Two years after traveling all the way from New Zealand to Chicago to shock the world and win in his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Chicago Street Course, Shane van Gisbergen defended his home away from home in NASCAR’s annual Chicago Street Race, winning the Grant Park 165 for the second time to earn his second win of the 2025 season. SVG’s Sunday win comes just three weeks after his first victory of the season in Mexico City, and it gives him a weekend sweep after his victory in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.

Despite starting from the pole, van Gisbergen faced stiff competition in the first stage of the race from Michael McDowell, who was able to not only match but exceed the former V8 Supercars champion and road racing ace’s pace on his way to winning the stage. But when McDowell suffered a stuck throttle issue that took him out of contention, that cleared the way for a Sunday drive for SVG, who took the lead for good with 16 laps to go and cruised to victory from there.

NASCAR 2025 race schedule, results: Complete list of Cup Series race dates, winners, tracks, locations

Steven Taranto

“I love this place,” van Gisbergen told TNT Sports. “… I guess we made no mistakes. There were some really fast cars, and we just seemed to get it right. Make no mistakes, be smooth every lap and really cool … It was just so hot this weekend. The track was very slick, the times were a lot slower, and the margin for error was very tiny. Just had to get it right.”

Ty Gibbs finished in a season-best second place, followed by Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch making up the rest of the top five. A.J. Allmendinger, Ryan Preece, Alex Bowman, Austin Hill and Ross Chastain rounded out the top 10.

Sunday’s event saw hard racing in the tight confines of Chicago’s Street Course, with certain incidents stepping over the edge: Carson Hocevar crashed heavily in the opening laps to create a track-blocking incident between turns 11 and 12, and then an In-Season Challenge battle — and recurring feud — came to a head late in the race when Bowman spun Bubba Wallace as the two were banging fenders racing for a spot in the top 10.

“I didn’t really expect it when I passed him and we got into (turn) 12 and he just shipped me,” Bowman told TNT. “Then he ran me in the fence into 1, ran me in the fence off of 2, and he’s just not clear, right? Like, I don’t have anywhere to go. We’re going straight and we just get hooked together and he ends up crashing. I really didn’t feel like it was necessary … Killed both of us. Killed his day, and we were going forward until we got all that damage. I guess the In-Season Tournament’s more important than I expected.”

While Wallace and Bowman had a somewhat civil discussion on pit road afterwards, that wasn’t the case for Joey Logano, who angrily confronted Chastain after getting spun out on a restart and fumed to reporters over what the driver of the No. 1 had to say to him about it.

“He admitted he wrecked me on purpose! He admitted it! Which means he should get fined if he admittedly wrecked someone on purpose. That’s not okay,” Logano told reporters. “Typical Ross. He just sees red and does dumb stuff. That’s all. That’s twice this year on road courses at the end of these things that I’ve been cost by Ross.”

Bowman would both wind up advancing in NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge along with Ty Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Jones, Preece, Reddick, Gibbs and Zane Smith.

Sunday’s race also saw a number of unlikely names excel, as Katherine Legge earned a 19th place finish and became the first woman to finish in the top 20 of a Cup race since Danica Patrick in 2017. Cody Ware should have been among that group, as he challenged for a top 15 finish late and was running 18th with two laps to go when his right front tire exploded at the end of the long straightaway heading into turn 6, sending him hard into the tire barrier in an incident that ended the race under caution. Ware was able to climb out of his car, but was left with a DNF in 26th.

Grant Park 165 results

1. #88 – Shane van Gisbergen (R)
2. #54 – Ty Gibbs
3. #45 – Tyler Reddick
4. #11 – Denny Hamlin
5. #8 – Kyle Busch
6. #16 – A.J. Allmendinger
7. #60 – Ryan Preece
8. #48 – Alex Bowman
9. #33 – Austin Hill
10. #1 – Ross Chastain
11. #22 – Joey Logano
12. #12 – Ryan Blaney
13. #5 – Kyle Larson
14. #38 – Zane Smith
15. #42 – John Hunter Nemechek
16. #9 – Chase Elliott
17. #35 – Riley Herbst (R)
18. #17 – Chris Buescher
19. #78 – Katherine Legge
20. #10 – Ty Dillon
21. #66 – Josh Bilicki
22. #7 – Justin Haley
23. #19 – Chase Briscoe
24. #20 – Christopher Bell
25. #43 – Erik Jones
26. #51 – Cody Ware
27. #2 – Austin Cindric
28. #23 – Bubba Wallace
29. #99 – Daniel Suarez
30. #4 – Noah Gragson
31. #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
32. #71 – Michael McDowell
33. #41 – Cole Custer
34. #21 – Josh Berry
35. #77 – Carson Hocevar
36. #3 – Austin Dillon
37. #6 – Brad Keselowski
38. #34 – Todd Gilliland
39. #13 – Will Brown
40. #24 – William Byron

