Postponement of GEICO 400 doesn’t douse race fans’ enthusiasm

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The Geico 400 winner Tony Stewart in the #14 Mobil 1 Chevy drives past the crowd with the checkered flag on Monday, September 19, 2011 at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet. This was Stewarts 40th win tying Mark Martin for 16th on the all-time victory list. | Brian Powers~Sun-Times Media

Updated: November 10, 2011 2:09PM

Scott Paddock, president of Chicagoland Speedway, was understandably disappointed with the rainout Sunday of the GEICO 400.

This is Paddock’s first year at the helm and the Speedway’s first time hosting the first race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. It also ended up being the first Chase race since the playoff system began in 2004 that had to be moved to the next day because of weather.

As disappointed as Paddock was for the fans — a near sellout on Sunday — he said there still was a silver lining.

“The crowd was pretty good for a Monday,” he said, declining to say how many fans attended the makeup. “I received a lot of texts from my colleagues in the industry who said they were watching on TV and never saw this good of a crowd on a Monday. Our fans have an appreciation for NASCAR.”

One estimate is that more than 30,000 were in the grandstand, not to mention the infield.

“The disappointment about the rainout is for our fans and our staff,” Paddock said. “Our staff worked so hard to deliver a great guest experience, and a lot of it couldn’t happen as planned.”

Still searching

As much success as five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson has had, he hasn’t won a Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland. His only victory here came in the Nationwide race in 2001, the year the track opened.

The way Monday’s race played out, Johnson was in contention much of the way. But he was among the fuel mileage victims and finished 10th.

That leaves Johnson 16 points behind Kevin Harvick, the early leader, as he pursues title No. 6.

“The 48 [Johnson] put himself in a hole a number of times in the past and figured out how to win it,” Harvick said.

Busch and baseball

There is more to life than racing.

Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch is a huge baseball fan, and the Cubs are his favorite team. When he attends a game in Toronto this week, he will have seen a game in all 30 major-league parks.

Hall of Famer

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame announced that Richard Childress will be inducted May 3. Childress’ Richard Childress Racing organization has won six NASCAR championships.