishes at Chicago with 11 each.
- Chase Elliott leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average finishing position with a 2.5. Below are the top five all-time and active average finishing positions:
Track / Event Specific Stats
- Since the advent of electronic scoring, the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Chicagoland Speedway was the July 12, 2008 race won by Kyle Busch over Jimmie Johnson with a margin of victory of 0.159 second – the only race won from the pole.
- Two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race has resulted with NASCAR Overtime.
- None of the series races at Chicagoland Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.
- Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the Monster Energy Series at Chicagoland Speedway four times – 2008, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Lap Leaders
- A total of 56 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at Chicagoland Speedway.
- Jimmie Johnson leads the series in laps led at Chicago with 695 laps led in 17 starts.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin has led the most laps in a single Monster Energy Series race at Chicagoland Speedway and won, leading 195 of the scheduled 267 laps (73%) on July 11, 2009.
- Matt Kenseth has led the most laps in a single Monster Energy Series race at Chicagoland Speedway and did not win, leading 176 of 267 scheduled laps (66%) on July 10, 2005; he finished second.
Female Competitor Stats
- Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed at Chicagoland Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series; Shawna Robinson attempted to qualify in 2001 but failed to qualify for the event.
NASCAR in Illinois
- A total of 89 NASCAR national series races among five different tracks have been held in the state of Illinois.
- The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held in the state of Illinois was at Willow Springs, Illinois at Santa Fe Speedway in 1954 – the event was won by Dick Rathmann (72.216 mph, 1:23:05, 07-10-1954).
Illinois Drivers In NASCAR
- A total of 81 different drivers with their home state recorded as Illinois have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race.
- Five of the 81 have posted at least one victory in a NASCAR national series event; including NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen with 26 victories in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
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