Racing at Chicagoland Speedway is known to be fast and tight. Some of the closest finishes have come at the suburban track, and today's action didn't stray from the norm, producing the eighth closest finish in league history. source: redbullcheeverracing.com Chicago Race Report Alex Barron: #51 Red Bull/Dallara/Toyota/Firestone Patrick Carpentier: #83 Red Bull/Dallara/Toyota/Firestone Because of a technical infraction by another team found after qualifying, both drivers started higher up on the grid. Patrick Carpentier began in 16th and Alex Barron in 18th. The race started shortly before 1 p.m., and it didn't take the pair long to bring their cars up to speed and begin their customary march up the field. Just a few laps into the race, both drivers were turning some of the quickest laps on the track. However, on lap 20, Barron's day came to an early end when the #33 car of Ryan Briscoe came up into his line and made contact with the left side of the #51 car. The #33 car became airborne and made contact with the wall and outside retaining fence, while the Barron's car made solid contact with the wall causing day-ending damage. The accident caused the red flag to be waved, which stopped action on the track while debris was cleared and the wall and fence were repaired. Barron walked away from the incident and was later cleared by the infield medical center. This left him going home with a disappointing 21st-place finish. Briscoe was helped from the car by the Delphi Safety Team and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. "I just felt a thump from the rear of my car. Ryan was up over me. He was upside down and there was a lot of fire. It was quick thud and then the next thing you know we were in the wall. It was all behind me and people were moving around, so I can't really say (what happened) until I see the video. I just felt a thump and a lot of fire in front of me," Barron said.
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