Motorsports
Federal judges rule in favor of NASCAR in lawsuit filed by Jordan-owned 23XI and Front Row
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A three-judge federal appellate panel ruled Thursday in favor of NASCAR in the antitrust lawsuit filed by two teams, one owned by Michael Jordan, and vacated an injunction that required 23XI and Front Row be recognized as chartered teams as their case snakes through the legal system. Both race teams sued […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A three-judge federal appellate panel ruled Thursday in favor of NASCAR in the antitrust lawsuit filed by two teams, one owned by Michael Jordan, and vacated an injunction that required 23XI and Front Row be recognized as chartered teams as their case snakes through the legal system.
Both race teams sued NASCAR late last year after refusing to sign new agreements on charter renewals. The charter system is similar to franchises in other sports, but the charters are revocable by NASCAR and have expiration dates. 23XI, which is owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, joined Front Row in suing NASCAR after 13 other organizations signed the renewals.
The two teams sued and asked for a temporary injunction that would recognize them as chartered teams for this season. The antitrust case isn’t scheduled to be heard until December.
The teams said they needed the injunction because the current charter agreement prohibits them from suing NASCAR. 23XI also argued it would be harmed because Tyler Reddick’s contract would have made him a free agent if the team could not guarantee him a charter-protected car.
The original judge ruled that NASCAR’s charter agreement likely violated antitrust law in granting the injunction. But when they heard arguments last month, the three judges at the the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, indicated they were skeptical of that decision.
The judges said in Thursday’s ruling they were not aware of any case that supports the lower court’s theory of antitrust law, so they vacated the injunction.
The teams have 14 days to appeal to the full court. The injunction also has no bearings on the merits of the case.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Motorsports
CHEVROLET NCS: Van Gisbergen Keeps Chevrolet Undefeated in the Chicago Street Race – Speedway Digest
Shane van Gisbergen capped off a dominating weekend in the “Windy City” by taking the checkered flag in the Grant Park 165 – keeping Chevrolet undefeated in NASCAR’s top division in the Chicago Street Race. The victory marks Van Gisbergen’s third victory in just 33 career starts in the division – two of which have […]

Shane van Gisbergen capped off a dominating weekend in the “Windy City” by taking the checkered flag in the Grant Park 165 – keeping Chevrolet undefeated in NASCAR’s top division in the Chicago Street Race. The victory marks Van Gisbergen’s third victory in just 33 career starts in the division – two of which have come at the 2.2-mile Chicago street circuit.
The victory came after Van Gisbergen defended his race winning title in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the circuit – driving the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to the win in yesterday’s The Loop 110. The Chicago Street Course provided yet another milestone weekend for the 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, native with the Team Chevy driver becoming just the second driver in series’ history to sweep the pole and race wins in both of NASCAR’s top-two division on the same weekend.
It was a calamity-filled opening stage for the third annual Chicago Street Race. Taking the green flag in the “Windy City”, NASCAR’s top division made just four laps before a several car pileup at the front of the field ensued on the straight leading into Turn 10 - quickly putting the race under red flag conditions. Among those collected included a trio of Team Chevy drivers that posted strong qualifying efforts, including Carson Hocevar, Austin Dillon and Will Brown.
Michael McDowell turned a front-row qualifying effort into a dominating performance in Stage One. The 40-year-old Phoenix, Arizona, native took the lead from the polesitter and fellow Team Chevy driver, Shane van Gisbergen, on the opening lap and never looked back – taking the green-white checkered flag for his fourth career stage win. With fuel strategy at the forefront, crew chief Travis Peterson opted to keep the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet off pit road to take advantage of prime track position for the start of Stage Two. But a strong run quickly took a turn when an issue with the throttle forced the team back down pit road to diagnose the issue and ultimately behind the wall for repairs.
A restart near the halfway point of the race saw a pair of Team Chevy road course ringers, Shane van Gisbergen and AJ Allmendinger, lead the field back to the green flag. Taking control of the lead at the drop of the green flag, Van Gisbergen went on to pull away to over a three-second lead before crew chief Stephen Doran called the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet down pit road with three laps remaining in Stage Two for a schedule pit stop. With varying pit strategies throughout the field, Van Gisbergen went on to cycle back up to the 12th position at the conclusion of the stage.
