* Dale Earnhardt Jr., Looks to Repeat at Chicagoland -- Site of Race No. 2 in
the Race to the Chase

* Standings Tighten Up As Season's Mid-Way Point Approaches

NEWS AND NOTES

Dale Jr. Looks to Repeat at Chicagoland ... What a difference a year has made
for Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet). This time last year,
Earnhardt was mired in 16th place in the points standings and was definitely
on the outside when it came to competing for a spot in the Chase for the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Heading into Sunday's race at Chicagoland, where he is the
defending champion, Earnhardt has moved up to a season-best third place in
the standings. Over the past three races, he has jumped three spots in the
standings. Despite a disappointing 13th-place finish last Saturday at
Daytona, Earnhardt was philosophical when summing up his latest performance.

"I feel good about where we're at," he said. "We still need
to get better. We
obviously couldn't hang with Tony (Stewart) and the guys up front Saturday
night at Daytona. But we got out of there with little harm done, and even
climbed a spot or two in the points. We're racing big-picture here, one race
at a time."

Last year's win at Chicagoland was Earnhardt's lone trip to Victory Lane in
2005, a year in which he finished a career-low 19th in the standings and
didn't make the Chase. While Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Power Tools Ford)
dominated that race a year ago, leading 176 of 267 laps, Earnhardt picked up
the win thanks in large part to a late pit stop strategy that saw his car
only take two tires while Kenseth's crew opted for a full four-tire change.

Thus far, Earnhardt has picked up one win (at Richmond), while posting seven
top-10s and five top-five finishes. His third-place showing last month at
Michigan International Speedway, a layout similar to Chicagoland, instilled
renewed confidence in the No. 8 team's ability to perform at the 1.5- to
two-mile tracks.

"In The Loop" -- Track Data Shows Kenseth Dominates Pre-Race Chicagoland
Statistics ... NASCAR's new Loop Data statistics -- derived from electronic
scoring loops imbedded around race tracks -- indicate that Kenseth, who had
the most dominate car last July at Chicagoland, also is dominating pre-race
statistics. Heading into Sunday's race, Kenseth leads seven Loop Data
categories, including Fastest Driver in Turns 1, 2, 3 and 4; Fastest Driver
Early in a Run; Fastest Driver Late in a Run; and Driver Rating (144.6).

Earnhardt Jr.'s rise in the standings go hand-in-hand with a significant
category in the Loop Data statistics -- Percentage of Laps Run on the Lead
Lap. He leads that category, having run 4,879 of his season-to-date total of
5,049 laps on the lead lap -- a series-high 96.63 percent.

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet) continues to lead the standings and
also is the series leader in Best Average Finish (8.5) and Average Running
Position (10.857).

Series Standings Tighten Up ... With nine races remaining in the Race to the
Chase, the standings reflect the calendar's urgency.

Kenseth's fifth-place finish at Daytona, his 11th top-10 effort this season,
moved him within eight points of leader Jimmie Johnson. That's the closest
margin between first and second since after the fifth race of the year, when
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) trailed Kenseth by eight points.

Six of the top 10 drivers are separated by 25 points or less, while three
positions in the top 10 are separated by just eight points or less. Only 14
points separate 10th and 12th place.

A Closer Look at Chicagoland ... Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson have
recorded four straight top-five finishes at Chicagoland and are tied for the
longest current streak. Greg Biffle (No. 16 National Guard Ford) and Johnson
have posted three straight top-10 starts and likewise are tied for the
longest current streak. Johnson has a 3.0 average finishing position at
Chicagoland, tops among drivers with more than one start there.

None of the previous five race winners have come from a top-five starting
position. There have been five different Budweiser Pole winners in the
five-year history of Chicagoland. Kevin Harvick (No. 29 GM Goodwrench
Chevrolet) is a two-time winner at Chicagoland, visiting Victory Lane in 2001
and 2002.

