CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY RACE RECAP

PAUL MENARD • No. 98 Moen/Menards Ford Fusion

• Menard started Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Chicagoland Speedway in the 9th position
• The Wisconsin native finished the event in the 10th place
• Menard remains 23rd in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings after 19 races

Race Summary: Paul Menard posted on of his best qualifying efforts of the season and lined up ninth on the starting grid for Saturday evening's race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

Menard took the green flag for the start of the 267 lap LifeLock 400 and though he communicated to Crew Chief Slugger Labbe that the No. 98 Menards Ford was a little tight in the center of the corners, he was able to pick up several positions in the early laps of the event.

A yellow flag on Lap 40 enabled Labbe to make air pressure and a wedge adjustment during the ensuing stop. Menard lined up for the Lap 44 restart in 15th place and patiently made his way past several competitors before the next stop at Lap 93.

The No. 98 Ford Fusion held down 12th place at the 100-lap mark and Menard let Labbe know that he was happy with his ride. NASCAR officials threw a caution flag for debris at Lap 131 and Menard drove down pit road to the attention of his crew for a four-tire change and fuel. This time around, Labbe and Menard opted to leave the handling of the car alone. Menard took the green flag for the restart inside the top 10.

Menard remained inside the top 10 for the remainder of the event and the crew made only minor changes to the car during the last stop. Menard ran some of the fastest speeds of the field in the final 20 laps and took the checkered flag in the 10th position. The result was the third top-10 finish of the season for the Richard Petty Motorsports team.

Paul Menard remains in the 23rd spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver point standings heading to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in two weeks. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will take next weekend off.

Menard on the Chicagoland Event: “It was solid. We were very close when we unloaded and did some little things all through practice that helped. We were able to run top-10 all night. It was pretty uneventful really, but we had a good Ford Fusion and I am really happy with that.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER • No. 43 Geek Squad Ford Fusion

• AJ Allmendinger started in the 13th position in his third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Joliet, Ill.
• Allmendinger collected his 10th top-15 finish of the season on Saturday night
• Allmendinger now stands in 22nd place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings after 19 races

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined his No. 43 Geek Squad Ford Fusion up in the 13th position for the start of Saturday night’s event at Chicago-land Speedway. As the opening laps of the 267-lap event unfolded, Allmendinger relayed to crew chief Mike Shiplett that he was fighting a tight han-dling condition with his No. 43 Ford. Despite the tight handling issue, Allmendinger was able to maintain his position in the top-15.

At Lap 39, the first of four caution flags flew and allowed Shiplett an opportunity to bring his driver down pit road for four tires, fuel and some air pres-sure adjustments. The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports crew delivered a solid stop and were able to send their driver out with a gain of five posi-tions. The field went back to green with Allmendinger inside the top-10.

As the race approached the 100-lap mark, Allmendinger felt his Ford Fusion was still too tight. After a round of green flag pit stops, the No. 43 brushed the wall, which caused right side damage to the Geek Squad machine. Even though Allmendinger was able to maintain position on the track, a much needed break came to the Richard Petty Motorsports team with a caution at Lap 129. The yellow flag period allowed Shiplett to bring All-mendinger down pit road for repairs to the spoiler, which had affected the aero of the car. The Geek Squad crew also bolted on four new Goodyear tires, added fuel, made minor trackbar and wedge adjustments and checked for any further right side damage. The crew was able to get everything done and keep their driver on the lead lap.

The field went back to green at Lap 135 with the No. 43 of Allmendinger slated in the 23rd position. With another caution at Lap 137, the crew took the opportunity to make a right front shock adjustment in an effort to continue to improve the condition of the car. As the remaining laps wound down, Allmendinger fought his way from the 23rd position to finish the event 14th. The top-15 result was the driver’s 10th of the season.

Allmendinger on the Chicagoland Event: “The last couple of years I have been here you get loose the beginning of the race and then as the night goes on it gets looser. We were just way too tight the whole time. I hit the wall there and got way tight off turn two and that hurt us for a little bit. The guys did a great job to get it back to pretty much where it was. We just were fighting tight all night and struggling with that. I will take finishing 14th. One of my goals the last 18 races is to be in the top-15 every race. If we do that I think we will keep making up points. We are going to have days like this, but to get a 14th out if it is good. I am proud of the guys. We all deserve better and we will keep working at it.”

