SM Staff

After a three year absence from Eagle Speedway, the Outlaws return was an exciting one. The Outlaw show brought with it some big names, Danny Lasoski, Brian Brown, and the current reigning Sprint Cup Champion, Tony Stewart. The 21 car field was a stacked deck. Every car was fast and every driver determined. When the night was over the World of Outlaws did not disappoint

In the opening salvo of the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

NASCAR announced on September 18th that they have reinstated NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver A.J. Allmendinger upon his completition of the road to recovery program.

It may seem silly, but there are those who have already decided that the Chase has two favorites, Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson. There is something to be said for that, but the thought needs more investigation. It’s also useful to look at history and recent statistics. Those two categories tend to color things a bit.

If it wasn’t game on before, it certainly is now for Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Comments have been flying between the two for weeks but following the first race of the Chase on Sunday at Chicago, in which Keselowski struck first and won with Johnson coming home second, the two were at it again.

He may have just graduated from Duke, but the young racer from New Jersey, Paulie Harraka, is now going back to school, this time under the tutelage of veteran driver Ted Musgrave.

Brad Keselowski wins the opening race for the chase on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. Keselowski held off Jimmie Johnson during the final 35 laps and won his fourth race of the season, eighth of his career and the first at Chicagoland.

As the laps dwindled down in Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, teams and fans alike were brought to the attention of suspicious radio communication between Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Richard-Childress Racing Chevrolet, and crew chief Danny Stockman.

When the World of Outlaws pulled into the Deer Creek Speedway for the FVP Clash, no one had any idea how eventful the night would be. Not the fans. Not the drivers. Not the sanctioning body. Not even the track owners. Everyone knew it would be an exciting show because it was the World of Outlaws, but no one knew just how exciting it would be.