Mayor Brandon Johnson dodged direct questions along pit row Sunday afternoon about whether the NASCAR Chicago Street Race returns for another lap next year, while Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said Chicago needs a deal that benefits both parties.

When asked if he or his administration would be meeting with NASCAR to discuss a future extension, Johnson deflected to talk about the weather, a topic of concern for many race attendees this weekend.

“Right now, we’re just going to talk with God and make sure we keep the clouds back. That’s the most important conversation right now,” Johnson said. “When I get done praying, and the weather holds up, then we’ll have a conversation afterward.”

Regarding the race itself, Johnson said he was rooting for the team co-owned by Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, and for British driver Katherine Legge, who is making her Chicago debut.

“Well, Team Jordan is here, No. 45, local Chicago. You always gotta root for local,” he said. “But I’m really excited about, for the first time, a woman qualifying for this moment. That’s a big deal for sports and for this particular race. So, of course, I’ll be rooting for the woman. You always gotta root for the woman.”

Reilly said discussions about NASCAR’s future in the city are in the works.

“Obviously, we know that there’s a two-year extension that needs to be discussed,” Reilly said. “The administration’s going to sit down with NASCAR in the coming weeks to try to work that out.”

Reilly emphasized that city officials will be watching any upcoming negotiations closely.

“I think local aldermen that represent portions of wards that surround the race want to make sure that it remains a good deal for Chicago taxpayers and that NASCAR continues to uphold its high standards for protecting quality of life and those concerns,” he said. “We’ll see, but certainly it’s become a popular event in Chicago. Hopefully, we can work out beneficial terms that work for NASCAR and for the city of Chicago.”

When asked his own thoughts about the weekend, Reilly kept it simple: “Praying for sun today.”

This year the downpour waited until after the NASCAR Grant Park 165 was finished. After previous years were interrupted by storms, fans came ready for the weather Sunday.

Aaron Moy, 52, from Morton Grove, crafted an “Anti-Rain Vortex” hat to wear to today’s race: a strip of laminated printer paper spiraled around a plastic shaft on top of a red Valvoline hat. The shaft is connected to a small motor in the hat, so Moy can turn it on during the race.

“The last two years, the rain’s messed up the race here. So I’m thinking, well, maybe I could do something to get the rain away,” Moy said, joking. He based it on the NASCAR “vortex theory,” an inside joke among fans that the cars racing around the circular track can create a “vortex” that pushes storms away.

Many fans brought disposable ponchos or had a game plan if the skies opened up.

Taylor Little from South Bend and Alex Rupprecht from Glendale watched the race from atop a 6-foot electrical service box near the turn at Balbo and DuSable Lake Shore drives. It was the two 20-year-olds’ first time attending NASCAR in Chicago.

“We’re kind of excited for the rain,” Little said. “It’s maybe not as safe, but a fun race to see.”

On Sunday, racers zoomed around the streets of the Loop under cloudy skies. A brief shower passed through the area shortly after the race concluded. The weather may have been different for this race but not the outcome.

Shane van Gisbergen of New Zealand swept the Chicago Street Race weekend, winning his fourth of six eligible races.

“I’m a lucky guy, I got to drive for two great teams in JR Motorsports and Trackhouse,” Van Gisbergen said. “Cool to win here again, I’ve had a great run with this place and I’ve really enjoyed it.

“(Chicago) has changed my life. I hope it stays next year,” he said.

This is the third and final year of NASCAR’s contract with the city for the Fourth of July weekend event. Racing officials have not released a full schedule for 2026, and Mayor Brandon Johnson has so far not committed to bringing NASCAR back.

Adelaide Van Pelt, 30, sported a purse decorated with tiny toy cars that she bought for the occasion. She attended the race Saturday for her job with Jack Link’s, NASCAR’s official snack, but returned for the second day just for fun.

