Happy returns: ‘Epic’ grit from No. 88 crewman helps muscle SVG to Chicago triumph again

CHICAGO -- Shane van Gisbergen's victory in Sunday's Chicago Street Race had all the trimmings of an effortless romp. The Kiwi road-racing ace completed a rare mega-sweep of the Cup Series and Xfinity Series events this doubleheader weekend, sealing poles and wins in each. Another element of Sunday's performance from the Trackhouse Racing No. 88 group might not have been as straightforward or smooth. Crew member JP Kealey was back at his post as the team's rear tire changer, just two weeks after taking a flying tire to the chest in a wild pit-road incident at Pocono Raceway. The impact left him with a broken rib and a collapsed lung, but remarkably, he staggered back to his feet to complete the pit stop and get van Gisbergen back on track. The injury benched him for the remainder of the day plus the next race at Atlanta, but with a prime opportunity for SVG to excel on the streets of Chicago, Kealey set his course toward being there for it. RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Chicago Maybe miraculous for some. To Kealey, no big deal. "It was obviously kind of a scary moment, but like right now, it's not really as bad as people think," Kealey told NASCAR.com, taking a quick break from tearing down the No. 88 pit box after a well-savored celebration in Victory Lane. "I'm definitely sore and I feel it. I mean, the rib's still broken, but I wasn't really nervous about coming out here and having it affect my job or being a nuisance today. So I knew we had a good shot to win, and I wanted to be in the lineup so we give Shane the best chance to get in Victory Lane. So it all worked out at the end." A rock-solid day from the first pit stall on South Columbus Drive allowed van Gisbergen to do the rest. The New Zealander led 26 of the 75 laps in the Grant Park 165, winning Chicago for the second time -- just two years after his dazzling drive in the inaugural event steered him to a second career phase in NASCAR. Kealey had his own shape-shift to his sports career, bringing his athletic abilities over to stock-car racing after three years in the National Lacrosse League. He also brought some of the same grit that he carried through years of lacrosse and youth hockey. Van Gisbergen took special notice of that resilience post-race, lauding his crew's approach and camaraderie with victory within reach. "Just the atmosphere of the guys and how focused they are and on the grid or on the start line there after the race, seeing how much it means to everyone, that's why we do it, how stoked everyone was," SVG said, "and even having JP back, who hurt himself at Pocono, just such a valuable member of our team. I know that his body is pretty beat up, and to get in there and no complaints and say he's not hurting, to do what he did on the tires there on the rear end was epic." No. 88 crew chief Stephen Doran was also among those left marveling. Doran admitted to a slight bit of concern when Kealey targeted a Chicago return, but his assurance level rose, though, in the days before the race weekend. Doctors providing medical clearance for the 31-year-old crew member's return was one step. The next was resuming pit-stop practice, where Doran sat in to observe Kealey pulling tires, making certain that he was 100%. "I don't know how he came back so quick. He's a freaking animal," Doran told NASCAR.com. "He must have the highest pain tolerance of anybody I know. To come back in a week and a half with a broken rib, and you can't even tell, like, if I didn't know, I wouldn't know. Like, his pit stops are flawless. He's doing full workouts right now in the gym. Just an animal, and I appreciate him coming back for a race this important." The magnitude of the event was great for multiple reasons. Race officials finally bought a break on the weather, with the checkered flag falling before ominous clouds rolled in to obscure the highest building tops along the Windy City skyline. And though talk prevailed through the weekend that Sunday's Chicago Street Race could be the final edition, the show still brought a buzz that drew in curious onlookers who perched atop subway stations to find a vantage point. MORE: Cup standings | In-Season Challenge: Round 2 update [caption id="attachment_477861" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]Alejandaro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media[/caption] The No. 88 team may have some bias in their affection for the place, given their results, but they shared the perspectives of others curious about what the 2026 schedule might hold. "I do like coming here, where we stay, and the area of the race track is amazing," Doran said. "The backdrop for this race is cooler than any we have. So if we don't come back, I'm going to be sad. It's just a cool place with a lot of cool stuff to do outside of the race track. I think all the guys feel that way. Maybe we didn't when we came the first time. We had some hesitations about how it would go, but now I think the whole industry has embraced this place and would be glad to come back, if that's in the cards." Count Kealey among the Chicago faithful, especially after channeling some "Monsters of the Midway" spirit Sunday afternoon. "I mean, it's my second win here, so it's kind of cool," Kealey said. "I grew up a Bears fan, so I'm a big fan of the city."