The Joe Gibbs Racing Race Report Presented by Interstate Batteries
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – LifeLock.com 400
Date: July 12, 2008
Event: LifeLock.com 400 (Round 19 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. (1.5-mile oval)
Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
JGR Finish: Kyle Busch (Started 1st, Finished 1st / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Tony Stewart (Started 12th, Finished 5th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Denny Hamlin (Started 7th, Finished 40th / Running, completed 263 of 267 laps)
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, led the three-car Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) contingent at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., by winning Saturday night’s LifeLock.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was his second straight Sprint Cup victory, his third in the last four races, his seventh this season and his 11th in 133 career Sprint Cup races.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for JGR, finished fifth. In eight career Sprint Cup races at Chicagoland, Stewart has finished outside the top-five on only two occasions.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota for JGR, finished a disappointing 40th as he dealt with electrical issues during the early part of the race.
Busch remains the lead JGR driver in the championship point race. He continues to be the series’ point leader, and extended his lead to an impressive 262 markers over second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stewart and Hamlin occupy the 10th and 12th slots, respectively. Stewart gained two positions while Hamlin dropped five spots. Stewart is 576 points behind Busch while Hamlin sits 598 points arrears Busch.
Finishing second to Busch in the LifeLock.com 400 by .159 of a second was Jimmie Johnson. Kevin Harvick finished third, while Greg Biffle and Stewart rounded out the top-five. Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Martin Truex Jr., and Ryan Newman comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were nine caution periods for 33 laps, with two drivers failing to finish the 267-lap race.
The Sprint Cup Series takes a rare weekend off before heading to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the July 27 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live, high-definition coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.
