2011 GEICO 400 – Post-Practice Predictions

2011 GEICO 400 Post-Practice Predictions, Picks, Tips and Preview – Favorites and Sleepers to Win GEICO 400: Chicagoland Speedway will be making its Chase debut this weekend, and the added pressure and intensity could create some tense moments at the 1.5-mile tracks. With high speeds and plenty of room for side-by-side racing, the added importance that comes with playoff racing could lead to an increase in wrecks.

2011 GEICO 400 – Post-Practice Top 5

1. David Reutimann: He flexed plenty of muscle in the practice sessions Friday. Reutimann topped the charts in opening session and posted the best 10-lap average speed. He also posted the second-best 10-lap average speed in Happy Hour. Reutimann is the defending race winner at Chicagoland, and he could crash the Chase party with a repeat performance.

2. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth posted the fourth-best 10-lap average speed in the first practice, and he put down the third-fastest lap in Happy Hour. He will be driving the same car that he won with at Texas earlier this year, and no driver has led more laps at Chicagoland without winning than Kenseth. He could change that this weekend.

3. Jeff Gordon: Although he was quiet in the opening practice, Gordon came to life in Happy Hour. He posted the sixth-fastest lap in the final session, along with the fourth-best 10-lap average speed. Gordon is a two-time winner at Chicagoland, and he has finished in the top three in his last two starts at the track.

4. Clint Bowyer: He posted the second-fastest lap in the opening session, and he also ranked inside the top five in terms of 10-lap average speed in both practices Friday. Bowyer has finished in the top 10 in four of his five starts at Chicagoland, including a career-best fourth-place finish last season. Bowyer always seems to run his best during the Chase, and he start the playoffs with a win Sunday.

5. Mark Martin: After posting the third-fastest lap in the opening session, Martin recorded the fifth-best 10-lap average speed in Happy Hour. The practice times are encouraging for the struggling veteran, especially since he won at Chicagoland in 2009 and finished in the top 15 last year. If there is a strength left for Martin at this stage in his career, it is his performance at 1.5-mile tracks.

2011 GEICO 400 – Post-Practice Top Sleeper

1. Paul Menard: Menard showed some nice balance during the two practices Friday. He posted the second-best 10-lap average speed in the opening session, and he had the fourth-fastest lap in Happy Hour. Coming off a career-best 10th-place finish at Chicagoland season, Menard could take the next step and challenge for the win in his first start at the track driving for Richard Childress Racing.

View the most current vegas betting odds to win the 2011 GEICO 400 for this Sunday, September 18th at Chicagoland Speedway.