A Closer Look at the Top 10 ... Jimmie Johnson has ranked in the top 10 for
86 consecutive races, dating back to March, 2004. The driver of the No. 48
Lowe's Chevrolet has a series-high 13 top-10 finishes this season.

Kenseth is right on Johnson's heels, thanks to his series-high 10 top-five
finishes. Currently a solid second in the standings, Kenseth found himself in
a completely different scenario a year ago, ranking 19th in points this time
last season.

Kahne has a series-high four victories this year and is fourth in the
standings. A year ago, he was mired in 21st place. Kahne hopes to reverse his
fortunes at Chicagoland this weekend, as he has recorded a pair of DNFs (36th
and 41st) in his two previous races there. Kyle Busch (No. 5 CarQuest
Chevrolet) is coming off a season-best second-place finish at Daytona, which
allowed him to jump four spots in the standings, from 12th to eighth.

Pit Crew Spotlight: Chad Knaus ... One can find nearly 20 Illinois natives
hard at work each weekend in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup garage, including Chad
Knaus (Rockford, Ill.), crew chief for Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Lowe's
Chevrolet team.

The 2006 season marks Knaus' fifth year with the No. 48 team. He has helped
Johnson finish in the top five all four seasons and Johnson currently leads
the standings heading into Chicagoland. Knaus began his crew chief career in
2000 with Melling Racing and driver Stacy Compton. Prior to that, he worked
as a tire changer for Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet).

John Darby, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Director, also hails from Rockford.
Other Illinois natives include: Keith Armstrong (No. 42 tire specialist) from
Viola; Dave Atkins (No. 21 spotter) from Dekalb; Tom Busch (No. 5 spotter)
from Geneva; Bryan Dunaway (No. 16 rear tire carrier) from Momence; Toby
Hallett (No. 48 transporter driver) from Homer; Eric Maycroft (No. 10 front
tire changer) from Chicago; Ted Johnson (No. 22 spotter) from Peoria; Andy
Kruep (No. 24 mechanic) from Breese; Carroll Luft (No. 88 engine tuner) from
West Point; Todd Nelson (No. 31 engineer) from Morton; Jim Pohlman (No. 40
car chief) from Oak Lawn; Roger Purcell (No. 11 engine tuner) from Latham;
and Andy Spenner (No. 31 mechanic) from Hoyleton.

Setting The USG Sheetrock 400 Field: Top 35 In 2006 Owner Points
"Locked In"
... Each week in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, teams ranked in the top 35 of the
current car owner point standings are guaranteed starting positions, creating
a "bubble" between the top 35 and those teams on the downside of
35th, trying
to reach that position. ... This week, the No. 14 Waste Management Chevrolet,
owned by Nelson Bowers and driven by Sterling Marlin, once again has the
final "locked in" slot and has a good chance at retaining it, thanks to a
93-point lead over the 36th team in the standings, the No. 40 Lone Star
Steakhouse Dodge owned by Felix Sabates and driven by David Stremme. The No.
40, the first team on the wrong side of the bubble, will have to make the USG
Sheetrock 400 field based on qualifying time -- as will those teams behind
the No. 40 in the owner points.

Chevy Keeping, Building Lead ... Boosted by back-to-back victories (Jeff
Gordon at Infineon and Tony Stewart at Daytona), Chevrolet maintains a
comfortable lead in the Manufacturers' Championship point standings, with its
123 points leading Dodge (101) and Ford (99). Chevrolet drivers have posted
nine victories on the season, followed by Dodge with five and Ford with
three. Dodge won just three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races in 2003.

Rookie Update ... Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Kinko's Chevrolet) continues to
lead this year's Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. Hamlin moved back
into 10th place in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings following his 17th-place
finish at Daytona. He has been the highest finishing rookie in nine of 17
races this season. Hamlin tops the rookie standings with 194 points, followed
by Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet) with 166, Reed Sorenson (No.
41 Target Dodge) with 151, Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet)
with 146 and J.J. Yeley (No. 18 Vesicare/GSK Chevrolet) with 139. ...
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