Nighttime NASCAR racing is coming to the Chicagoland Speedway next summer. Matthew Alexander, President of the Joliet-based speedway, announced yesterday that they are installing lights for their 1.5 mile D-shaped oval track. "Traditionally, our NASCAR races have taken place during the time of year when excessive heat can become an issue for our fans ... by adding lights to our facility, we hope to make the guest experience a more comfortable one." Comfort, huh? We... more ›

Chicagoist freely admits that most of our NASCAR knowledge comes from the movies including the 80's classic (we use that term loosely) "Stroker Ace", the recent animated film "Cars" and, of course, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby". So we decided to do some research for this post and learned that Chicagoland Raceway is actually a perfect track for some fast shake and bake racing action. The Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5-mile, D-shaped tri-oval... more ›

Chicagoist checked out the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. Dario Franchitti, actress Ashley Judd’s husband, became the second Scot in history to win the 500 mile race as he was in the lead when a strong rain shower ended the race after 166 of 200 laps. Rain threatened the race all day but the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track crew were able to dry the track after morning showers to get the race... more ›

Sure, the Cubs played in front of their smallest crowd in 4 years yesterday and lost to the Pirates ... again. None of that mattered because they had perhaps the hottest female athlete in attendance. Yes, Danica Patrick visited Wrigley and took part in the pre-game festivities by throwing out the first pitch. Chicagoist hasn't seen the actual pitch, but from this photo of her in action, she looks like she'd be half- decent. Good... more ›

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drove through town this weekend for the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. There was some good old-fashioned feuding taking place on the raceway. Back in March Matt Kenseth used his number 17 Ford to wreck Jeff Gordon. Afterwards Gordon found Kenseth in the Pits and gave him a shove. On Sunday we learned that the feud is still on between the drivers. Although Matt Kenseth had been in control... more ›