CHICAGO – With seven weeks remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, there are plenty of uneasy feelings to go around for drivers residing on the playoff bubble. That’s true for those currently on the ever-shifting plus and minus sides of elimination without a victory in the 2024 campaign.
An opportunity exists to shift the postseason complexion again in Sunday’s Grant Park 165 (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), the main event of Chicago Street Race Weekend. For two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch in particular, those opportunities have been fleeting this season – either on the performance side or the ability to capitalize when they’ve arisen.
“I’ve stopped keeping track, it’s been so dismal and so heartbreaking that I have a hard time dealing with enough stuff in my life that, every Sunday to keep adding to it is getting harder and harder to deal with,” said Busch, 104 points below the provisional line as his Richard Childress Racing team tries to regroup. “But just got to keep going on into next week and keep fighting on and fight the good fight to try to score a win hopefully before the playoffs, and if not before the playoffs, then at least in the playoffs.”
Joey Logano’s first victory of the season last weekend after five overtimes at Nashville Superspeedway put an 11th winner into what will be a 16-driver playoff grid once the regular season wraps Sept. 1 at Darlington Raceway. Logano’s clinching win removed him from the bubble conversation, opening up the gap between elimination from 13 points before Nashville to a 51-point margin afterward.
On the plus-51 side is Alex Bowman, who has slipped five positions in the Cup Series standings in the last five races. That drop comes after a steady run of five consecutive top-10 finishes during the springtime months, which had the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports driver up to eighth in points after the Coca-Cola 600.
“I think we were in a really good spot a month ago,” said Bowman, who starts eighth Sunday aspiring for his first top five since mid-April. “We’ve had a lot of things happen outside of our control in the last month that we need to get our stuff turned around a little bit. Definitely frustrating to give away as many points as we have. But at the same time, we’re still the same race team that was running really well prior to that, and there’s no reason we can’t get back to that.”
The other side of the elimination coin belongs to Bubba Wallace, who has been both the last driver in and the first driver out in recent weeks as the bubble line has fluctuated. Wallace reached the postseason for the first time last year on the basis of points, and his two Cup Series victories have come during the playoffs in years when he was not postseason-eligible. A first regular-season win would soothe his current situation.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m quite tired of having to do it on points, you know?” said Wallace, starting sixth Sunday in a bid for his first top-five result since Martinsville Speedway on April 7. “Always seem to find ourselves right around the bubble, and it gets stressful. Every race that goes by and you don’t win, it gets more and more stressful. So we know we can do it on points, for sure. We did last year, but damn, it’d be nice just to win, and then you can start doing crazy stuff just to try something in the regular season. Right now, we have to play the game, and hopefully, we’re in the right spot at the right time to win it.
“I know we’re all hyper-focused on that, but we can’t lose sight of we just need to go out and do the best that we can do and run good, which I believe 100% in this team. It’s just a matter of doing it.”
Logano’s win also shifted up the points outlook for Chase Briscoe, who leads the charge standings-wise for Stewart-Haas Racing in its farewell season. Briscoe entered Nashville off his best finish of the season – second at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the No. 14 Ford – but his position relative to the provisional elimination line shifted from minus-25 to 78 points off the cutoff as he rolls into Chicago’s streets.
Briscoe’s standings situation has also switched up his approach.
“I was 100% in points mode up until last week when Joey won. That kind of changed a lot of things,” Briscoe says. “… In the big scheme of things, we could point our way in, but it’s going to be really, really hard to do that, probably. So especially if another guy wins, and you’re absolutely in must-win. So I think we’ve got to start throwing Hail Marys at it now. In the past, we’ve not wanted to do that just because we’re still in the points, so it makes it hard to sometimes take those risk versus reward moves, but definitely, now I think we’re to the point where we’re going to have to start getting pretty aggressive.”
Chris Buescher has also shrugged at the standings, and he’s on the plus side by 56 points. That mantra stems from a long-held philosophy that values wins above all else.
The driver of RFK Racing’s No. 17 Ford has had several close brushes with a Victory Lane appearance this year, none closer than his loss by 0.001 seconds to points leader Kyle Larson at Kansas Speedway on May 5. His late-race scrap with Tyler Reddick, which led to defeat after a strong day one week later at Darlington, also stands out. The strength of his performances has given him a slight cushion in the team’s pursuit of the postseason, but he’s not harping on the exact number.
“I haven’t looked at them, and kind of just whenever they pop up or someone mentions it, that’s how I get my updates because I’m not a points racer. I don’t want to get caught in that,” said Buescher, who has finished fifth the last two weekends. “It is a big part of our sport, but I’m just a little more old school in the way that I think about going to the race track, and if you figure out how to win every week, points come with that, and that’s been my mindset. What we’re trying to do on the 17 side is figure out how to go each race track and make this one our win. So regardless of the points side of things, we’re coming here to figure out how to set up for that last stage to win a race.”
In a minor upset, Kyle Larson won the pole for Sunday’s Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). He and three other drivers clipped defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen, who will start fifth. There was plenty of action during practice and qualifying, making for an unpredictable race. My advice would be to lean toward drivers who constantly run up front on road courses while having other drivers who need to race for points.
RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineups
Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:
Starter 1: Shane van Gisbergen
Starter 2: Michael McDowell
Starter 3: Tyler Reddick
Starter 4: Ty Gibbs
Starter 5: Chase Elliott
Garage pick: Alex Bowman
NEXT IN LINE: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Daniel Suárez, Bubba Wallace
RISING: It feels like an obvious choice to slot Larson in your lineup. He scored his fifth pole while turning left and right – his first outside of Sonoma Raceway – and led the way in practice. The No. 5 Chevrolet might be the best car in Chicago this weekend. I’m assuming, however, that, like me, you probably have very limited starts remaining with Larson in the regular season. And with races like Pocono Raceway, Darlington Raceway and a few others on the horizon, Larson could theoretically score more points at those than he will on Sunday, should the No. 5 team’s strategy be to chase the race win rather than scoring stage points. You can make up those points in other areas this weekend. Admittedly, this strategy bit me at Sonoma, but it feels right to save a Larson start.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
Gibbs is one of those drivers you might be able to make those points up with, though. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody if the young phenom scores his first victory on a road/street course, just as he did while breaking onto the scene in the Xfinity Series. Gibbs is in a tight points battle to remain in the top 10 and, should there be another winner below the elimination line, make the playoffs outright. The No. 54 Toyota will start second and will most likely be chasing points with a car that could still work its way through the field in the final stage to tally big-time points.
FALLING: Multiple drivers made their weekend more challenging by getting involved in incidents during practice and qualifying. Notably, Chris Buescher — who has 12 top-10 finishes in 14 road course starts in the Next Gen car — tapped the outside wall and broke his left-rear toe link. By replacing it, the No. 17 car will need to drop to the rear for the start of the race.
