NASCAR Xfinity Series at Chicago 2015: Full Schedule, Standings and Preview
NASCAR's Xfinity Series returns to Chicago this weekend as the season winds down for a stab at the Furious 7 300.
The last time the series hit Chicago, Erik Jones took home the checkered flag. This time around, the stakes are even higher at the 200-lap event, as Sprint Cup regulars tackle the track in an effort to gear up before the Chase gets underway.
Of course, the top names in Xfinity, such as Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott, will look to fend off the out-of-series drivers while also gaining enough points to force movement on their own leaderboard.
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Here's a look at everything to know about the event.
Schedule for Xfinity Series at Chicago
| Friday, September 18 | 2-4:25 p.m. | Final Practice | NBCSN |
| Saturday, September 19 | 2:45 p.m. | Qualifying | NBCSN |
| Saturday, September 19 | 6 p.m. | Furious 7 300 | NBCSN |
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Xfinity Series Standings
| 1 | Chris Buescher | 908 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 887 |
| 3 | Ty Dillon | 881 |
| 4 | Regan Smith | 859 |
| 5 | Elliott Sadler | 803 |
| 6 | Brian Scott | 797 |
| 7 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 796 |
| 8 | Daniel Suarez | 791 |
| 9 | Brendan Gaughan | 764 |
| 10 | Ryan Reed | 683 |
Full standings available at ESPN.com.
Drivers to Watch
Chase Elliott
What. A. Comeback.
Elliott was an absolute mess heading into Richmond last weekend. He had finished 24th in Darlington, suffering multiple car issues, a penalty and a wreck in the process.
It was a big deal, to say the least, but Elliott found a way to return to form last weekend, leading 83 laps and stealing the checkered flag in Richmond to keep him right on Buescher's heels.
He took to Twitter to explain what the victory meant:
"Beyond fired up right now, such an awesome night. My guys were on it, and those pit stops were killer!!! Thank you @NAPAKnowHow!
— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) September 12, 2015"
Elliott couldn't have picked a better time to return to form, especially heading into a race he placed 10th in last year.
While Ty Dillon is just six points off his second-place slot, Elliott's ability to break a 39-race drought with a leaderboard spot on the line this late in the season says much about how he will perform down the road.
Paul Menard
It might be comeback time for Paul Menard.
Menard pulled a proverbial rabbit from his hat and made the Chase, but this more pertains to his recent struggle at the Xfinity level.
As his season-long results show, Menard usually breezes through Xfinity, but not his last time out:
| 2/28 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Atlanta | 6 |
| 6/13 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Michigan | 18 |
| 7/10 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Kentucky | 6 |
| 7/25 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at The Brickyard | 4 |
| 8/8 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Watkins Glen | 9 |
| 8/29 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Road America | 1 |
| 9/5 | NASCAR XFINITY Series at Darlington | 25 |
Then again, the win at Road America wasn't too long ago.
Still, it's clear Menard wants to establish as much momentum as possible moving forward, as captured by Popular Speed:
The quote refers to Menard's 26th-place finish in Richmond last weekend at the Sprint Cup level, which didn't stop him from making the Chase.
A motivated Sprint Cup driver isn't something to underestimate this weekend, as both Menard and the next guy on the list show.
Even more impressive than Menard's run at Xfinity this year?
Kyle Busch's, of course. The man who broke his leg in the infancy of the season and still went on an epic run to make the Chase hasn't ignored Xfinity, posting three wins and seven top-10 finishes in eight appearances.
Last weekend, Busch finished second, as Elliot found a way to hold him off down the stretch. It was another resounding performance for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver otherwise, leading 78 laps and sparring for the lead most of the day.
After, Busch identified obvious areas of improvement moving forward.
"I wasn't good enough all race long," Busch said, per NASCAR.com's Reid Spencer. "I don't know where the long-run speed went."
Busch placed third in this event last year, so expect the momentum, experience and motivation to find a groove going into the Chase to put him out as a favorite for the checkered flag.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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