This Sunday we’ll head to the windy city and Chicagoland Speedway. This typical one-and-a-half mile track sits just off of Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois. It is a relatively young track on the NASCAR Cup series circuit, and this will be only the seventh time it’s played host to the NASCAR Cup.

There is nothing different to watch for at Chicago. There should be some good racing and fuel mileage may be a factor, as always.

One thing I will be looking at as the cars go around the track: payback. So far this year, we have had a few tangles on the tracks and I don’t think this week will be any different. I will go into this a little more in my first pick.

Last year’s race saw Matt Kenseth in the lead and looking to post a win… that was, until Jeff Gordon bumped and dumped him. Matt has also led the most laps here, 292, more than any other driver. A Ford has not won in the six races here, but if anyone is going to put one on the board for them, it will be Matt.

Despite his whining last week and his worry that he is not longer part of his team, Kyle Busch has an excellent chance at winning this week. He is turning out to be a solid racer, and if he can just shake his ‘Busch-like’ habits, he could be so much better.

Four top-five finishes in five starts and the other finish coming in at sixth, Jimmie Johnson will have to have some bad luck to lose this race. We are back in the new car, the COT, and Hendrick still seems to have the edge when it comes to how to set it up.

Martin Truex Jr. has done nothing but run well since his win at Dover last month. He may not be sitting on the pole, but he was awfully close, and his practice times were fast, too.

Only one driver has won more than one race here, and that is Kevin Harvick. His year started off with a win in the Daytona 500, but ever since then, it seems as if karma is kicking him in the rear for taking away Mark Martin’s chance at a Daytona win. His practice speeds were good and his two wins prove he knows his way around the track.

Ryan Newman is my dark horse pick for this week. Eventually this boy’s bad luck has got to run out. He often has a car that could at least finish in the top five or ten and yet something happens and his week is a loss. He qualified well, but that is not a big surprise, and his practice times were good as well.

Race Lineup

Have a question or comment for Jen? Email her at jenniferpatterson@sportsgrumblings.com.