ELLIOTT SADLER • No. 19 Stanley/ACE/CMN Ford Fusion

• Elliott Sadler started his ninth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in 16th
• Sadler drove to a 21st-place finish in Saturday’s event
• Sadler holds down 27th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading to Indy

Race Summary: In Friday evening’s qualifying session, Elliott Sadler put his No. 19 Stanley/ACE/Children’s Miracle Network Ford Fusion in the 16th starting position for Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Chicagoland Speedway. In the opening laps of the event, Sadler maintained a steady 16th position but relayed to crew chief Todd Parrott that his No. 19 Stanley machine would need more front grip.

By Lap 30, the Virginia-native had his Ford machine running in the top-15. Parrott and the No. 19 Richard Petty Motorsports crew took advantage of the first caution of the day at Lap 39. Sadler made the trip down pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and right side air pressure adjustments.

Sadler, who was “Racing for a Miracle” in support of sponsor Stanley’s partnership with the Ace Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network, kept his Ford machine running in the top-15 for much of the middle course of the 267-lap event. As the race approached half-way, he felt some slight adjust-ments to help with the handling on the exit of the turns were needed. The third yellow flag of the night at Lap 137 allowed the team a chance to make trackbar and additional air pressure adjustments.

Sadler once again made his way into the top-15 of the field but as the race neared the 200-lap mark the driver felt his Ford start to struggle through the center of the turns. In one of the last stops of the night, Parrott called for air pressure, trackbar and wedge adjustments in an effort to alleviate the issue. When the checkered flag flew, Sadler came in 21st.

Sadler on the Chicagoland Event: “It was a great weekend for this No. 19 Stanley Ford team. We battled the car being tight throughout the race but it was a good night. I feel like we’re continuing to move in the right direction. This was a special weekend with the Children’s Miracle Network guests we had with us. I would have loved to have put this No. 19 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford in Victory Lane for them but it wasn’t our night. My guys worked really hard. I’m really proud of our team.”

KASEY KAHNE • No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion

• Kasey Kahne started Saturday’s race at Chicagoland Speedway from the 12th position
• The No. 9 Budweiser team finished sixth—its second consecutive top-10 finish and fourth in the past five races
• Kahne is now 17th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings, 120 points outside of 12th

Race Summary: Kasey Kahne lined up in the 12th position for the start of Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event and, despite a bit of a loose handling condition, held down a spot inside the top 10 within three laps of the green flag. The first pit stop of the day came during a caution period on Lap 41 and Crew Chief Kenny Francis called for air pressure and wedge adjustments to the Budweiser Ford. Kahne lined up for the Lap 44 restart in seventh place after the No. 9 crew helped him pick up two positions on pit road.

Kahne let his team know that the car was a bit too tight during the next run and Francis made plans to make air pressure and wedge adjustments during the next pit stop, which came at Lap 93. Not long after the stop, Kahne communicated that the changes had helped the No. 9 Ford. Kahne held down the 12th position at the halfway point of the race.

With about 100 laps remaining in the event, the Enumclaw, Wash.-native communicated to his crew that he was happy with the way the car was handling and asked for just a small change during a pit stop under yellow on Lap 184. Kahne lined up for the Lap 188 restart in 10th place. The final pit stop of the day occurred at Lap 240 and Francis called for four fresh tires, fuel and a minor chassis adjustment to ensure the car was good for the rest of the race.

With 27 laps remaining in the event, Kahne had made his way into the sixth spot and though he worked hard to catch the fifth-place car, ran out of time before he was able. Kahne finished the event in sixth place.

Kahne on the Chicagoland Event: “It was a good team effort. We had good pit calls and good pit stops. We probably should have finished in fifth. It was a good effort. We got way too loose there at the center part of the race and it was tough to pass. The aero here is really difficult. All things consid-ered I think it was a pretty good night. We probably could have finished a little higher, but I will take it.”