Posted on by Zack Albert

CHICAGO – Justin Haley and Chase Elliott both started at the back of the field in Sunday’s Chicago Street Race after crashes in the previous day’s practice and qualifying sessions. The early miscues meant an early deficit, hurdles to overcome in challenging conditions, and, in Haley’s case, some extra work in car prep.

“We repaired it, and I wrapped like half the car myself,” said Haley, who started dead last in the 37-car field. “I feel like that was pretty cool.”

Haley finished second in the downtown Chicago inaugural after a brief but brilliant scrap with debut NASCAR Cup Series winner Shane van Gisbergen, who charged past on fresher tires to lead the final eight laps, including an overtime session in the dusky light of evening. Right behind was Elliott, who was one of multiple drivers who rallied from on-track incidents in Sunday’s main event and netted his third consecutive top-five result.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos: Chicago

For both drivers, the golden opportunity to snatch up a playoff spot was ever-so-close after starting so, so far back. Haley sits 21st in the standings in his second year with Kaulig Racing, and Elliott – a Championship 4 driver the last three seasons – ranks 24th after missing seven races because of injury and a suspension.

Haley didn’t think he’d be in the photo at the checkered flag, quipping, “I would have told you I’d be in the frame getting lapped, not finishing second.” The 24-year-old Hoosier has one Cup Series victory to his credit – a surprise triumph in a rain-shortened event at Daytona nearly four years ago to the day. It’s a scenario he’d admittedly like to find himself in more often.

“I felt like where we’re at right now as an organization, we’re just trying to get better. This is my and the team’s second full-time season, and unfortunately, I haven’t been in a position like that legitimately to try to hold off championship-caliber drivers,” said Haley, who led his first 23 laps of the season Sunday. “I’ve just never found myself in that position early in my career. Definitely was battling some demons in my head there just trying to stay focused and trying to get to the finish. But I felt like my lack of experience and his better tires were just how he won today.

“I don’t feel like it was a complete loss. We still finished second. But definitely wish I would have been better. But that just comes down to being in that position more often.”

Haley was among the handful of drivers to be in a position to contend when NASCAR competition officials made the midrace call to shorten the event from the scheduled 100-lap distance to 75. Trent Owens, crew chief of the No. 31 Kaulig entry, opted to keep Haley out on the track to stretch his final fuel run, hoping that late caution periods would help the team conserve gas.

Five yellow flags in the abbreviated final stage helped that cause, but Haley didn’t quite have enough to stave off van Gisbergen, an Australian supercars standout who had tires nearly 20 laps fresher on his Trackhouse No. 91 Chevy for the final push to the checkers.

“The biggest thing, he kept a good head on him, and we knew the car was good,” Owens told NASCAR.com. “In the middle of the race, we thought we could hold on if we could get up there, and an opportunity presented itself when NASCAR shortened the race. So that really was the changer for us. We were within five laps of making it to the end and decided to chance it on caution laps, which we got. Just, it was good to see him getting the lead, do those restarts and hold him off.

“Congrats to Trackhouse. That car was fast all weekend, and I don’t know the driver, but obviously, he’s made a name for himself pretty quick. So, congrats to those guys, but so close. It would have been great to win, but we’ll take second.”

MORE: Cup standings | Cup schedule

One spot better would have shaken up an already intriguing playoff picture with eight regular-season races remaining.

“You know, I want to make the playoffs, if we make the playoffs,” said Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice. “Today, he led a lot of laps, so I want to make it and be able to contend, continue on, and that’s what we want to do at Kaulig Racing. We’re planning on contending, and Jay Haley did a really good job today. Very proud of it.”

Elliott had rallied from the back of the pack to put his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 11th place early in Stage 2, but a Lap 25 wall hit threatened to derail his day. He recovered to land among the top five at Chicago but didn’t have enough to overtake the front-running two.

“I didn’t do a good enough job; it wasn’t as good as Shane and those guys. “I had my opportunity to win the race, I just couldn’t comfortably figure out how to out-brake Justin enough. I feel like I was outpacing him, and anytime I fell back, I could gain time back to him. I just could never get close enough exiting some of the corners coming to a good brake zone. I was just a tick too far back to try to jump in there on him. I thought I was gonna crash us both. So just need to do a better job and didn’t want to be that guy.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

CHICAGO — When the Grant Park 220 turned topsy-turvy at the 49-lap mark, the change didn’t slow New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen, the first driver to win a race in his first NASCAR Cup Series start since Johnny Rutherford accomplished the feat 60 years ago.