You never know what to expect out of a part-time entry for a race team. When AJ Allmendinger showed up to COTA in March for Kaulig Racing, he was competitive and finished sixth. He was not that at all on Saturday. For a driver that has a prestigious road racing background, the No. 13 team has a bunch of homework to do Saturday evening. Allmendinger will take the green flag from the 37th position. His practice pace was slightly better, though, placing 23rd on single-lap speed.
FEATURED MATCHUPS:
Kyle Larson vs. Chase Elliott: Elliott had mediocre speed in qualifying and will start 18th but was seventh in practice. Larson was on top of the leaderboard after practice and qualifying and has a car capable of winning. Although it hurts not to have Larson in my lineup, the No. 5 pilot should outrun his No. 9 teammate.
Shane van Gisbergen vs. Denny Hamlin: For the second year in a row, Hamlin had a solid opening day to the Chicago Street Race Weekend. It wasn’t as flawless as last season when he won the pole, but being the first driver to miss the final round cut isn’t shabby. But let’s be honest, he’s going up against van Gisbergen, who had a life-changing weekend here one season ago. He is the standard at Chicago, and that’s not changing this weekend.
Tyler Reddick vs. Ty Gibbs: Oof, this is tough. Both drivers are stout on road courses and could be in contention to win on Sunday. Reddick, who led eight laps last season at Chicago before being nose-deep in the Turn 6 tire barriers, might have a clearer race strategy. Gibbs is hovering near the playoff bubble and needs points. Because this is a heads-up battle, I’m thinking Reddick will finish ahead of Gibbs.
Austin Cindric vs. AJ Allmendinger: If you glance at the starting lineup, you will miss Allmendinger’s name — it’s way down towards the bottom of the page. Cindric was slightly better and will start mid-pack in 20th. Allmendinger seemingly finds a way to find decent finishes on these types of tracks, so while I dropped him from my lineup, I’m staying the course here.
CHICAGO — Carson Hocevar left Nashville Superspeedway lighter in the pocket and farther down the points standings.
What he’s not concerned about is proving anything to anyone in the NASCAR Cup Series garage.
Hocevar was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points after contacting and spinning Harrison Burton under caution during the Ally 400 on June 30. The 21-year-old rookie driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet is, unfortunately, no stranger to controversy, incurring prior in-race penalties for on-track incidents through his past three years spent in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
The Michigan native is back in the Midwest for the second Chicago Street Race along the city streets. But before hopping into his car, he explained his perspective on the Nashville incident that cost him.
“My intentions were not by any means to have him (spun) around,” Hocevar said Saturday morning. “You know, I went up to bump him like you’ve seen 1,000 times and happened to me a lot. He wanted to use 1,000 pounds of brake pressure in front of me, and then obviously, it happened from that But, you know, if you get in a bar fight and whatnot, the guy who throws the last punch that lands somebody on the ground isn’t the one that gets in trouble. It’s the one that initiated it.
“So moving forward, I just won’t initiate anything like that. And if anything, I’ll either talk to him after the race or I go up next to him and throw my hand in the air rather than use a race car.”
Hocevar believes “no,” he does not have to prove anything to his competitors about any lessons learned. But not everybody agrees that the No. 77 car didn’t turn Burton’s No. 21 Ford intentionally.
Defending series champion Ryan Blaney specifically questioned Hocevar’s decision-making during a Saturday morning press conference at The Art Institute of Chicago.
“Pay money, pay points, park him if you have to,” Blaney said. “That’s something I’ve seen too many times out of that guy from different series. That’s not cool. Don’t do that. I mean, they parked Layne Riggs for two laps for running through the back of somebody in that Truck race at Nashville and I think everyone made a big deal when Hocevar did that in the Cup race and then they rightfully penalized him after the race.
“I mean, that’s the only way you’re gonna get that stuff to stop. You have to make him pay a lot of money, fine him from points, things like that. If it’s bad enough, make him sit out. You know, that’s just stuff you learn as a young driver don’t do. Like there’s a lot of no-nos, and that’s one of them. And I don’t care if it’s under caution or under green. Both of them are worse. Obviously under green’s worse.
“But yeah, I think NASCAR did the right thing of penalizing because you have to slap people on the (wrist). There has to be repercussions for what you do when it’s something like that. And so that’s something I’ve seen be reoccurring with him that hopefully he learns from it and hopefully when there’s a little bit a hole in his pocket after the money he had to pay, hopefully it teaches you a lesson of ‘don’t do that anymore.'”
James Gilbert | Getty Images
Hocevar remained steadfast Saturday that brake traces and in-car telemetry paint a different picture, but admitted his “track record is not squeaky clean.”
“I mean, if you see the SMT (data), I think you’ll understand and I think that shows a different picture completely of the whole situation,” Hocevar said. “But I’m not going to — there’s no point for me to release that or do anything. It is what it is and I’ll move on. My team is very supportive of me. And I think they fully believe and they are in full support and they’ve reassured me of that. That’s really what matters to me.”
Before Brad Keselowski became a Cup champion in 2012, there were instances of him ruffling feathers with Cup guys like Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards while Keselowski was still making a name for himself in the Xfinity Series. Some 15 years removed from some significant rivalries, the 40-year-old driver and co-owner of RFK Racing offered his own perspective on what Hocevar’s rise — and simultaneous conflicts — may entail.
“Certainly understand how hard it is to break through in the Cup Series and that desire to make an immediate impact,” Keselowski said. “You have to be careful, in my experience having gone through it, to not allow that to be a negative to you, right? You can almost try too hard. And it’s a good and bad thing to try too hard sometimes. You certainly prefer someone who tries too hard over someone who doesn’t try at all. But there’s certainly a sweet spot there that I think each driver to some degree has to find on their own.
“And there’s an argument — strong argument — to be made that he’s on the other side of that and not living in that sweet spot. I hope for his own sake, he can find that spot. I have some empathy for that and with respect to that, I felt like I needed to flirt with kind of that border of being too aggressive. And that served me well. And you know, sometimes I would look back and say, ‘Yeah, I probably might have gone just a touch too far on the line or over the line. So I think you’ve got to find that spot and decide where it is and live comfortably.”
A last-second dash across the alternate start/finish resulted in Kyle Larson’s leap to the Busch Light Pole Award by 0.01 seconds over Ty Gibbs, claiming the top starting spot at 90.168 mph. Completing the top five in an eventful time-trial session around the Chicago Street Course were Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick and defending event winner Shane van Gisbergen.
