The Nationwide Series heads to Chicagoland this week for the next installment of the 2012 Championship Season.
Midwest Racing at it’s Best: The Nationwide Dollar General 300 Preview
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While all eyes are on the start of the Sprint Cup Chase this week the closest battle right now is in the Nationwide Series. Just one point separates Elliott Sadler and Ricky Stenhouse, both of which are lame duck drivers. Stenhouse is heading to the Sprint Cup Series, and Elliott Sadler will be leaving RCR at the end of the year. Sadler has a chance to win his first NASCAR Championship if he can stop the slide that has put his lead in trouble.
Entry List and More After the Jump!
| Entry | Car# | Driver | Sponsor | Manu | Owner |
| 1 | 00 | Blake Koch | 12 Toyota | SR2 Motorsports | |
| 2 | 01 | Mike Wallace | 12 Chevy | JD Motorsports | |
| 3 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | One Main Financial | 12 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 4 | 3 | Austin Dillon | AMERICAN ETHANOL | 12 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 5 | 4 | Danny Efland | 12 Chevy | JD Motorsports | |
| 6 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | Blue Bird | 12 Ford | Roush Fenway |
| 7 | 7 | Danica Patrick | GoDaddy.com | 12 Chevy | JR Motorsports |
| 8 | 08 | Tim Andrews | 12 Ford | Randy Hill | |
| 9 | 10 | Jeff Green [PC] | 12 Toyota | TriStar Motorsports | |
| 10 | 11 | Brian Scott | Dollar General | 12 Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 11 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr | AVIS | 12 Dodge | Roger Penske |
| 12 | 14 | Eric McClure | Hefty/Reynolds Wrap | 12 Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 13 | 15 | Carl Long | 12 Ford | Rick Ware | |
| 14 | 18 | Joey Logano(i) | Dollar General | 12 Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 15 | 19 | Tayler Malsam | G-Oil | 12 Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 16 | 22 | Brad Keselowski(i) | Discount Tire | 12 Dodge | Roger Penske |
| 17 | 23 | Jamie Dick | Viva Auto Group | 12 Chevy | R3 Motorsports |
| 18 | 24 | Benny Gordon | O.C.R Gaz Bar | 12 Toyota | Scott Deware |
| 19 | 28 | Tony Raines(i) | 12 Chevy | Jay Robinson | |
| 20 | 30 | Alex Bowman | 12 Chevy | Turner Motorsports | |
| 21 | 31 | Justin Allgaier | Brandt | 12 Chevy | Turner Motorsports |
| 22 | 33 | Paul Menard(i) | Menards | 12 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 23 | 38 | Brad Sweet | Great Clips | 12 Chevy | Turner Motorsports |
| 24 | 39 | Dexter Stacey | 12 Ford | Go Green Motorsports | |
| 25 | 40 | Erik Darnell | 12 Chevy | The Motorsports Group | |
| 26 | 41 | Timmy Hill | TWT | 12 Ford | Rick Ware |
| 27 | 42 | Josh Wise(i) | 12 Chevy | The Motorsports Group | |
| 28 | 43 | Michael Annett | Pilot Flying J | 12 Ford | Richard Petty |
| 29 | 44 | Mike Bliss | BANDITchippers.com | 12 Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 30 | 46 | Chase Miller | 12 Chevy | The Motorsports Group | |
| 31 | 47 | J J Yeley(i) | 12 Chevy | The Motorsports Group | |
| 32 | 50 | TBA | 12 Chevy | MAKE Motorsports | |
| 33 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | USS James E. Williams DDG 95 | 12 Chevy | Jeremy Clements |
| 34 | 52 | Joey Gase | 12 Chevy | Jimmy Means | |
| 35 | 54 | Kurt Busch(i) | Monster Energy | 12 Toyota | Kyle Busch |
| 36 | 70 | Johanna Long | Foretravel | 12 Chevy | ML Motorsports |
| 37 | 71 | Matthew Carter | Lilly Trucking | 12 Chevrolet | Rick Ware |
| 38 | 74 | Mike Harmon | 12 Chevrolet | Mike Harmon | |
| 39 | 75 | Scott Riggs(i) | Lilly Trucking | 12 Chevrolet | Rick Ware |
| 40 | 81 | Jason Bowles | 12 Dodge | Gina MacDonald | |
| 41 | 86 | Kevin Lepage | Qello Corp | 12 Ford | Scott Deware |
| 42 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | AM/FM Energy | 12 Toyota | NEMCO |
| 43 | 88 | Cole Whitt | Degree MEN | 12 Chevy | JR Motorsports |
| 44 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | 12 Chevy | Faith Motorsports | |
| 45 | 99 | Kenny Wallace | Illinois Soybean Board | 12 Toyota | RAB Racing |
44 Teams are entered this week. Only one will go home. Just a few notes this week:
#7- I mentioned Danica Patrick again this week!
#18- The farewell trail for Joey Logano could include a win this week. No word yet on what the plan for Penske’s Nationwide Series rides. Expect to see Logano in at least a few races next year.
#54- Kurt Busch will jump in his brother’s ride this week. Still no word on where Kurt will drive next year. It might be time for the 2004 Sprint Cup Champion to move to the Truck or Nationwide Series full time next year.
#99- Hey look, it’s Kenny Wallace! Wallace returns to his former ride this week. Kenny has just not been able to get it together in his few attempts this year.
ESPN2 is the home of the Dollar General 300 today at 3pm. Tune in and check back here at 2:30 pm for our Open Race Thread. Enjoy!
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