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(AP) --  NASCAR will open the 2011 Chase for the
Sprint Cup championship at Chicagoland Speedway.

 The announcement was made in Chicago by officials from
the speedway and NASCAR.

 New Hampshire International Speedway had opened the Chase since
its 2004 inception. The shift to Chicago is part of a scheduling
shuffle that NASCAR is piecing together for 2011.

 NASCAR received several schedule requests from the two biggest
track operators in the industry, and the sanctioning body is using
the opportunity to make significant changes for 2011.

 By opening its 10-race title series in Chicago, NASCAR will be
racing in the second largest media market of tracks on its Sprint
Cup tour.

(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)