“It’s been really interesting to see races like this, because when I was a kid, I only ever went to Michigan track. So the street race is very different and a lot more exciting in many cases,” she said. “It’s a nice way for people to access NASCAR that aren’t able to experience it because it is such a rural niche.”

Van Pelt also thinks that street races are more fun for those unfamiliar with racing. “A lot of stock cars aren’t made to slow down as quickly as they have to on this track, so there’s more crashes, which people tend to think is more interesting when it comes to NASCAR,” she said.

Despite previous bad weather, racers like Chase Eliot said they have enjoyed their time in Chicago over the past three years. Elliot started in the rear end of the field after a qualifying spinout.

“Coming up here has been really cool for us, it’s such a different vibe for us,” Elliot said in a prerace interview in front of a crowd of fans. “I have friends at home that want to come to this one because we can go and eat dinner and walk to the racetrack. The first year was so weird … it’s become a little more normal (in) year three.”

Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese presented the event’s grand marshal Derrick Rose with a tracksuit before the race. The 2011 NBA MVP spoke about taking part in his first NASCAR event.

“When they put it on the table, it was a no-brainer that I wanted to be a part of it,” Rose said. “We’ve been (planning) this for a long time, so to actually be here to see everything unfold, it’s (everything that) we thought it would be.”

Illinois fans also spoke about the experience of having the race in their backyard.

“It is very different to have a road pole in a city where I’ve grown up,” said Danielle Colomer, 34, a Crystal Lake native wearing Elliot gear. “I’m familiar with these roads, and I went to school on Michigan Ave.”

Wherever the 2026 street race lands, the racers will go. Chicago has been special for some, though.

“I don’t know what the plan is moving forward whether we come back here or not, (but) I’m happy to go to wherever they send us,” Elliot said. “My experience has been really good here, so thanks for having us.”

Originally Published: July 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM CDT

Six double-digit seeds in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge advanced to the quarterfinal round after Sunday’s Grant Park 165.

Ty Gibbs and Alex Bowman, both of whom had top-10 finishes at the Chicago street race, are the only single-digit seeds left in the event. The seeds were determined by finishes in the three races prior to the start of the in-season challenge two weeks ago.

Ty Dillon, the lowest-seeded driver in the 32-driver field, pulled off another notable upset over Brad Keselowski. Dillon took down top seed Denny Hamlin last week at Atlanta.

The most heated second-round battle resulted in a late spin-out, as Alex Bowman knocked Bubba Wallace out of the way to finish ahead of the No. 23 car.

The eight remaining drivers will be matched up for the quarterfinal round at Sonoma, another road course. The best individual finish in each of the four matchups will move on to the semifinal round at Dover.

NASCAR In-Season Challenge Bracket

No. 32 Ty Dillon vs. No. 8 Alex Bowman

No. 12 John Hunter Nemechek vs. No. 20 Erik Jones

No. 15 Ryan Preece vs. No. 23 Tyler Reddick

No. 6 Ty Gibbs vs. No. 14 Zane Smith

The full NASCAR points standings can be found here.

Alex Bowman produced the most action in an In-Season Challenge matchup with his spin of Bubba Wallace.

Bowman and Wallace were the only top 10 seeds matched up against each other in the second round. They went at it for a few laps before the No. 48 car won out.

Bowman ended up in eighth place, while Wallace was relegated to 28th place after the incident.

The No. 48 car driver is one of two single-digit seeds left in the bracket. Ty Gibbs is the other.

Gibbs finished second behind Shane Van Gisbergen in the Chicago street race. Gibbs, the No. 6 seed, is the highest-remaining seed remaining in the bracket.

Bowman will go head-to-head with Ty Dillon, the No. 32 seed. The winner of that matchup faces the winner of the John Hunter Nemechek-Erik Jones matchup.

Gibbs is matched up with Zane Smith. Tyler Reddick and Ryan Preece make up the other matchup on the right side of the bracket.

The four quarterfinal matchups will be determined at Sonoma, the second road course in a row on the schedule, next Sunday.

Bowman and Preece have the best recent average finishes at the northern California track among the eight quarterfinalists.

Gibbs is viewed as one of the better road-course drivers on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, but he has two finishes outside the top 15 in his two Cup Series starts at Sonoma.