Driving the No. 91 Chevrolet under the aegis of Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 program, the three-time Supercars champion charged from eighth on a Lap 61 restart to the front of the field and won the series’ first street race on the Chicago Street Course in overtime.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos: Chicago

Asked whether he thought victory was possible in his NASCAR debut, van Gisbergen chuckled.

“No, of course not, but you always dream of it,” he said. “Thank you so much to the Trackhouse team and (sponsor) Enhance Health, Project 91. What an experience in the crowd out here. This was so cool. This is what you dream of. Hopefully, I can come and do more.” 

What changed the tenor of the race dramatically was NASCAR’s decision near the midpoint of the event to shorten the race from the scheduled 100 laps to 75, putting a large group of cars that had pitted on Lap 43 inside their fuel window.

After the previously dominant cars of Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick pitted with others for tires and fuel on Lap 47 — van Gisbergen among them — Justin Haley, Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott led the field to green on a single-file restart on Lap 49. At the time van Gisbergen was 18th, but not for long.

“Wow, when we had that back strategy back to 18th, I started to worry a bit, but the racing was really good,” said van Gisbergen. “Everyone was respectful. It was tough, but a lot of fun.” 

SHOP: Buy Chicago gear

The Kiwi passed Haley for the lead on Lap 71 and beat him to the finish line by 1.259 seconds after the sliding car of Bubba Wallace knocked Ricky Stenhouse’s Chevrolet into the Turn 1 tire barrier to cause the ninth caution on Lap 74 and force overtime. 

The decision to shorten the race was a saving grace for Elliott, who had crashed his No. 9 Chevrolet during qualifying and started from the rear of the field in a backup car. Elliott held third after the final restart and finished ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch, who were fourth and fifth, respectively. 

“Once they changed that race distance, we got pretty fortunate to end up being able to make it on gas,” Elliott said. “We kind of inadvertently flipped the strategy.” 

Haley, who started 36th after crashing in practice on Saturday, said he was beaten by a world-class driver on 16-lap better tires. 

“Yeah, it was tough,” Haley said. “I put it in the tire barrier yesterday and we stayed up all night. I stayed with the guys through the rain and rewrapped this thing, put a new body on it…

“Obviously congrats to Project 91. It sucks, obviously, where we are right now we don’t have a… we aren’t in position to win every week, so coming that close obviously is not what you want.

“But just really proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing and what an awesome event. Can’t wait to come back next year.”

Shortening the race wasn’t what Bell wanted or needed. He had overtaken Reddick for the lead on Lap 9 and won the first 20-lap stage by a comfortable margin. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Bell held an advantage of nearly nine seconds before Noah Gragson’s third adventure into the Turn 6 tire barrier caused the third caution on Lap 29. 

By then, drivers had transitioned from wet tires at the start of the event to slicks as the racing line dried out. 

Bell survived two subsequent cautions and won Stage 2 under yellow after Alex Bowman stopped on the track at the exit from Turn 5 because of engine issues. By then, Larson had worked his way into the second position and was hounding Bell before the caution.

After the field flipped, Bell finished 18th, thanks to a late spin into a tire barrier.

WATCH: Ben Kennedy, Steve O’Donnell comment on remarkable weekend

Delayed for nearly 75 minutes by rain, the historic race was eventful from the start. As soon as the green flag waved, Reddick pulled even with pole-winner Denny Hamlin. The drivers raced side-by-side until Reddick cleared Hamlin through Turn 5.

Aric Almirola spun near Turn 6 on the opening lap. Erik Jones drove too deep into Turn 6 and collected Brad Keselowski and Gragson. All three drivers extricated themselves from the tire barrier and continued.

On Lap 2, Hamlin slid sideways into the tire barrier on the outside of Turn 2 and lost 11 positions. A lap later, Busch lost control while making a move off the racing line and plowed nose-first into the tire barrier, causing the race’s first caution.

After a safety crew pulled Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet from the barrier with a tether, Busch rejoined the field without losing a lap. On Lap 13, Gragson buried the nose of his No. 42 Chevy into the barrier in Turn 6, which proved an early trouble spot on the wet street course.

