|
o
Justin
Allgaier Wins STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photo by Dan Peters
Allgaier wins at Chicagoland Speedway, runs
out of gas coming to checkered flag.
Local
favorite Justin Allgaier led only one lap, the final one and snatched
victory from Roush driver Carl Edwards. Roush racing is still looking
for a victory in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Chicagoland Speedway
in Joliet.
Ceremonies and
fly overs beckon the start of the race, the weather was cool and dry.
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photos by Ed Vincent
Tires are
brought to the pits........
©
Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photo by Ed Vincent
A Good start
after the heavy rains and the moving of the Arca race until later in
the evening.
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photos by Ed Vincent and Dan Peters
Edwards
Pit Strategy fails.
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photos by Ed Vincent and Dan Peters
It was Carl Edward’s race to win, but crew
chief Mike Beam made a gamble for fuel only on the last pit stop. It
nearly worked.
I thought I'd saved about a lap of fuel,"
Edwards said. "With five or six laps to go, Justin really started
coming, so I laid it down."
And he ran out just before the entrance to
Turn 3 on the 200th and final lap. Allgaier was wide-eyed at the sight.
"Coming off Turn 2, I didn't know if I'd
have the time to catch him," Allgaier said. "Then he started wiggling,
and I got a big grin."
Allgaier drew even, and as he did, his
engine went silent. It was a coast to the finish, and Allgaier would
win it. He led only the final lap, and only about seven-tenths of a
mile of it.
"We were on power another 100 feet, and
that was the difference," Allgaier said.
The difference in victory was a scant 1.719
seconds. It was Allgaier’s his first win since Bristol last year and
only the second win by a Nationwide Series regular driver in 14 races
this season.
Sprint
Cup regulars like Edwards, who was looking for his fourth victory, have
taken the rest.
Back and not missing a beat..
Trevor Bayne's third-place finish in the
number 16 Roush racing Mustang came in his return after a six-week
absence for an illness that baffled even doctors from the Mayo Clinic.
He told ESPN during the race he "felt like an astronaut" with all of
the air hoses blowing on him, fitting given the way he rocketed through
the field. Bayne started 31st and ran as high as sixth after 57 laps.
Then he held steady until the final laps, when drivers had to pit for a
splash of fuel.
"Man, I should have started going six laps
earlier," Bayne said. "You can always say 'Shoulda.' "
"I am thankful to be able to get back into
a race car, and I am going to savor this moment forever," Bayne said of
his return. "We as race car drivers are so blessed to be doing this for
a living, and I think we take that for granted sometimes. I am ready to
get back to work and compete at the highest level.”
Bayne showed confidence prior to Saturday
night’s race.
"Our Nationwide program has been
unstoppable as of late, and I want to contribute to that success as
much as I can. Crew chief Chris Andrews and the guys give me awesome
race cars to drive, so there is no doubt in my mind that we can win
this thing on Saturday night. I never thought it would be this long
since I’d be in a race car.”
Patrick was again asked about her 2012
plans and rumors of a switch to NASCAR full-time.
Danica
Patrick driving for TISSOT has a respectable race.
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photos by Ed Vincent
Danica Patrick finished 10th in
her first return to NASCAR after several months off while she competed
in the IZOD Indy Car Series. She led late in the race at Indianapolis
and also finished 10th in the historic 100th anniversary of the
Indianapolis 500.
At
Chicagoland Speedway she told the media any decisions on her future
would have to wait until her season is over. My bet, her decision will
be made long before the last checkered flag falls…
“There
isn’t a decision today and not for many months,” Patrick told the media
prior to practice on Friday afternoon. “This takes a lot of time, and I
don’t know what’s going on at this point. I’m flattered people want to
know that badly, but I don’t have anything to say and don’t have a
decision. I feel like a broken record.”
"I think
she wants to have more success, and doing it all the time would be a
good move," JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said recently.
Carl Edwards in
the lead above, Justin
Allgaier getting fuel earlier in the race and then working his way to
the lead.
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photos by Ed Vincent
"I want to point out that she
hasn't talked to me about it. She hasn't told me what she wants to do,"
said Bob Parsons, founder and chairman of GoDaddy.com, the company that
backs Patrick's race cars. "That's just not her style. One of the
reasons why she and I get along so good is, we stay out of each other's
hair. I let het manage her business, she lets me manage mine. But my
guess is, I expect to see her in NASCAR."
"I
suppose anything is possible," Patrick told reporters last week at
Indianapolis, when asked if it would be her last Indy 500.
Reed
Sorenson finished sixth, the 38 points he earned enough to move him
into the standings lead. Sadler is two points behind after finishing
11th, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. dropped from second to third in the
standings after running 14th.
One Lucky fan
received a Tissot watchfrom Danica during driver introductions..
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photo by Dan Peters
Danica has a
good race and great fans.
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photos by Dan Peters
Kevin Harvick has his eyes on the
sky... and for good reason. Moments later a heavy rain canceled
qualifying.
©
Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photo by Dan Peters
The Storm
shuffles new race times for the ARCA event.
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photo by Dan Peters and Ed Vincent
Mike Wallace's Chevrolet Carries the Special Cowboys and Aliens Paint
Scheme at Chicagoland Speedway
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photo by Dan Peters
Time to go
home....
© Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc photo by Ed Vincent
.
o
Chicago
Professional Sports Teams |
