TONY STEWART WINS AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY; KEVIN HARVICK AND DALE EARNHARDT JR. FINISH 2ND AND THIRD TO GIVE TEAM CHEVY ONE-TWO-THREE FINISH IN GEICO 400; HARVICK TAKES POINT LEAD IN CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP FOLLOWING RACE ONE OF 10-RACE BATTLE
JOLIET, ILL (September 19, 2011) – In round one of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Tony Stewart put his fuel mileage management skills to work in the closing laps of the GEICO 400 to put his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet in victory lane. Kevin Harvick in the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet and Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the No. 88 AMP Energy Chevrolet finished second and third to give Team Chevy a one-two-three finish at Chicagoland Speedway.
The two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion started 26th in the 43-car field and led four times for a total of 35 laps. This is his 40th career race win and his third at Chicagoland Speedway. Stewart has won at least one race in each of his 13 years in NSCS competition and now sits second in the standings. Postponed due to rain, the 267-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup feature was 2 hr. and 47 minutes in length and slowed by only six caution flags.
As the end of the race approached and the closing laps wound down, it became a game of strategy as to who had conserved the appropriate amount of fuel and Stewart, who took the lead the final time on lap 253, proved to be the best.
Harvick, who also had to battle from deep in the starting field in 30th position, rallied back to score a strong runner-up finish and take the lead in the standings with nine races remaining in the season.
Earnhardt, Jr., steadily worked his way up through the field from the 19th starting position to finish third and jump from 10th to fifth in the standings.
Four other Team Chevy entries rounded-out final top-10 order to give Chevrolet seven of the top-10 finishers. Clint Bowyer was 7th in the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet and Mark Martin brought his No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet home in ninth position.
Falling victim to the fuel mileage race, but still in the top-10 were Ryan Newman who finished 8th in the No. 39 U.S. Army Medicine Chevrolet, five-time defending NSCS champion Jimmie Johnson, who crossed the stripe in his No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT TOOLS Chevrolet in 10th as well as Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet who was credited with 24th in the final order.
With the first of 10 Chase races complete, the Team Chevy drivers rank in the standings as follows: Ryan Newman is 7th; Johnson is currently 8th with Gordon now sitting in the 11th position.
Carl Edwards (Ford) and Brad Keselowski (Dodge) completed the top-five finishers.
Round two of the 2011 Chase is scheduled for Sunday, September 25 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.