Hamlin never recovered from his accident and finished 11th. Busch, on the other hand, rebounded from his early pit stop to come home fifth.

Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs and Chris Buescher completed the top 10.

Note: Post-race technical inspection concluded without issues, confirming van Gisbergen as the race winner. No cars will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center.

Posted on by Staff Report

Persistent rain delayed the start of the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on the Chicago Street Course.

The Grant Park 220 was scheduled for a 5:05 p.m. ET green flag with live coverage on NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App, but persistent rain in the area pushed the race to a 6:37 p.m. green flag.

MORE: Starting lineup | At-track photos: Chicago

Denny Hamlin started from the Busch Light Pole, earned in Saturday’s qualifying session over 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick. Three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen qualified third in the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Van Gisbergen, preparing for his Cup debut, posted the quickest lap in practice ahead of the time-trial session.

RELATED: Full qualifying recap | Latest weather updates

Posted on by Reid Spencer

CHICAGO — Drenching rain and standing water on the Chicago Street Course forced NASCAR to declare Cole Custer the winner of The Loop 121 NASCAR Xfinity Series race three laps short of halfway and five laps short of the completion of Stage 2.

Custer led all 25 laps of NASCAR’s first-ever street course race before lightning strikes in the area on Saturday caused NASCAR to red flag the race and then to postpone completion until Sunday morning. But the rain persisted, forcing NASCAR’s hand.

MORE: Race results | Sunday schedule from the Windy City

“It’s been an awesome weekend overall,” said Custer, who drives the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. “The whole event, the whole thing that NASCAR’s put on here — the whole city — it’s been pretty unreal… The course is such a blast to drive.

“Today, we definitely wish we could have run all the laps. We don’t want to win it this way, but at the end of the day, we had a really fast car. I think everybody knew that.”

NASCAR rules state a race is ruled official either at its halfway mark or at the conclusion of Stage 2, whichever comes first. In this instance, Lap 28 would have signified halfway and deemed the event official. However, because of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the street course, officials chose to instead rule the Xfinity Series race complete per Section 1.6.B of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rule Book, which states that in “circumstances … that are either unforeseen or are otherwise extraordinary,” the sanctioning body, “as a practical matter, may make a determination regarding the conduct of an event.”

NASCAR issued a statement explaining the decision to curtail the race:

“With standing water and flooding a significant issue at the race track and throughout the city, there was no option to return to racing prior to shifting to NASCAR Cup Series race operations. Throughout the entire planning process for the Chicago Street Race, our relationship with the City of Chicago has been strong and among the most valuable assets in reaching this historic weekend.  In the spirit of that partnership, returning on Monday for the completion of a NASCAR Xfinity Series event two laps short of halfway was an option we chose not to employ. Based on several unprecedented circumstances, NASCAR has made the decision to declare Cole Custer the winner of the race.”

The victory was Custer’s second of the season, the 12th of his career and his 10th straight top-10 finish this season.

RELATED: Custer races to Stage 1 victory 

John Hunter Nemechek finished second and leads the series standings by 16 points over Austin Hill, who was credited with a fifth-place result. Nemechek clearly was impressed with the spectacle of NASCAR’s first street race.

“Racing downtown on the streets of Chicago was pretty amazing,” he said. “The whole experience, the atmosphere and how many fans were here — I give a lot of props to everyone at NASCAR. Everyone involved with the Chicago Street Course did an amazing job. Riding around under caution yesterday, being able to see all of the fans lined up three or four rows deep along the fence with no open spots was incredible. Probably one of the best attendances we’ve had so far this year in the Xfinity Series.

“The race went OK for us. I ran P2 from the drop of the green flag until Lap 25 when they called it (Saturday). We needed a good stop to be able to make an adjustment and have a shot to contend with Cole for the win and just never had that opportunity. We’ll take that second place, and we’ll move on from it.”

Justin Allgaier finished third and Brett Moffitt fourth. Sammy Smith, Daniel Hemric, Chandler Smith, Parker Kligerman and Kaz Grala earned positions six through 10, respectively.

Justin Marks, co-owner of Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series, started 12th in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. But an engine failure at Lap 5 eliminated the vehicle from contention, leading to a plume of smoke through Congress Plaza before the car spun in Turn 11 at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Jackson Drive.

