CONCORD, N.C. – Chicagoland Speedway awaits.
Over a span of 17 races at the Midwestern venue, Hendrick Motorsports has earned two wins, four poles, 22 top-fives, 33 top-10s and 1,275 laps led (most all-time). The organization has led laps in all 17 races at the 1.5-mile tri-oval, and has had at least one driver finish in the top-10 in all but two events.
More key facts, figures and moments from the organization’s history at Chicagoland can be found below.
- Hendrick Motorsports’ two NASCAR Cup Series victories at Chicagoland came via Jeff Gordon (2006) and Mark Martin (2009). After rolling off the grid 13th, Gordon went on to lead 20 laps, including the final seven en route to Victory Lane and his 75th career Cup Series win. Martin captured the checkered flag at the track three seasons later, dominating the event and leading 195 laps on the way to his fourth of five victories in the 2009 campaign.
- Chase Elliott is set to make his third Cup Series start at Chicagoland this weekend. In his previous Cup Starts at the 1.5-mile tri-oval, Elliott has earned third and runner-up finishes, respectively, including a Stage 2 victory in last year’s race. His 2.5 average finish at Chicago is the best average of all active drivers at a single track, and his two consecutive starts at Chicago without finishing outside the top three is tied for the most all-time among all drivers.
- In his two starts at Chicagoland, Elliott has also led 117 laps, making it one of five tracks where the driver had has led over 100 laps (143 at Martinsville, 140 at Phoenix, 138 at Dover, 117 at Chicago and 115 at Charlotte). Heading into this weekend’s race, Elliott has posted three straight top-10 finishes, his longest streak of the season, and is tied for the fourth longest streak of his career.
- Alan Gustafson, Elliott’s crew chief, has also had his share of success at the Illinois speedway. In his last five races calling the shots at the track with Gordon and Elliott behind the wheel of the No. 24 car, the crew chief has tallied four top-10 finishes, including a third-place finish and two runner-up results, respectively. Gustafson was also Martin’s crew chief when the tandem earned Hendrick Motorsports its second win at the venue in 2009.
- Jimmie Johnson has yet to find Victory Lane in 16 starts at Chicagoland, but his 695 laps led at the track is the most all-time. Kyle Busch is the next closest driver with 514. The driver has also amassed two poles, three runner-up results, seven top-fives, 11 top-10s and a 9.4 average finish at the venue.
- Alex Bowman has three career Cup Series career starts at Chicagoland, with his best finish of 10th coming in 2016 when subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. The driver is coming off a ninth-place finish at Sonoma Raceway and another ninth-place effort in the most recent 1.5-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- Six rookies have earned top-five finishes at Chicagoland with two of them coming from Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson captured a fourth-place finish after rolling off the grid 37th in 2002 and Elliott earned a third-place result in 2016.