Larson and van Gisbergen also posted the two fastest laps during Saturday’s practice session, besting Gibbs, Daniel Suárez and Alex Bowman. Bowman had the quickest 10-lap average of the session of the 16 drivers who completed at least 10 consecutive circuits. | Full Saturday recap
Big story line
Chicago shaping up for thrilling sequel
The streets of Chicago are alive with the sound of speed once again as NASCAR thunders down Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive in the second edition of the Chicago Street Race Weekend.
The stars are set for an encore performance after last year’s soggy-yet-sensational debut. Defending winner Shane van Gisbergen — a relatively seasoned ace in NASCAR with 19 Xfinity starts and an additional three Cup starts since his stunning 2023 debut triumph — excelled thanks in large part to his vast experience racing street circuits in Australia’s Repco Supercars Championship, where SVG is a three-time champ. But the talented Cup field now has specific data to point to from 2023, potentially closing the gap to New Zealand’s NASCAR representative this time around.
“I think for sure there will be more of them (up front),” van Gisbergen said Friday. “There was a lot of guys who were fast — you know, five or six fast guys last year, especially in qualifying. There were some big laps. But this year, there’s just gonna be more. There’s more guys with data, more guys will have better setups learning what they learned last year, I think. I think there’s gonna be a big chance to be 10 or 15 guys.
“That’s the best thing I find about NASCAR. It’s not the same people every week (fighting for wins). It’s so competitive, this series, and so tight, so hopefully it’s us that’s in there as well.”
Joey Logano won last week’s race on the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway, but only one of his 33 career wins has come on a road course — a 2015 race at Watkins Glen. Like his Cup compatriots, Logano has put in plenty of prep work to improve. The question remains: whose efforts will prove most fruitful?
“Am I ready? I’m as ready as I know how to be,” Logano said. “I’m more ready than I was last year, I can tell you that much. But the whole field is. At least you have an idea of what you’re up against and what it’s going to be like. Those first few laps in practice last year was kind of sketchy, right? You’re just like, ‘I don’t know. In the sim, I brake here, but I mean, how good’s the sim gonna be? Like, I’m on the streets of Chicago. I don’t know.’
“But yeah, we seemed to figure it out fairly quickly. Now … you study your competitors and kind of see where they were strong, where you were weak. You have an idea of things you want to make better to your car. There’s actually stuff to talk about where last year, it was just, I don’t know, put in what (setup) you think is best and we’ll tune on it from there and hope it’s pretty close. Now it seems like we have a little better direction.”
Not much. With just one downtown race in the books that featured plenty of wet-weather racing, there remains plenty to learn through Sunday’s event.
Racing Insights notes Toyotas led 46 of the opening 47 laps during the inaugural, courtesy of Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs, with Bell sweeping the stages after Denny Hamlin scored the pole position in qualifying. But strategy flipped when the race’s length was shortened from its scheduled 100-lap distance to 75 due to the impending sunset, putting Justin Haley and SVG in prime position to capitalize and lead the final 31 laps through overtime.
He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…
AUSTIN CINDRIC. Cindric is still looking for his first road-course-style victory in the Cup Series, but the driver of Team Penske’s No. 2 Ford could offer a surprise come Sunday. Entering Chicago at 50-1 odds on DraftKings, Cindric has seven top-10 finishes on road courses, his most top 10s on any track type, including a sixth-place finish at Chicago in 2023.
Cindric’s racing career began with a focus on road racing, including multiple starts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series and two starts in the 12-hour Bathurst event at Australia’s famed Mount Panorama Circuit. That experience led to five road-course wins in the Xfinity Series as well as a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2017. | Chicago odds
Speed reads
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• Chicago 101: Course map, track layout and race information for Sunday’s spectacle | Read article
• ‘Unfinished business’: Chicago Street Course president Julie Giese on Year 2 in Chicago | Read article
• Berry ripe for No. 21: Josh Berry to join Wood Brothers in 2025 | Read article
• Chicago still SVG’s kind of town?: Van Gisbergen still having his moment one year later | Read article • Hocevar penalized: Spire driver docked 25 points, fined $50,000 after Nashville | Read article • Streak, for starters: Chase Elliott, all top 20s so far in 2024 | Photo gallery
• Extra innings: NASCAR’s overtime policy through the lenses of other sports | Read article • Power Rankings: Reddick ready to turn up the wick in Chicago? | Photo gallery • Turning Point: Playoff pressure peaking, plus how Logano stretched his Nashville fuel tank | Read article • Racing Insights: Who can challenge SVG this year? Inside our experts’ projections | Read article • Field of 16: How the projected playoff picture shakes out with eyes on Chicago | Read article • 36 for 36: Check out this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: All in on Kaulig on the city streets | Read article • Fantasy Update: Arguments for, against Larson; Gibbs remains impressive | Read article
• NASCAR Classics: Flashback to 2023 and prior Midwestern hits before Sunday’s street race | Read article • Paint Scheme Preview: Street styling set to shine in Chi-Town | Pick your favorite
Fast facts ⏩
Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• Despite a rain-soaked Sunday in 2023, Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions were held in the dry. Shane van Gisbergen was quickest in practice by three-tenths of a second over Denny Hamlin, who won the pole. • Hendrick Motorsports has won each of the two road-course races in 2024 (William Byron, Circuit of The Americas; Kyle Larson, Sonoma Raceway). • The driver who led the most laps has won four of the last five road-course races.
CHICAGO — Kyle Larson made the most of his last chance in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Saturday, edging Ty Gibbs for the pole position for the Grant Park 165 on the Chicago Street Course (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
On his final lap in the final round of time trials on the tight 2.2-mile course, Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet covered the distance in 87.836 seconds (90.168 mph) to outrun Gibbs (90.158 mph) by .010 seconds.
“It wasn’t perfect,” said Larson, who ran a track-record 90.496 mph (87.518 seconds) in the opening round. “It was better than my first lap (in the final round), but I think I had better grip potential on the first lap, so I wish I could have had a couple corners back there.
“Judging by the reaction from my spotter, it had to be pretty close on lap time, so really awesome to get a pole here in Chicago… (We’ve) checked the first box, and hopefully we can keep it going.”
The Busch Light Pole Award was Larson’s series-best fifth of the season and the 21st of his Cup Series career. His three victories this year, however, have come from starting positions of second, fourth and fifth.
Michael McDowell qualified third at 90.141 mph, followed by Tyler Reddick (89.923 mph) and defending Chicago Street Race winner Shane van Gisbergen (89.813 mph).
“I was trying to get my Ford Mustang on the pole,” said McDowell, who won last year’s road race on the Indianapolis Grand Prix Course. “We were close, right? So proud of everybody. We made good changes in between Round 1 and 2 because I felt like Larson and SVG (van Gisbergen) sort of had everybody covered there.
“Then we went into that next round and made some gains and got close. You know what it means to get a pole and track position and all that. So we’re starting up front. We’ll have a great shot at it with the White Sox Ford Mustang.”
Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suárez and Brad Keselowski claimed starting positions six through 10, respectively, though Keselowski spun into the wall during his first final-round lap and was off the pace when he finished the lap.
Denny Hamlin, last year’s pole winner for the Chicago Street Race, narrowly missed the final 10 and will start 11th on Sunday.
William Byron, a three-time winner this season, suffered a power steering failure in the first round, requiring a complete replacement of the steering system. Byron will start from the rear of the field on Sunday after repairs.
Harrison Burton, in his final season in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford, ended the first round with a spin into a tire barrier, requiring a tow truck to remove the car. Josh Berry, named earlier in the week as Burton’s replacement next year, spun during the opening round and will start 36th in the 40-driver field.
Larson fastest in Cup Series practice
Kyle Larson topped the leaderboard in practice at 89.549 mph over Shane van Gisbergen (89.435 mph) and Ty Gibbs (89.405 mph).
Daniel Suárez (88.881 mph) and Alex Bowman (88.874 mph) rounded out the top five.
Chicago, Ill. (July 6, 2024) — NASCAR and ABB, a global leader in electrification and automation, announced today the ABB NASCAR Electrification Innovation Partnership and revealed a new EV prototype at the Chicago Street Race. ABB becomes the first Official Partner of NASCAR Impact, the sanctioning body’s platform driving NASCAR’s mission to strengthen its communities and contribute to a healthier planet, and together will work to advance NASCAR’s strategic sustainability ambitions across electrification.
“ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, and we help customers globally to optimize, electrify and decarbonize their operations,” said Ralph Donati, ABB Executive Vice President. “The objective of the collaboration between NASCAR, ABB in the United States and the NASCAR industry is to push the boundaries of electrification technology, from EV racing to long-haul transportation to facility operations.”
As part of the partnership, ABB in the United States will also help NASCAR achieve public sustainability targets around electrification and electric vehicle charging.
While NASCAR is committed to the historic role of the combustion engine in racing, it is also committed to decarbonizing its operations and reducing its own carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035 through electrification and innovative solutions.
“There could not be a more optimal moment in time to announce our first Impact partner than in tandem with the debut of the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype at the Chicago Street Race,” said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer. “ABB is an industry leader and will help in efforts to decarbonize our operations as we pursue achieving net-zero operating emissions over the next decade.”
The ABB NASCAR EV Prototype is the latest innovation from the NASCAR Research & Development Center team, which recently completed the largest overhaul of the NASCAR Cup Series car in NASCAR’s 75-year history. The Next Gen car, which debuted in 2022, put the ‘stock’ back in stock car, modernizing most of the vehicle’s components. It also marked NASCAR’s rededication to product relevance in ensuring its race cars match production cars on the street as much as possible.
The prototype was developed in collaboration with NASCAR’s OEM partners — Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota — and was built by the NASCAR engineers responsible for the Next Gen car and the Garage 56 entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Throughout the process, NASCAR and the OEMs collaborated on the design and elements of the vehicle.
The track-tested, electrified stock car has three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors (one front, two rear) supplying power directly to all four specially designed Goodyear Racing Eagle tires. Anchored by a 78-kWh liquid-cooled battery, the tunable powertrain can produce 1,000 kW at peak power. Regenerative braking converts kinetic energy into power, making the car ideal for road courses and short oval tracks.
The All-Wheel Drive car has a generic Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) body made of sustainable flax-based composite. It shares many similarities with both the Next Gen and Garage 56 cars – the body sits on a modified Next Gen chassis, and the steering, suspension, brakes, and wheels all derive from the NASCAR Cup Series car.
NASCAR IMPACT
ABB is a founding partner of NASCAR Impact, an umbrella platform launched to shepherd sustainability, community engagement, and other social initiatives. At the core of NASCAR Impact is NASCAR’s plan to reduce its own carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035.
NASCAR has made material commitments to sustainable operations across its entire business. Moving operations from scope 1 (fuel burned) to scope 2 (electric) is a critical element of NASCAR’s sustainability strategy.
In addition to the long-term operating emissions goal, NASCAR’s annual carbon measurement informed near-term sustainability priorities, including sourcing 100% renewable electricity at owned race tracks and facilities by 2028, expanded waste diversion efforts, and on-site EV charging stations. ABB will play a critical role in helping NASCAR by providing valuable guidance, equipment, and support in electrifying key elements of the operational business.
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the Chicago Street Race, a one-of-a-kind sports and entertainment festival in downtown Chicago on Sunday, July 7 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
We’re bringing you live updates leading up to Sunday’s Grant Park 165 in the NASCAR Cup Series (4:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Bookmark this page and check back often as we chronicle the action from the 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course.
— The Chicago Street Race is a NASCAR event that is unlike any other. For information, including maps, schedules and tickets, visit the part of our website dedicated solely to the Chicago Street Race: NASCARChicago.com.
— Australian Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen won last year’s inaugural Chicago Street Race and did it in impressive fashion. SVG, as he’s known, has been the talk of the town in Chicago this week. Learn more about the New Zealand-born driver and what he thinks he can do for an encore.
— Chicago Street Race Weekend President Julie Giese spoke about what those on the ground are looking forward to most this weekend. Find out about the new things that are in store for fans and spectators.
All times listed are Eastern:
Sunday, July 7
10:20 p.m., checkered flag: Thank you, Chicago, for hosting another unforgettable NASCAR Chicago Street Race weekend. 🏁
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
10:02 p.m., checkered flag: Alex Bowman entered the weekend 16th in points — the last spot in the fight for the playoffs. With his win, he’s now safe.
Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR Digital Media
9:53 p.m., checkered flag: Another heartbreak for runner-up Tyler Reddick. Reddick would have likely won last week at Nashville with one more lap.
9:51 p.m., checkered flag: Some highlights from the top 10: Joey Hand in fourth, Michael McDowell in fifth (where’d he come from?!), Todd Gilliland in seventh, and a much-needed P9 for Kyle Busch. | Unofficial results
9:49 p.m., checkered flag: The celebration continues.
9:35 p.m., checkered flag: Bubba Wallace wasn’t happy with Alex Bowman and let his frustration out on the (ironically-named) cooldown lap. Bowman later apologized for disrupting the No. 23’s day in Victory Lane.
9:32 p.m., checkered flag: It’s the first-ever win for No. 48 crew chief, Blake Harris. The win is the eighth of Bowman’s career, and his first since March 2022 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
9:28 p.m., checkered flag: Alex Bowman’s burning it down — as best as his wet-weather tires will allow. He’s now locked into the playoffs.
9:21 p.m., Lap 58: ⚪️ Final lap for Alex Bowman. Tyler Reddick has moved to second place and he’s got his sights set on the No. 48.
9:20 p.m., Lap 57: Austin Hill and Denny Hamlin are the latest to run into trouble, but the race continues. Alex Bowman continues to lead the way as the time has expired. Next lap will be the white flag.
