The Chicagoland 400 is a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held annually at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. The inaugural running of the race was held in 2001. From 2001 to 2010, the race was held in July, and from 2008 to 2010, after lights were installed at the track, the race was held at night. Since 2011, it has been held in September as the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship.
In May 2000, as Chicagoland Speedway was under construction, it was announced that the track would hold a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race beginning in the 2001 season. Tropicana served as the race's sponsor from 2001 to 2004, followed by USG Corporation from 2005 to 2007, LifeLock.com from 2008 to 2010, GEICO from 2011 to 2013, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharmaceutica from 2014 to 2015, and Nickelodeon has sponsored the race through the network's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series since 2016. Kevin Harvick won the first two runnings of the race in 2001 and 2002, while Tony Stewart has the most wins in the race's history, having won it three times, in 2004, 2007 and 2011.
Notes
2006 and 2016: Race extended due to a NASCAR Overtime finish.
2011: Race postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain.
2013: Race started more than one hour late and then halted after 109 laps for five hours due to rain; the race started during the day but ended at night due to the delays.
Notable moments
2010: The race, the nineteenth out of a total of thirty-six in the season, began at 7:30 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on TNT. Conditions were sunny with a high 88 °F (31 °C), making the track potentially slippery early in the race. Co-director of Raceway Windy City Ministries Glenn Spoolstra began the pre-race ceremonies by giving the invocation. Afterward, Jim Cornelison, the Chicago Blackhawks national anthem singer, performed the United States National Anthem while Duncan Keith gave the command to start engines.Kevin Harvick drove his race car to the garage area. On lap 197, it was said that Harvick's crew members were changing a fuel pump. On lap 212, Edwards passed McMurray for the fourth position. One lap later, Reutimann passed Jeff Gordon for the first position. Fifteen laps later, Biffle's engine failed. One lap later, Johnson made a scheduled green flag pit stop. On lap 233 Bowyer claimed the lead as Reutimann came to pit lane for a pit stop. Afterward, Edwards and Montoya led as green flag pit stops continued. Green flag pit stops finished on lap 236, after Reutimann reclaimed the lead. On lap 242 Edwards claimed the second position from Jeff Gordon. Reutimann remained the leader, and crossed the finish line first to clinch his second career victory in the Sprint Cup Series. Edwards finished second ahead of Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, and Jamie McMurray.
2011: The race, the twenty-seventh of the season, was scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT on September 18, but wet track conditions postponed the race to September 19, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. The race was televised live in the United States on ESPN.
2014: The race was on ESPN for the final time, Almirola made his final stop as the caution came out with 36 laps to go after Carl Edwards' car cut down a left-rear tire, and Larson cycled back to the lead in the process. While pitting, Almirola blew his car's engine, and he retired from the race. Almirola later described himself as "heartbroken" with the result. The race restarted with 30 laps to go, but only ran for a handful of laps before Clint Bowyer brought out the fifth caution of the race, with 23 laps to go, after he hit the wall in turn 1. The race restarted with 18 laps to go, and Harvick retook the lead from Larson before Keselowski moved to the head of the race the following lap. The caution flags flew for the sixth time with ten laps to go after Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Danica Patrick made contact on the front stretch. Upon exiting her car, Patrick stated that she "talked with Ricky afterward and we're fine". The race restarted with six laps to go and Brad Keselowski coasted on to victory lane, for his second successive win. Keselowski expressed his delight at the result, stating that he "was waiting for an opportunity to strike and it came. The car stuck and everything came together".
2015: The race aired on NBC Sports for the first time, After drag racing through the front stretch, Kurt Busch passed his brother for the lead with 46 laps to go. Edwards began the final cycle of pit stops with 29 laps to go. Kurt Busch pitted with 28 laps to go and handed the lead to Hamlin. Hamlin pitted with 24 laps to go and handed the lead to teammate Matt Kenseth. Kenseth hit pit road with 23 laps to go and the lead cycled back to Kurt Busch. Allmendinger was tagged for speeding on pit road and was forced to serve a drive-through penalty. Debris in turn 2 brought out the sixth caution of the race with 10 laps to go. The debris were pieces of a brake rotor that came from the No. 83 car of Matt DiBenedetto. "Did the yellow even need to come out? I don't even know," Kurt Busch said after the race. He, Gordon and Hamlin opted to stay out while the rest of the lead lap cars opted to pit. The race restarted with five laps to go. Gordon got a good start on Kurt, but he was passed underneath by Hamlin, forced up the track and ultimately finished 14th. Denny drove on to score his 26th career victory.
2016: The race restarted with two laps to go in overtime, Blaney was no match on old tires against Truex on new tires. Truex passed him on the backstretch with two to go and drove on to score the victory.
Television broadcasters
NBC carried this event from 2001-2005, from 2006-2010, it was carried on TNT, from 2011-2014, it was carried on ESPN, that policy has been discontinued, Starting in 2015, the race will return to NBC, and has the rights for the final 20 races of the season, the 11th of 20 races aired as part of the NASCAR on NBC package, the race will be aired on NBCSN.
2013: Race started on ESPN, race was completed on ESPN2 due to rain delays.
