JGR Busch Series Race Report - Chicagoland

Date: July 14, 2007
Event: USG Durock 300 (Round 20 of 35)
Series: NASCAR Busch Series
Location: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. (1.5-mile oval)
Winner: Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

JGR Finish: Denny Hamlin (Started 1st, Finished 7th / Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Aric Almirola (Started 3rd, Finished 38th / Accident, completed 167 of 200 laps)

Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet, led the two-car Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) contingent at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., by finishing seventh in Saturday’s USG Durock 300 NASCAR Busch Series race. It was Hamlin’s ninth top-10 finish of the season.

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/OfficeMax Chevrolet for JGR, finished 38th after a scrape with the turn three wall on lap 86 sent him to the garage area for repairs.

There were six caution periods for 22 laps, with six drivers failing to finish the 200-lap race.

With 20 of 35 Busch Series races in the books, the No. 20 car is third in owner points, 402 points behind the leading No. 60 car of Roush Fenway Racing. The No. 18 car is 24th in owner points, 26 points outside the top-20.

Kevin Harvick scored his 29th career Busch Series victory and his third of the season by winning the USG Durock 300. Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch secured the rest of the top-five. Paul Menard, Hamlin, Tony Stewart (driving for Kevin Harvick Inc.), Dave Blaney and Stephen Leicht comprised the remainder of the top-10.

The next event on the Busch Series schedule is the July 21 Gateway 250 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. The race starts at 8:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN2 beginning with its pre-race show at 8 p.m.