9:19 p.m., Lap 56: Alex Bowman is only a few laps away from ending a winless streak that dates back to 2022.
9:18 p.m., Lap 55: Christopher Bell goes sideways on slick tires, and there’s damage to the No. 20. Bell made contact with Martin Truex Jr., who got a bump from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. It’s not looking good for CBell.
9:17 p.m., Lap 54: Chase Briscoe and John Hunter Nemechek separately find a wall on a restart, but the race continues.
9:16 p.m., Lap 54: 🟢 Green flag! Alex Bowman leads the way on a single-file restart, likely the last restart of the day.
9:15 p.m., Lap 53: Five minutes to go — then the white flag and then the checkered flag.
9:10 p.m., Lap 52: Just 10 minutes remain in this race.
9:09 p.m., Lap 52: 🟡 Caution No. 5. Josh Berry is not having a great day. He’s again slammed into the wall, and this time they’ll need to pause the race to remove his Ford.
9:08 p.m., Lap 51: New leader. Alex Bowman made an aggressive move on Joey Hand in Turn 5. Move the No. 48 to P1.
9:07 p.m., Lap 50: Alex Bowman is all over Joey Hand’s rear bumper for the lead! The first car on slick tires is Christopher Bell in 11th — 8.6 seconds behind the leaders.
9:06 p.m., Lap 50: AJ Allmendinger has slid into a tire barrier. He’s freed and makes his way to pit road.
9:04 p.m., Lap 49: 🟢 Back to green! Joey Hand leads the way. Fifteen minutes of racing remain.
8:54 p.m., Lap 46: 🟡 Caution No. 4. Joey Hand has won the second stage, the first of his NASCAR career. He leads 12 cars that chose not to pit under green.
Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR Digital Media
8:52 p.m., Lap 44: Joey Hand is the new leader. Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski, Carson Hocevar, Martin Truex Jr., Noah Gragson, Daniel Hemric, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Harrison Burton, Ryan Preece, Denny Hamlin and Josh Bilicki join Hand in staying out.
8:51 p.m., Lap 44: Christopher Bell and the leaders are all headed to pit road. Nobody wants to pit under caution. It looks like teams are opting for slick tires.
8:50 p.m., Lap 43: Numerous cars are headed to pit road before the end of the stage. This could make things really interesting; the cars pitting now won’t pit when the stage caution flies. With only a half hour of racing left, drivers should be able to make it to the end.
8:47 p.m., Lap 41: PSA for Fantasy Live players: swap out those garage picks before Stage 2 ends. I wonder how many lineups, like mine, included both Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson.
8:45 p.m., Lap 40: Tyler Reddick has fallen back to fifth. Just five laps remain in Stage 2.
8:42 p.m., Lap 38: Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Josh Berry and Chase Briscoe found the Turn 4 wall, but both cars continue.
8:40 p.m., Lap 37: 🟢 We’re back to green. Christopher Bell leads Tyler Reddick, Todd Gilliland and John Hunter Nemechek.
8:33 p.m., Lap 34: The No. 5 is freed from the wall, but the damage is terminal. Kyle Larson’s out of the car and he’s done for the day. Following Shane van Gisbergen’s early exit, that means yesterday’s first- and second-place finishers will now finish last and second-last today.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
8:28 p.m., Lap 33: 🟡 Caution No. 3. While racing for second place, Kyle Larson buried his Chevrolet in the Turn 6 tire barrier. He’s trying to free his car, but he’s stuck.
8:23 p.m., Lap 31: Christopher Bell has snagged the lead from his teammate. Deeper in the field, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Denny Hamlin are stopped after tangling in Turn 6. The race remains green.
8:22 p.m., Lap 30: 🟢 Green flag is back in the air! Ty Gibbs leads Christopher Bell. Let’s do this.
8:14 p.m., Lap 27: 🟡 We’re rolling again under caution. Remember, we’ve got just over an hour of time to complete this race.
8:05 p.m.: Let’s try this again! Drivers are seated in their cars and engines are fired once more.
7:55 p.m.: As we continue waiting out this storm, keep in mind that this race will conclude within an hour and a half. The latest that the race can conclude is 9:20 p.m. ET.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
7:45 p.m.: Well, hold that thought. Engines re-fired briefly, and now they’ve been shut off again due to a bit more rain.
7:38 p.m.: It’s almost time to re-fire those engines. Coverage continues on NBC.
7:35 p.m.: NASCAR has announced the upcoming restart and future restarts will be single-file instead of the usual double-file style.
7:30 p.m.: Teamwork makes the dream work.
7:25 p.m.: Good news! Drivers have asked to return to their cars in five minutes.
7:20 p.m.: Track drying continues. Looking at the current leaderboard, Team Penske will want to turn things around once the race resumes; the highest-running team car is Ryan Blaney in 31st. It seems the rain didn’t start as quickly as the team had anticipated, making the tire situation tricky for the trio in Stage 1.
6:55 p.m.: NASCAR’s track-drying team is moving standing water off the track. Cars can race on a damp surface, but inches of water are a no-go.
6:26 p.m., Lap 26: 🔴 The red flag is out and the field has been stopped on pit road. There’s a heavy shower passing through the area.
6:24 p.m., Lap 26: Let’s take inventory under caution. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell lead the way. Kyle Larson is third, Zane Smith is fourth and Tyler Reddick is fifth. Shane van Gisbergen is officially done for the day.
6:21 p.m., Lap 25: Shane van Gisbergen is out of the race! His car was damaged after contact from a sliding Chase Briscoe. Wow. SVG has climbed out of the No. 16.
6:19 p.m., Lap 25: 🟡 Caution No. 2 Lots happening! Bubba Wallace went for a slide in Turn 2, and then Chase Briscoe has piled into the tire barrier in Turn 6.
6:16 p.m., Lap 24: 🟢 Back to green! Zane Smith leads on worn wet-weather tires.
6:10 p.m., Lap 22: Last week’s runner-up finisher, Zane Smith, was the lone car to skip pit road. He’s now the leader.
6:06 p.m., Lap 21: Christopher Bell has won the race off pit road ahead of Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson. Shane van Gisbergen was the fourth car off pit road. There’s a bottleneck on pit-road exit, but it seems no cars have notable damage.
6:05 p.m., Lap 21: Cars are on pit road as the rain falls. These are live pit stops, and you’d better believe everybody’s equipping their cars with wet-weather tires.
6:02 p.m., Lap 20: Something to keep in mind: if today’s race can’t reach the complete 75-lap race distance, NASCAR will end the race at 9:20 p.m. ET.
UPDATE: Per NASCAR Rule Book Section 8.5.7.6.C, NASCAR has announced that if the #GrantPark165 cannot reach the advertised race distance, its conclusion time today will be 9:20 p.m. ET.
