Chicagoland: Yates Racing preview

YATES RACING -- FAST FACTS

Paul Menard

* Menard will make his third Sprint Cup series career start this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

* Sylvania will debut on the hood of the No. 98 Sylvania / Menards Ford Fusion for this weekend's Lifelock.com 400.

* In the Nationwide Series, Menard has four starts at Chicagoland Speedway with two top-10 finishes under his belt.

* Libman will debut on the hood of the No. 98 Libman / Menards Ford Fusion for this weekend's Dollar General 300.

* Menard will be making his sixth start in the Nationwide Series this weekend. Currently he has posted one top-five and two top-10 finishes.

Menard on racing at Chicagoland Speedway:

"Racing at Chicagoland is probably the closest I get to a hometown race. Chicago isn't very far from Eau Claire, Wis., where I grew up, so racing at Chicagoland is like racing at home. It's fun to travel up there and see friends and family who come down to the track.

"Last weekend we had a great car at Daytona, but just didn't work our way to the front early enough, and then near the end of the race, everyone got strung out and we were too far back to make up the lost ground.

"This weekend should be a good race for the No. 98 Sylvania / Menards Ford Fusion. Chicagoland is a fun track and very unique. It's the only track where the backstretch is a huge curve; it isn't straight, it's just one long curve."

Crew Chief Larry Carter on racing at Chicagoland Speedway:

"I think a lot of the information that we learned at both Charlotte and Texas will transfer over to this weekend's race. Ford Racing and Yates Racing have come a long way this year with their intermediate program. I know we have been off a little bit lately, but I think you'll see this weekend a better performance from all the Ford guys. Hopefully, if we can qualify on Friday, get a good starting position, we'll have a good race on Saturday night."

Menard on racing at Chicagoland Speedway in the Nationwide Series:

"After Loudon, I'm really excited about getting back in the Nationwide car this weekend. (Matt) Puccia and all the guys on the No. 98 Nationwide team put a lot of effort and work into these cars and are always ready to go as soon as we unload at the track. It's really amazing how fast our cars are right off the truck. This weekend, I'll be in front of a pseudo hometown crowd, and we'll be under the lights for a Friday night race. And this weekend we have Libman on the car for the first time. It will be fun to have them at the track and in the pits for their first race."

Crew Chief Matt Puccia on racing at Chicagoland Speedway in the Nationwide Series:

"As we've learned this season it's really important to qualify well at these Nationwide races. Paul has a pretty good history at Chicagoland, and I know all the guys are looking forward to getting back at it this weekend. We have a bunch of races coming up with Paul, and are looking forward to being at the track a little bit more in the coming weeks."

-credit: yr