No. 48 team looks for redemption at Chicagoland

You don't expect Jimmie Johnson to lose a race when he restarts from the top spot with two laps left, but that's exactly what happened last year at Chicagoland Speedway.

In a green-white-checkered finish, Kyle Busch raced to the lead to the outside of the No. 48 Chevrolet and kept Johnson winless at the 1.5-mile track. Like Joliet Jake of "The Blues Brothers" fame, Johnson will be on a mission when he returns to the speedway for Saturday night's LifeLock.com 400.

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That goes double for Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, from Rockford, Ill., who craves a win in his own backyard. Lack of a win at Chicagoland is especially frustrating given that, in seven starts at the venue, Johnson has finished second twice, third twice and fourth and sixth once each.

"We still haven't gotten the win in Chicago, so we'll be going after it this weekend," Knaus said. "We always run well there -- I think we've only finished outside the top five or so twice. But for some reason, things haven't worked out for us yet to get to Victory Lane.

"We're taking a good car -- the one we had in Michigan [where Johnson led 146 of 200 laps at the two-mile track] when we ran out of gas. So maybe this is our year we can finally get a win near my hometown."

Johnson is nearing several significant accomplishments this season. The only driver in the modern era (since 1971) to win at least three races per year in his first seven seasons of Cup racing, Johnson needs one victory to make it eight years in a row.

Already having notched 42 wins, the three-time defending Cup champion is two victories short of tying Bill Elliott for second place among active drivers. Johnson is 15th on the all-time win list.

FIVE TO WATCH

Stewart

Tony Stewart, No. 14: Stewart won last week at Daytona. The last time he won two in a row was in 2006. He has two wins at Chicagoland.

Matt Kenseth, No. 17: Although Roush Fenway Racing is surprisingly winless at Chicagoland, the track is a good one for Kenseth to pick up some points. He has finished second twice in the past four races at Chicagoland.

Kyle Busch, No. 18: Busch won last year's race from the pole, leading 165 of 267 laps.

Kevin Harvick, No. 29: Harvick is having a disappointing season, as is Richard Childress Racing. Harvick hasn't had a top-10 finish in four months. But if there is track that can provide a glimmer of sunshine, it's Chicagoland. He has finished in the top five in each of the past three years and won the first two races at the track.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88: Speaking of struggling drivers, Earnhardt's last top-10 was at Talladega in April. He has a win and three top-10s at Chicagoland in eight races. Every week that goes by gives Junior and new crew chief Lance McGrew one more race of experience. Perhaps this will be the week.

TRACK CHATTER

Harvick

Kevin Harvick: "The little quirk [Chicagoland] has is the crooked back straightaway. The back straightaway is round. You're used to going down the back straightaway and just kind of hanging against the wall, and if you do that there, usually you're going to hit it right after you get about three-quarters of the way down the straightaway because it's going to curve back in."

Jamie McMurray: "Racing at Chicago has just been a tough place for me to get a solid finish at, and I'm still not sure why exactly that is. I've always seemed to struggle there, but I'm trying not to think about it too much and just go into this weekend seeing how our car handles. Roush Fenway has a strong record of solid performances at other 1.5-mile tracks on the Cup Series circuit, but Chicagoland has challenged our organization a bit."

Kurt Busch: "There are a lot of people out there who know that I am a huge Chicago Cubs fan. What they don't know is the rest of the story. I grew up in Las Vegas, and I list it as my hometown. But my mom and dad -- all my family members -- are from the West Side of Chicago. It's always been my favorite city. I love the area so much that it's where I celebrated my 30th birthday last August."