5:57 p.m., Lap 19: Whew! What an opening run to end Stage 1. Shane van Gisbergen leads Christopher Bell, and the rain has significantly picked up. Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Todd Gilliland, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suárez also pick up stage points.
5:47 p.m., Lap 16: 🟡 Caution No. 1. Corey LaJoie has lost grip and spun in Turn 5. He was running 29th.
5:46 p.m., Lap 16: Well, CBell’s lead was short-lived. Shane van Gisbergen retakes the top spot.
5:45 p.m., Lap 15: Move Christopher Bell to the point. He’s muscled past SVG.
5:40 p.m., Lap 13: Talk about Chicago traffic! Shane van Gisbergen has taken the lead from Ty Gibbs amid a cluster of slower cars. The drivers who pitted early for wet-weather tires are struggling — tires designed for damp conditions wear out quickly on dry portions of the track.
5:39 p.m., Lap 12: Shane van Gisbergen has caught leader Ty Gibbs. Remember, SVG won yesterday’s Xfinity Series race while Gibbs finished second.
5:36 p.m., Lap 9: More drivers continue to pit to swap tires. Tyler Reddick has dipped from second place back to sixth.
5:31 p.m., Lap 7: Ryan Preece and Harrison Burton have also pitted to change over to tires that are a little more rain-friendly. Ty Gibbs continues to lead — notably, with the windshield wiper in action.
Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR Digital Media
5:28 p.m., Lap 5: Michael McDowell has just pitted under green-flag conditions from eighth place to put wet-weather tires on the No. 34. Who else will follow?
5:27 p.m., Lap 4: Turns out that 40 NASCAR Cup Series cars can dry out a track surface pretty quickly! Slick tires seem to be the right call … for now.
5:25 p.m., Lap 2: Grip seems to be at a premium. This could give an advantage to the seven cars that started on wet-weather tires. Ty Gibbs leads early. Follow along on the live leaderboard.
5:21 p.m., Lap 1: 🟢 Green flag! We’re racing in Chicago.
5:18 p.m.: Per Racing Insights, seven cars opted to start the race on wet-weather tires: Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano and Zane Smith.
5:11 p.m.: Seems slick tires are a popular choice on pit road. It’s a tricky call for teams; there are some dry and some damp parts of this 2.2-mile course.
5:05 p.m.: Drivers will get to take a lap around the course to decide if they want to start the race on their usual slick tires, or swap to wet-weather tires. Teams that change tires will retain their original starting positions.
Don't forget to download the NASCAR Tracks App to access live leaderboards, the Fan Guide, event maps and so much more!
Get race day ready with the NASCAR Tracks App! 👇
— NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend (@NASCARChicago) July 7, 2024
11:23 a.m.: Here’s my Fantasy Live lineup for this afternoon. Is it a little cheap to pick each of the top five qualifiers? Well, maybe, but I believe they’ll be the drivers fighting for the win at the end of the day.
9:45 a.m.: Today’s the day!
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
Saturday, July 6
9:30 p.m.: There’s much more to come from Chicago. Lauren Alaina and Keith Urban will be among those performing tomorrow ahead of the main event, the Grant Park 165. Get acclimated with our What to Watch guide.
9:00 p.m.: Drivers are heading out on stage, the very stage that The Chainsmokers will take shortly for some more fun and music. Bubba Wallace took a second to show off those skills on the drum. (He’s got the stuff!)
— NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend (@NASCARChicago) July 6, 2024
5:45 p.m.: Shane van Gisbergen has won The Loop 110! It’s his third Xfinity Series victory of 2024. He’ll now try to sweep the weekend tomorrow in the Cup Series by keeping his undefeated record intact at Chicago.
— NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend (@NASCARChicago) July 6, 2024
5:07 p.m.: With just a handful of laps remaining in the Xfinity Series race, fans in Chicago are less than an hour away from a performance by The Black Keys.
3:50 p.m.: The Xfinity Series race is underway on NBC, and it’s already shaping up to be a battle to remember between Kyle Larson and Shane van Gisbergen.
2:45 p.m.: That’s all for Cup Series action until tomorrow’s race. The Xfinity Series will take to the track next for the 50-lap race featuring a mix of NASCAR’s up-and-comers and a handful of Cup Series stars. Catch The Loop 110 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
2:40 p.m.: This marks the 21st pole of Kyle Larson’s career. Larson started seventh and finished fourth last year in Chicago.
Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR Digital Media
2:27 p.m.: That No. 5 car is fast! Kyle Larson, who was fastest in practice, has followed up his speed in qualifying by winning the pole for Sunday’s Grant Park 165. He posted his 1:27.836-second lap with moments to spare in the session.
2:05 p.m.: Talk about some quick Camrys! Four Toyotas will advance from Group B: Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell, followed by Alex Bowman’s Chevrolet.
Going for the Cup Series pole at the Chicago Street Course:
Kyle Larson Shane van Gisbergen Brad Keselowski Ty Gibbs Christopher Bell Michael McDowell Tyler Reddick Daniel Suárez Bubba Wallace Alex Bowman
— Cameron Richardson (@therichreport) July 6, 2024
2:03 p.m.: Harrison Burton has found himself embedded in the Turn 6 tire barrier as Group B qualifying comes to an end.
1:55 p.m.: William Byron’s reporting power-steering issues. It’s unlikely the No. 24 will compete for pole position while the team works on repairs. He’s 11th-fastest in Group B qualifying so far.
1:42 p.m.: Kyle Larson, Shane van Gisbergen, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell and Daniel Suárez will advance to the final round of qualifying. Group B, the other half of the field, will roll out next.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
1:40 p.m.: Add Josh Berry and Chris Buescher to the list of damaged cars from Group A qualifying. Both damaged the rears of their Fords in the final moments of the session.
1:30 p.m.: Corey LaJoie was set to post a fast lap but crashed, heavily damaging the left-rear corner of his Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. He won’t advance to the final round of qualifying, and the No. 7 team will have their work cut out for them to prepare for tomorrow’s race.
1:25 p.m.: Group A is now on track for 15 minutes of qualifying. The top five drivers will face off against the upcoming Group B’s fastest five to compete for pole position.
1:20 p.m.: Up next for the Cup Series is qualifying, where we’ll set the lineup for tomorrow’s Grant Park 165. Follow along on USA Network and with our live leaderboard.
1:17 p.m.: That’s it for practice. Ty Gibbs paced Group B for the third-fastest overall lap behind Group A’s Kyle Larson and Shane van Gisbergen. Could Gibbs, the rookie, pick up his first career victory this weekend?
12:51 p.m.: Kyle Larson posted the fastest practice lap in Group A (1:28.443), beating Shane van Gisbergen by just over a tenth of a second. The two paced third-quickest Daniel Suárez by over a half second.
Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR Digital Media
12:30 p.m.: Cup Series cars have taken to the streets of Chicago for practice, the lone session to prepare cars on track this weekend. Catch it on USA Network and follow along with the Race Center live leaderboard or NASCAR Mobile.
12:05 p.m.: Last year’s Cup Series Chicago Street Race winner Shane van Gisbergen has qualified on pole for the Xfinity Series race this afternoon. SVG has won twice on road courses this Xfinity Series season where he competes full-time. But, in a half hour, he’ll need to shift to the Cup Series car for practice and qualifying.
Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR Digital Media
10:05 a.m.: It’s official: cars are on track! Xfinity Series practice and qualifying is taking place ahead of this afternoon’s The Loop 110. The stars of the Cup Series hit the streets at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
10 a.m.: Come hang with Mike Camerlengo and @nascarcasm on Twitch!
— NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend (@NASCARChicago) July 6, 2024
Bubba’s block party was a success! So humbled to play a role in welcoming new faces to this sport with events like these. We've come a long way and we ain't stopping ✌🏾 pic.twitter.com/bSU8aVhypm
2:15 p.m.: 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Kurt Busch paid a visit to Wrigley Field. Reddick threw the first pitch, while Busch serenaded the fans during the seventh-inning stretch.
12:10 p.m.: There’s a new addition to the Sten-house! Ricky Stenhouse Jr. announced the birth of his and his wife Madyson’s son, Stetson Steele Stenhouse.
Stetson Steele Stenhouse Born July 4, 2024 | 8lbs 7oz | 21 inches long Thank you, Jesus, for this wonderful blessing! 💙 pic.twitter.com/BPkOD5OqYp
CHICAGO — Kyle Larson said he hasn’t spoken to Denny Hamlin since the latest installment in their series of on-track run-ins last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, saying that their rules of engagement boil down to a matter of trust.
Larson enters this weekend’s Chicago Street Race festivities as the NASCAR Cup Series points leader, and he’s tied with Hamlin, Christopher Bell and William Byron with a series-best three wins each this season. Larson and Hamlin have had a friendly relationship that’s been tested by an almost magnetic tendency for their fenders to connect in recent years.
Getting back to a healthy — or even fun — ability to race each other aggressively but cleanly is something Larson says is achievable in time.
“Just feeling like you can trust, maybe trust the moves that somebody’s gonna make on you, and I feel like that’s when you have close racing and trust what they’re going to do, I think that’s fun to me,” Larson said, making note of a significant flare-up last summer at Pocono Raceway. “I’ve always enjoyed racing him a lot, you know, before, I guess, middle of last year. I’m sure we can get back to that point, and we’ve had fun racing each other since Pocono. There’s just been a few incidents where I feel like I’ve just been ran out of space a little more than maybe somebody else would put me in, in a situation. But yeah, I mean, I guess that could just be considered racing sometimes.”
The two battled hard for third place at the conclusion of Stage 2 during last weekend’s Ally 400 in Nashville, with Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet carrying momentum that moved Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota up out of the groove through Turns 1 and 2. Larson took the spot, and Hamlin delivered a handful of irate bumps as the cars slowed after the green-checkered flag.
The speculation that Larson may have taken a different tack if another driver had been in that position was real.
“I’m not sure because I didn’t have somebody in front of me to know how I would have raced,” Larson said. “I would have ultimately known that I would need clean air on the nose, no matter who’s in front of me, but yeah, I guess you’d be less likely to be as dumb and aggressive as I was maybe, but again, you don’t really know until you are put in that situation.”
That Larson and Hamlin are among the most successful drivers of the past few years is perhaps a key culprit for the rise in on-track run-ins. The two are battling for both wins and position at the front of the field, putting their cars — each with an aggressive-minded driver behind the wheel — consistently in close proximity.
“I think a lot of it comes from just running in the same position most times,” Hamlin said. “I mean, when it comes down to it, we’ve raced each other for a lot of wins over the last few years. And really, no matter what team he’s driven for, he’s competed for race wins and so yeah, I think a lot of that is because we’re running in the same place at the same time.”
The extracurricular bumps on the cooldown heading into the stage break, however, drew a stern rebuke from No. 11 crew chief Chris Gabehart, a team leader typically not prone to raised voices.
“It was not as intense after (the race), for sure,” Hamlin said of their post-race discussion. “But in the moment, he’s trying to relay some information to me, and I don’t think he feels like he had my attention at that exact moment. So that’s why the volume probably turned up when it did.”
Larson drew a parallel to his dirt-track racing background, where slide jobs in front of another competitor are more commonplace in a short-track setting. Getting just a sliver more room in his battles with Hamlin, he said, would help matters.
“If you’re talking about like dirt when you have an option to crossover, that’s, you know, fair and fun,” Larson said. “But when you aim at somebody’s nerf bar, the other guy’s not having much fun. So that’s where the moves that I’ve been a part of that I didn’t really feel like I’ve had much of an option sometimes, so if I can just … I’m talking like two inches more space, that would be great.”
CHICAGO — Julie Giese held the microphone at the top level of one of Chicago’s famed double-decker buses on a sun-splashed Friday afternoon, pointing out the landmarks and the second-year revisions to the street course that weaves its way through Grant Park’s downtown greenery. She is in her second year as the president of the Chicago Street Race Weekend and its many logistical challenges, but she doubles as a knowledgeable tour guide.
Concluding the low-speed lap of the circuit, she made the almost obligatory nod to the one thing that loomed over last year’s inaugural race that no one could control.
“It’s gonna be a fantastic weekend. The weather looks great; I probably just jinxed it,” Giese said with some sarcasm, adding on a quick up note, “but I’m going with it.”
Rolling into Year 2, a sense of optimism prevails over the Chicago Street Race’s early proceedings, replacing the uncertainty and skepticism that cloaked the event’s first running, the question being, “could NASCAR pull this off?” That answer ended up being yes, with an official race in the ledger and a surprising, storybook first-time Cup Series winner in Shane van Gisbergen, but also with history-making rain and storms that soaked and washed out a significant portion of the festival fanfare on the schedule.
The fingers are still crossed on the weather element holding steady for the second edition, but Giese says there’s plenty of motivation to carry out every facet of this year’s plan.
“I think rather than a do-over, I just feel like we have unfinished business,” Giese told NASCAR.com. “That’s something I’ve said, I feel like there’s a lot that we had planned last year that we just weren’t simply able to do. So really, that’s what our eye has been on this year is being able to execute that. Obviously, there’s things out of our control that there’s nothing we can do about it, but just making sure we’re ready for that. I think again, there’s a lot of … hopefully you can feel it within the city, this tangible excitement. People are excited the race is here and really look forward to the weekend.”
