This week in NASCAR: LifeLock.com 400
You’d have to say that Kyle Busch is the story heading into Saturday night’s LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
That’s because Busch won both the Nationwide and Cup races at Chicagoland Speedway last year but also because of how last week’s race at Daytona ended. On the final turn of that race, Busch attempted to block Tony Stewart and wound up careering into the wall, dropping from the lead to a 14th-place finish. Stewart, the points leader, would win the race.
“NASCAR can take a step in looking at it, and if the second-place driver quote-unquote dumps the leader, then black-flag his [rear],” an angry Busch said. “If you’re up alongside a guy and you dump him, then I say black-flag him and give the win to the third-place guy.”
It’s been a frustrating year all around for Busch, who has three victories, the most of anyone in the Cup top 12, but he also has 10 finishes outside the top 15. He is +500 to win this week on WagerWeb.com.
“I don’t even know how we’re [eighth] in points with our finishes lately,” he said. “It’s just pathetic. We have to do something to where we at least can pass cars and go to the front instead of just being in the front and having cars pass us and salvage a finish. It’s not what wins races.”
Stewart said earlier this week that he and Busch were on the same page after they talked. Busch disagreed.
“I don’t really have feelings, so it didn’t mean a whole lot,” Busch said of the chat. “I thank him, I guess, for checking on me to see if I was alive.”
Brian Vickers will start on the pole Saturday night. It’s his fifth pole this year and 10th career, but he has only one win to show for all that: three years ago at Talladega. At Chicago, Vickers has a solid history with no finish lower than 14th and two top 10s in the four races he’s run there.
“I’m very frustrated to not be in Victory Lane,” said Vickers, who is +900 to win on WagerWeb.com.
“Sitting on poles this year was one of our goals. Winning races was, too.”
Jimmie Johnson is the +385 favorite this week, as he has three straight top-10 finishes this season. In seven starts at Chicago, Johnson has finished in the top 10 six times; his only absence coming in 2007 when he crashed after leading 82 laps.
Matt Kenseth (+1900 on WagerWeb.com) has never won at this track but he has led nearly 300 laps the past four races there and was second two years ago.
Another sleeper could be Kevin Harvick, who has top-five finishes in each of his past three Chicagoland starts. He is +2300 this week.
NASCAR Betting at WagerWeb.com
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