Fans and drivers alike love night racing at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., especially with this Saturday night’s Lifelock.com 400 race.

Will this weekend be capped with a long-awaited romance, or agonizing heartbreak for those fighting for a spot in the coveted top-12?

On the outside looking in, only 65 points out of 12th, sits Mark Martin.

Trailing the No. 5 team is David Reutimann, who sits only 74 markers behind the final Chase seed.

From 15th on back, you have Jeff Burton, who’s 105 points behind, Clint Bowyer (-135), Brian Vickers (-168) and Marcus Ambrose (-218).

Realistically, Burton, Bowyer, Vickers and Ambrose are the most realistic long-shot drivers who still stand a chance of making the Chase.

Those who are probably racing for pride include Roush Fenway Racing possible castaway Jamie McMurray (-303), Joe Gibbs Racing prodigy Joey Logano (-319), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (-356), NASCAR’s musical chairs champ in Casey Mears (-358), Elliott Sadler (-372) and soon to be Michael Waltrip Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., who is in 24th, 436 markers behind 12th position.

That said, even the longest of shots are possible, as any of the drivers 13th through 24th in the standings could gain enough points to enter the chase, or even lead the points after Richmond.

Want your non-top 12 driver to get it done? Well, you best pray that Joliet finds favor with your racing Romeo.

This is the best place to gain some momentum -- after the carnage at Daytona and the event before Indy (which psyches out even the best drivers).

For the 12 looking in, the best chances lie with the No. 5 car of Martin.

Martin’s season so far has been like a fairytale, filled with determination and teamwork that has manhandled the living out of Father Time.

As if Martin needed more incentive to get his fourth win of the 2009 season, a million dollar bonus will be his to take should he and Jeff Gordon finish 1-2.

His Hendrick teammate, Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevy, is clearly the fans' choice.

However, Earnhardt Jr’s season has resembled something of a Shakespearian tragedy, with setback after setback in the most ideal of situations.

On the inside, you have the lucky ones, or the drivers who have earned their invite to the rubber party and are hoping not to lose that embossed invitation before September. 

Those in most danger of getting lost on the way to the Chase are Greg Biffle, whose No. 16 team is in ninth place, Matt Kenseth in tenth, Juan Pablo Montoya in 11th and Kasey Kahne in 12th, who has a slim, 65-point advantage over “The Outsiders.”

Chicagoland Speedway has smiled on Kenseth and Biffle in the past, with both drivers often finishing in the top five at this eight-year-old facility.

However, Montoya and Kahne are the so-called underdogs heading into Saturday night’s spectacular. 

Many of the tracks visited by the circuit have nicknames that truly express their uniqueness.

If Darlington is NASCAR’s Lady, than Chicagoland is a teenage girl which should be called “the Little Miss.”

The Little Miss may look like just another 1.5-mile cookie cutter tri-oval, but she is more than she appears.  Her curves are tempting but treacherous. Just when you think she’s about the sweetest little thing in the whole world, she’ll sweep your legs, and not in the most graceful of ways either.

She’s very fickle about who she’ll let take the lead and she’s not afraid to make even the most glamorous of stars have a tragic end to an otherwise wonderful, three-hour date.

Will the weather actually be decent? How will the points unfold? Which racing Romeo will take Joliet? Will Chicagoland shake up the Race to the Chase?

All questions to which the answers lie hidden in the Illinois twilight this Saturday night. Just a few reasons I have for getting “Rev’d Up.”