Elliott aiming for a season-sweep at Chicagoland

The series is running at Chicagoland on Saturday, and Elliott is hoping to score a season-sweep here. When Elliott competed in the Nationwide race at this track for the first time, he led a total of 85 laps en route to his win. He also took the points lead from his JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith.

“We had a great run there back in July, but the more I look back on that night, I can see a bunch of things we can improve on,” Elliott said. “Hopefully, we are able to improve in those areas this weekend.”

With eight races to go, Elliott leads second-place Smith by 19 points. Elliott gained three points on him at Bristol (Aug. 22), and then two at Atlanta (Aug. 30) and four at Richmond (Sept. 5).

“With just a few races left this season, everyone has to be on the same page,” Elliott said. “My team has been dialed in all year long, but now it’s ‘go’ time. One mistake can take you out of contention with a snap of the finger, so we have to minimize the risks for mistakes and execute when it matters, like on pit stops and late-race decisions.

“It has been an unbelievable season so far and we have worked well together, but now it’s time to get to work and finish strong.”

Ty Dillon, who is a rookie in the series this season as well, trails Elliott by 42 points. Elliott Sadler is 54 points behind, followed by Brian Scott (-57).

Forty-three teams are on the entry list for the Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast 300. Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard are those Sprint Cup Series regulars competing in this race. Busch is the defending race winner.

Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Saturday, Sept. 13. Race: Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast 300. Site: Chicagoland Speedway. Track: 1.5-mile oval. Start time: 3:30 p.m. ET. Laps: 200. Miles: 300. 2013 Winner: Kyle Busch. Television: ESPN2. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.

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