NASCAR Cup Series

"It’s a tough place for sure," Allmendinger said. "I think our mile-and-a-half program’s gotten better. I’m encouraged to go to Chicago and keep trying to improve. I think we can go there, get our car right and have a solid run. It’s definitely a tough place and we look forward to getting better there.”

Michael Annett and his No. 46 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet team make their only stop of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Chicagoland Speedway, in Joliet, Ill., this Sunday. Annett scored three top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place finish in 2012, in eight career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 1.5-mile facility.

NASCAR introduced rules updates for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs on Wednesday, giving competition officials the power to issue more stringent rulings on technical infractions involving post-race laser inspections and lug nuts.

Roush Fenway Racing heads to the land of deep-dish pizza, Al Capone’s tax evasion, every John Hughes movie and “Da Bears!” this weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) returns to Chicagoland Speedway, excellent!

“Momentum is key in this business, and we have a lot of confidence right now, but we still have goals to accomplish this year and the win just makes us hungrier to get more. We have shown a lot of speed over the last few months and our FedEx team has a nice stretch of top-10's and wins to back up that speed.

“Smoke” enters the Chase with a clear mind and nothing to lose, his final season ultimately being a success as long as he finishes it. The last time Stewart made the Chase with nothing to lose was 2011 when he said outright “We don’t deserve to be in the Chase.” Exactly three months after saying that, it was the Monday after winning his third Sprint Cup championship.

NASCAR Driver Michael McDowell and Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing (CSLFR) are thrilled to be one of the select Sprint Cup Series teams showcasing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (TMNT) paint scheme during the TMNT 400 at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. McDowell and CSLFR will travel to the infamous 1.5-mile track after capturing their second best finish of the season at Richmond International Raceway.

Aric Almirola left Richmond with a Top-20 finish but was not able to clinch a spot in The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team rallied back from a cut tire early on in the race that left them three laps down to finish in the 17th position on the lead lap.

Brian Scott and the No. 44 Jewel-Osco team have a busy weekend ahead in Chicago, both on and off the track. Jewel-Osco, a banner store of Albertsons Companies, will be on the hood of Scott's No. 44 Ford Fusion, and fans will have several opportunities to meet Scott away from the track in Chicago. Scott has experience and success at the intermediate 1.5-mile tri-oval in the XFINITY Series and is looking to use that knowledge to his advantage for Sunday's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400.

As we head to Chicagoland, you have to wonder if there are paybacks in the future. Will Newman wreck Stewart? Will Cole Custer get revenge on John Hunter Nemechek for the injustice he was victim to at Canadian Motorsports Park?