Making his NASCAR national series debut, Andre Castro crashed hard on Lap 17 into the Turn 1 tire barriers at the end of the frontstretch after an apparent mechanical failure sent his No. 34 Jesse Iwuji Motorsports Chevrolet out of control. A native of Chicago, Castro climbed from the car unharmed and was credited with a 37th-place finish after qualifying 28th.

Note: Post-race inspection concluded without issues, confirming Custer’s victory.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

CHICAGO — Heavy rain and storms delayed the resumption of the NASCAR Xfinity Series event Sunday on the Chicago Street Race circuit. (UPDATE: NASCAR called the race and declared Cole Custer the winner.)

The Loop 121 — the series’ first race on the downtown Chicago course — began Saturday afternoon before adverse weather forced the remainder of the race to be postponed to Sunday. The race was scheduled to resume at 11 a.m. ET on USA Network, but holds for lightning in the vicinity plus torrential rain caused further delays.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | At-track photos: Chicago

Competition and track officials worked to mitigate standing water around the 2.2-mile layout, with several trouble spots of pooling rainfall. The race had completed 25 of a scheduled 55 laps.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer was shown atop the race leaderboard, having set the pace for every lap from the pole position. Joe Gibbs Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek was scored second with Illinois native Justin Allgaier third for JR Motorsports.

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott, who has been making steady progress since returning from a leg injury but still needs a win to secure a spot in this year’s playoff field, was the early favorite for Sunday’s race. He was slow in practice, though, and then crashed in qualifying, forcing the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team to bring out the backup car.

Elliott wasn’t the only driver who ran into problems on Saturday, and Racing Insights’ updated projections for Sunday reflect the shakeup.

FANTASY LIVE: Set your roster | See weekend schedule

Tyler Reddick is now projected to win the inaugural race on Chicago’s streets, with Elliott projected to come in second. Kyle Larson moves up to third and road-course ace AJ Allmendinger is fourth.

Since coming back in April at Martinsville Speedway, Elliott has finished in the top 12 in seven of eight races and has moved from 32nd in the points standings to 25th. More recently, he has finished in the top five in three of the last four races.

Reddick will roll off second, and he’s part of a Toyota fleet that has flashed tremendous speed on the Cup Series’ first visit to a street course.

Tune in at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday on NBC to see what happens.

OTHERS TO WATCH

TYLER REDDICK: The driver of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota has won three of the last six road-course races in the Cup Series.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Kaulig Racing’s road-course ace has finished top 10 in five of his last six road-course starts.

KYLE BUSCH: The Richard Childress Racing driver has finished top three in the last three road-course races. His season is on the upswing, too, thanks to five straight top-10 finishes.

MARTIN TRUEX JR.: Truex Jr. just won at Sonoma Raceway in the Cup Series’ most recent road-course race — and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has five career road wins overall. He was among the leaders on the practice board all day Saturday.

Projections as of Sunday, July 2. 

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE GRANT PARK 220

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.

FinishCar numberDriver
145Tyler Reddick
29Chase Elliott
35Kyle Larson
416AJ Allmendinger
519Martin Truex Jr.
620Christopher Bell
724William Byron
811Denny Hamlin
98Kyle Busch
1017Chris Buescher
1134Michael McDowell
1222Joey Logano
1399Daniel Suarez
1412Ryan Blaney
1548Alex Bowman
1654Ty Gibbs
174Kevin Harvick
181Ross Chastain
1914Chase Briscoe
206Brad Keselowski
212Austin Cindric
2238Todd Gilliland
2323Bubba Wallace
243Austin Dillon
2543Erik Jones
267Corey LaJoie
2742Noah Gragson
2841Ryan Preece
2931Justin Haley
3015Jenson Button
3147Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3210Aric Almirola
3321Harrison Burton
3477Ty Dillon
3578Josh Bilicki
3691Shane van Gisbergen
3751Andy Lally

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Forgive my ignorance, but Shane van Gisbergen is a beast on street courses. The three-time Supercars champion was quickest in his first practice session in the Cup Series and backed it up by running the third-fastest time in qualifying – notably, as the quickest Chevrolet. Keep van Gisbergen in mind when making your lineup for Sunday’s Chicago Street Race (5 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: AJ Allmendinger