The final prep was still bustling Friday afternoon, with Cup and Xfinity Series teams setting up shop on Chicago’s otherwise busy commuter roads. The temporary 2.2-mile course will again host Saturday’s The Loop 110 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the Xfinity Series, culminating in Sunday’s Cup Series Grant Park 165 (4:30 p.m. ET, same networks) for the Cup Series.
Zack Albert | NASCAR
The main thoroughfares of Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive shut down at 12:01 a.m. Friday, and the final placement of those streets’ remaining barriers, fencing and tire packs was among the finishing touches. That activity buzzed around the high-top bus, some 18 hours before the track was set to open for practice, but Giese said track officials were able to shave six full days off the timetable for this year’s set-up and teardown, finding efficiencies in the process from last year’s notes.
“I think again, we knew last year we were going to learn a lot,” Giese said. “Putting the barriers in, it was our first time doing it, it was the city’s first time doing it, so working closely with the city after the event, to be able to do an after-action plan and say, ‘here’s some ideas,’ and starting to work through it. Tightening that window was probably our biggest learning.”
The circuit’s layout itself is virtually unchanged, save for adjustments to the lane-choose location and spotter-stand locations. The same 2,000 concrete barriers line the course — 10,000 pounds each and transported in four at a time in 500 truckloads. But the other educational moments helped to shape some tweaks to the course’s amenities around those walls. Prominent among those:
A new, taller three-story Skyline structure for hospitality on the circuit’s main straightaway, replacing the wider, two-story building — constructed over a line of crabapple trees — from Year 1.
New frontstretch reserved seats that replace the Congress and garden suites from a year ago, plus expanded Turn 1 club seating.
More pedestrian bridges over the course to ease foot-traffic flow.
New harbor suites after the exit of Turn 2.
Three spotter locations, including a makeshift stand through Turns 3 and 4 that uses the top level of double-decker buses as a viewing platform.
An expanded NASCAR 101 learning experience in the Butler Field area, prompted by feedback from last year’s attendees — 85% of which were first-time visitors.
The addition of youth admission pricing and expanded single-day tickets.
Those enhancements complement the return of a full concert slate both days inside the park boundaries, which should provide the festival feel that was only partially realized last year.
“I think, you know, from a team aspect, from a driver aspect, and then selfishly as an Illinois native, right, the vibe is still really, really good,” said Xfinity Series veteran Justin Allgaier. “It is very different this year. I think that there was a lot of uncertainty last year amongst fans, amongst teams. I feel like a lot of those questions were answered pretty quickly throughout the course of the weekend last year. I was super-bummed at how everything ended, but I’m excited to get back up here. Beautiful weather, all the right things that I wish we would have had last year.”
One aspect that’s already proven easier — finding your way around. Joey Logano — last week’s winner at Nashville Superspeedway — admitted to using his GPS to navigate to his hauler, the drivers’ lounge area, and other points along the circuit in 2023.
This year, the surroundings are more familiar, but Logano also sees a path toward a better Year 2 experience.
“It’s nice to have a lay of the land. I’m sure everyone could probably agree with that sitting in here, too,” Logano said. “That part’s great, but I think also, you talk to some of the fans, you’re just walking over here from the hotel and everyone seems to be very excited and the weather’s great, so the energy is much better. I feel like just last year everyone was so excited about it, like they are this year, but it just was kind of, yeah, but it’s going to rain. You know, everyone just kept talking about that, which this year everyone’s talking about how great the weather is. So, I think that really is going to give us a fair shake. I could see everything play out the way it’s supposed to on time with the schedule and the concerts and all that. Like everything can go the way it’s supposed to and be fun to see.”
NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at the Chicago Street Race.
With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.
Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.
We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?
Current Standings:
Steve Luvender: 474
r/NASCAR Community: -35
Dustin Albino: -40
Cameron Richardson: -67
Race 20 of 36: Chicago
It was a tough one for our pickers last week in Nashville. Dustin Albino and Cameron Richardson selected defending race winner Ross Chastain, who led 45 laps Sunday and appeared to be a threat to win … until late-race chaos took the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet out of the race. The r/NASCAR community pick didn’t fare much better — Austin Dillon finished 32nd — while Steve Luvender’s selection of Daniel Suárez netted just 15 points.
The Chicago Street Race is an opportunity for our pickers to make a bold choice. Racing Insights favors Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick to have strong days, but road-course experts like Michael McDowell and last year’s race winner Shane van Gisbergen might find themselves in the mix, too. How did the panel handle this one?
Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 16, Shane van Gisbergen
Dustin’s pick last week: No. 1, Ross Chastain (4 points)
Total season points: 434 (third place)
Dustin: I feel like I’ve been interacting too much with Kyle Busch at race tracks in recent weeks. We have about the same amount of luck, though he has a little bit more at stake than I do. Ross Chastain managed to find a way to be up front late at Nashville until he was dumped on an overtime restart. UGH! The goal this weekend is to get back on track, so let’s go with van Gisbergen, who became the seventh driver in Cup history to win in their series debut last year in Chicago. Whether the city streets are damp or not, SVG knows how to get it done on street courses.
NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 34, Michael McDowell
Steve’s pick last week: No. 99, Daniel Suárez (15 points)
Total season points: 474 (first place)
Steve: It’s really, really difficult to not pick Shane van Gisbergen this weekend, but hear me out. As I’ve said before, 36 for 36 is a game of points, not necessarily finishing position. So, while somebody like SVG who’s not a points-collecting Cup driver might plan a strategy to ensure track position late in the race — think pitting before a stage break at the expense of meaningless-to-him stage points — I suspect a driver on the playoff bubble like Michael McDowell might take a more conservative approach and cash in during the stages Sunday. Either that, or being a contrarian will come back to bite me and I’ll miss a lay-up. We’ll see.
NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 16, Shane van Gisbergen
Cameron’s pick last week: No. 1, Ross Chastain (4 points)
Total season points: 407 (fourth place)
Cameron: Given my picks so far this season, I’m not feeling great about SVG this Sunday but it’s the most obvious as he’s the defending winner. SVG finished 10th in his second Cup appearance on the Indy road course last year. While he’s only competed on one road course this season, I’m banking on SVG to put the No. 16 Kaulig Chevy out front all race long. Hopefully, Mother Nature stays away all weekend so we can get a fair shake of delivering a weekend full of entertainment in the Windy City.
r/NASCAR Community: No. 16, Shane van Gisbergen
r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 3, Austin Dillon (5 points)
u/Dont_hate_the_8: “Either SVG here or AJ at the Roval, take your pick. I’m saying here because I think SVG is more likely to start at the front, and hence avoid trouble, then AJ at the Roval.”
A Reddit user: “We’ve been saving this car for this race so any other choice is foolish”
Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.
And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!