Starter 2: Michael McDowell

Starter 3: Shane van Gisbergen

Starter 4: Daniel Suárez

Starter 5: Tyler Reddick

Garage pick: Denny Hamlin

NEXT IN LINE: Jenson Button, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch

MORE: Fantasy Fastlane | Set your lineup

RISING: It might have been three weeks ago, but practice and qualifying for the Chicago Street Race feels eerily familiar to Sonoma’s sessions. There, Denny Hamlin won the pole, had a bad pit stop and made a late mistake in the race and wrecked out. Tyler Reddick also started second, which is where he will take the green flag on Sunday. After winning the pole, Hamlin stated it was the best single day he’s had during a race weekend throughout his career. That says a lot, given this is his 18th full-time season.

While van Gisbergen might be getting a lot of the attention from Trackhouse Racing entries due to his first-weekend success, Suárez had a solid Saturday as well. The No. 99 Chevrolet was 11th-quickest in practice on single-lap speed and 10-lap averages. Entering Chicago on the playoff elimination line, a good run here would likely distance himself from 17th position.

FALLING: After practice, Chase Elliott told the Motor Racing Network (MRN) that his car wasn’t “even close enough to start complaining” about it. In qualifying, he moved over to follow van Gisbergen, hoping to get a quick lap. By the end of the lap, he clipped the outside wall and ricocheted into the inside wall. The No. 9 team has been known to be top-in-class on road courses, but thus far, street courses have been a struggle.

With the lack of speed Austin Cindric – and Team Penske – showed at Sonoma, the 2020 Xfinity Series champion tabbed it as a one-week rarity on a road course. Welp, unfortunately for Cindric, the No. 2 team had an absence of speed again in Chicago. To make things worse, he wrecked in practice. Going into the week he was labeled as one of the drivers to watch due to his street-racing background, but he was 31st in both practice and qualifying.

FEATURED MATCHUPS:

Ross Chastain vs. Austin Cindric

For as bad of a weekend Cindric has had so far, Chastain’s has been nearly just as difficult. The Nashville winner will take the green flag from 34th and looked uncomfortable with his car throughout practice and qualifying. It’s likely the No. 1 team will lean on its teammates to figure out the correct setup, but as of now, stick with Cindric here, even though he had significant right-front damage.

AJ Allmendinger vs. Daniel Suárez

This is an interesting one. Suárez outpaced Allmendinger in practice and qualifying, but it’s hard to bet against experience. Allmendinger, the two-time road course winner at the Cup level, has the most experience on street courses of full-time Cup drivers. Per usual when making left- and right-hand turns, the thought is he will be in the mix on Sunday.

Chase Elliott vs. Tyler Reddick

Reddick all the way. Seeing Elliott make a mistake and clip the wall in practice — resulting in a backup car — is a rarity, especially on tracks like the Chicago Street Course. But it happened, and Reddick will start on the opposite side of the field from the second position. Reddick said after qualifying that he has had to change his tendencies compared to road courses where he overdrives the corner. In Chicago, you can’t do that, or an accident will ensue. Go with the No. 45 car.

Kyle Larson vs. Martin Truex Jr.

Compared to one another, the Nos. 5 and 19 cars were similar. That makes this a deadlock entering Sunday. Particularly, Toyota looked to have the edge over Chevrolet, so that’s where I’m going here. Truex was also second-quickest on a 10-lap run.

Posted on by Brandon White

(Editor’s note: Race-winner Carson Kvapil was disqualified following post-race inspection at South Boston. Original second-place finisher Bobby McCarty was declared the winner of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200. The following is the race report from Saturday, July 1.)

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — Josh Berry and JR Motorsports were long synonymous with efficiency in Late Model Stock competition during the 2010s.

Although the duo accumulated numerous accomplishments together in the discipline until Berry moved up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021, one that always eluded them was the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown.

Berry’s JRM successor in Carson Kvapil took a crucial first step toward securing the team its maiden Virginia Triple Crown championship Saturday evening when he dominated the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway to claim his first win across the prestigious three-race stretch.

A Virginia Triple Crown title was far from Kvapil’s mind when he pulled into Victory Lane. Instead, he was elated to break a recent slump and celebrate a victory with his team.

“I’m just happy,” Kvapil said. “I felt like we ran really good at the beginning of the season but struggled in the last few races. To bounce back in one of the biggest shows of the year really brings the confidence back up. Without all my guys, I wouldn’t be here.”

There were numerous points preceding the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 when Kvapil had doubts about contending for the win.

After only climbing as high as sixth in the three Saturday practice sessions, Kvapil and his team worked to ensure the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet would be competitive come nightfall. The results were not immediately prevalent in time trials, as Kvapil only mustered a starting position of 10th in the 35-car field.

It was only when the green flag flew for the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 that Kvapil’s car came to life. He methodically picked his way through the rest of the top-10 starters before overtaking Brenden “Butterbean” Queen for the lead shortly before the halfway break.

Kvapil’s biggest challenge over the second half of the race came from Landon Huffman. The defending Hickory Motor Speedway track champion was driving in his first Virginia Triple Crown event for Nelson Motorsports, which had previously won the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 with Bobby McCarty in 2021.

Several late restarts provided Huffman plenty of chances to unseat Kvapil, with the last one nearly resulting in a collision between the two. Huffman’s save took him out of contention and enabled Kvapil to traverse the final laps with no resistance.

“[Huffman] had a bunch of speed,” Kvapil said. “I was actually really surprised he had that much speed, and it was hard to clear him. Once we got going after a few laps, my car came around, and we were able to clear him.”

With his win, Kvapil continues to build upon an impressive resume with JR Motorsports that already includes a CARS Tour championship.

With his win in Saturday’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway, Carson Kvapil now has his focus set on the final two legs of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown. (Photo: Sanjay Suchak/NASCAR)

Along with defending that title, a goal Kvapil established with his team for 2023 was to excel in the Virginia Triple Crown. He competed in all three races last year, but his hopes of a strong performance were derailed by a mechanical failure in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200.

Kvapil said his performance in that race would have hindered his Virginia Triple Crown prospects even if the mechanical failure did not occur. He and JR Motorsports used their notebook from last year’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 and the CARS Tour race later in the season to put together an efficient plan for Saturday evening.

“Even though we didn’t finish [last year], we weren’t going to finish that well,” Kvapil said. “That was one of our poorer performances we had [in 2022] and was pretty nervous coming back to this race. We changed a bunch on the setup and our strategy for this race. It all ended up working out.”

Winning the first leg of the Virginia Triple Crown has Kvapil confident about the upcoming two races on the schedule. They consist of the Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway and the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

For Kvapil, the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 was the missing piece in an otherwise efficient Virginia Triple Crown debut in 2022. He placed third in the Hampton Heat before following that showing up with a runner-up finish to Peyton Sellers in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.

Only five drivers have won the Virginia Triple Crown since it was first created in 2012. Kvapil would love to join that elite list not only to bolster his own reputation as a driver, but to reward everyone at JR Motorsports that has shaped him into the driver he is today.

“It would be pretty big,” Kvapil said. “The Virginia Triple Crown is one of the biggest events throughout the Late Model scene. That’s on my bucket list for sure and hopefully we can mark it off this season.”

Kvapil knows matching Josh Berry’s success in a JR Motorsports Late Model is close to impossible. Despite this, Kvapil is determined to leave behind his own legacy with the organizations, which he hopes will include giving them their first Virginia Triple Crown title.

Posted on by Zack Albert

CHICAGO — Stock cars have made laps in this Chicago neighborhood before. Decades ago, nearby Soldier Field was a regular host of racing events, including a Cup Series event back in 1956 won by Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts.

But there was something far different about Saturday’s groundbreaking debut of NASCAR competition through the streets and avenues of Grant Park, cutting through the greenscapes and gardens that divide the city’s skyscrapers from Lake Michigan. Cup Series newbies and veterans were both learning the track’s nuances on the fly for a race that’ll be anybody’s guess on the outcome, and the curious ticket-holders and onlookers jammed the sidewalk and stands, craning their necks for a closer look.

A Saturday full of anticipation has built to the long-awaited main event of the inaugural Chicago Street Race weekend, Sunday’s Grant Park 220 (5 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). The novelty factor and the festival feel are strong with this one, but at the heart of it is a race that will take the Cup Series to the season’s midpoint.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Live updates: Chicago

How history will judge the event is still an incomplete answer, but the early reviews and engagement have netted a series of positives.

“The jury’s still out, right? We haven’t raced yet. But so far, I’d say it’s a success from a lot of different things,” said Joey Logano, defending Cup Series champ. “I told some of the people from NASCAR, even if the race is just OK, it’s a success because of where we are and the marketing that’s come along with it. You know, so many people in Chicago are talking about NASCAR racing right now. They may not have talked about it or heard about it or are interested in it, and they’re going to come to see it, and hopefully, you’ll hook them into loving the sport, like we have so many others. So from that standpoint, it’s already a win for a sport, and we’ll see how the race goes.”

As for the race? There’s 100 laps around a 2.2-mile course with some snug sections and few runoff areas.

“I mean, there’s definitely some really tricky spots on the race track. I mean, it’s …,” Logano said with a long, pregnant pause. “… it’s hard to do. It’s like, you push a little bit too much, you wreck your car. It’s definitely gonna be tough.”

The degree of difficulty has already proven to be fairly steep, with standouts William Byron, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. all involved in crashes during Saturday’s practice and qualifying. The 12-turn layout has demanded precision, and so far, driver miscues have equaled brushes with the barriers.

“The track, though, I thought was really well built, and it was fun making laps,” Stenhouse said. “The ride quality, at least in our cars, was somewhat OK, I felt like, and I was having fun until I wasn’t.”

Said Cup Series points leader Martin Truex Jr., “It’s just a … progress of learning and pushing it a little bit and a little bit at a time without making a big mistake, because you know, you overdo it in one turn, you’re done. I mean, you’re just, you’re wrecked. There’s nowhere to hide, so risk versus reward.”

MORE: Chicago Street Race 101 | At-track photos

Cup drivers said they planned to watch Saturday’s Xfinity Series event with particular interest, studying how the track behaved in race conditions. The restart zone adds some character, with the field starting to accelerate before the 90-degree right of Turn 12 that leads onto the home straightaway.

The desired effect is to give the field some room to space itself out instead of creating a funnel for 37 cars to barrel into the tight 90-degree left of Turn 1. According to pole-winner Denny Hamlin, that design may also mitigate some of the late-race chaos from aggression on restarts.

“I mean, we definitely made a big shift into the restart zone for the road courses because we have looked kind of bad on some of these late-race restarts,” said Hamlin, who netted his third pole of the season and the 39th of his Cup Series career. “Moving it back to create a corner to then spread out the field slightly. Trust me, it’s still going to be crazy into Turn 1, but it’s just going to hopefully take us from not being bozos. That’s the goal. It still may happen, but I certainly think that you don’t really want to play a whole lot of games when it comes to that because it’s not good for anyone. It really isn’t.”

Shane Van Gisbergen wheels the No. 91 Trackhouse Chevrolet on the Chicago Street Race circuit.
Michael Reaves | Getty Images

Hamlin will start first after what he called “probably my single-best day at the race track in all of my career, for sure” — a statement prompted by not just his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team’s performance but by the big-time setting and the buzz surrounding the inaugural Chicago event. His top qualifying lap came at the end of the session, pipping Cup regular and road-race ace Tyler Reddick for the pole.

The course has added intrigue, but so have two international stars making part-timer appearances with impressive results thus far. Three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen led practice and qualified third for his Cup Series debut in the Trackhouse Racing No. 91 Chevrolet. Former Formula 1 champ Jenson Button, readying for his second Cup start in the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford, was third on the practice sheet and is set to start eighth in Sunday’s 220-miler.

Asked if folks should treat his appearance in the top reaches of the speed charts as a surprise, van Gisbergen had a chuckle. “Well, that’s up to them,” he said. “I don’t really know. I’m surprised.”

The course has provided striking visuals so far, with the city hulking over the temporary course. Xfinity Series driver John Hunter Nemechek said that during a caution period in Saturday’s race, he noticed fans perched in trees and other makeshift vantage points to get a better view.

Under green-flag conditions, however, there’s no time for drivers to do any sightseeing.

“Oh, man. We have so much going on, between bumps and braking zones and stuff like that,” said Trackhouse’s Daniel Suárez, who starts fifth. “Everything that I’m looking at is my dash, one wall, one wall and a couple braking marks, and that’s it. You can’t see anything.”