Progressively inching his way back up through the field, Van Gisbergen found himself in the runner-up position when the race hit 16 laps to go. Making the pass on then race leader Chase Briscoe, the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet went on to hold the top position for the remainder of the race en route to the team’s second victory of the 2025 season.
For the 11th time this season, Chevrolet has owned at least half of the top-10 finishing positions with four different Chevrolet organizations driving the manufacturer to six top-10 results with Van Gisbergen leading Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (fifth) and Austin Hill (ninth); Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger in sixth; Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman in eighth; and Van Gisbergen’s Trackhouse Racing teammate, Ross Chastain, in 10th.
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st – Shane van Gisbergen
5th – Kyle Busch
6th – AJ Allmendinger
8th – Alex Bowman
9th – Austin Hill
10th – Ross Chastain
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 19 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Wins: 8
Poles: 9
Top-Fives: 37
Top 10s: 76
Stage Wins: 17
UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Sonoma Raceway with the Toyota / Save Mart 350 on Sunday, July 13, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on TNT, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Sidelined by damage sustained after being collected in an accident in the opening stage.
Finished: 36th
“Disappointing day in the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet at the Chicago Street Race. Crew chief Richard Boswell and everyone on the RCR team brought a really fast Chevrolet to the streets of Chicago. We qualified 10th and thought we would be a contender today in the race. A car spun in front of us on the first lap and it ended our day before we could even get it started. It’s a shame and I’m just at a loss for words at this point. We’ll just keep bringing cars like this and hope our luck turns around for us at some point.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 5th
“Our day started out pretty good. We got a good jump on the initial start there and was able to roll forward and get to third. We tried to go long on that first set of tires, and with those couple of cautions, it didn’t fall into our favor. That put us on old tires and I spun out getting into (turn) seven. We just didn’t have any left-rear grip. That’s something we’ve struggled with on this car, and it just bit me there. The No. 8 Slurpee Chevrolet team rallied and we were able to rebound. We pitted a couple of times there at the end and had some fresh tires late for some of the melee that was going on in front of us and made up some spots. Our Chevrolet was definitely a top-two or three car, but it’s good to come home with a top-five finish.”
Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 20th
“We survived and advanced! This No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team is just a tough team – we never quit. We don’t even know how to. I’m just so proud of Kaulig Racing and our No. 10 team. I knew in a basketball city, going up against Brad in a game of knock-out, I was going to have a good chance. This race was tough on us. I felt like halfway through the race, we were rolling pretty good and we could have had a chance at a top-15. I clipped the wall again and knocked the toe out and kind of bent the ball joint pretty bad. I was just kind of hanging on and hoping we could get everything we could there at the end. We’re just going to keep working hard; put pressure on who we’re facing next and see if we can keep it rolling.”
Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 9th
“Massive day for our United Rentals Chevrolet. The Cup Series isn’t easy. To only have five races with the No. 33 team and leave with a top-10 finish is huge for our group. We started 30th, drove up a little ways and played some strategy to gain even more ground. I feel like I won the race honestly. I was upset with finishing fourth yesterday in the Xfinity Series race, but to finish ninth in a Cup race feels like I won it. Hats off to RCR, ECR and everyone on this team. We put our heads together, called a great race, took tires when we needed to, and stayed out when we needed to. At the end, it was good enough to get up there and battle with the guys to finish inside the top-10.”
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 8th
Bowman on the late-race contact with Bubba Wallace in the closing laps:
“I don’t know.. I passed him (Bubba Wallace) clean, or what I thought was clean. I just followed when the No. 45 passed him. Then he shipped us into (turn) 12; ran us into the fence in (turn) one and ran us into the fence off of (turn) two. And then we just sort of pin-balled off of each other and he ended up on the worse side of it, but we’re just trying to go straight off the corner. I don’t know why we did that… I wasn’t expecting that to happen or to get raced like that, but we did. We just have to move on from it and keep digging. I don’t really know what I could have done much different. I just got into the fence there and you’re kind of along for the ride. It’s just frustrating.”
Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 32nd
“The throttle cable just broke. I don’t know what caused it or how it got to that spot, but that’s what happened. I feel like we had control of the race. I think it would have been a battle, no doubt. I felt like any time I could open a gap on SVG, I could. We were just working on our strategy. We knew we were going to one-stop it, so I was taking care of the tires and doing all the things I could. I was behind the pace car and the throttle stuck wide-open. Luckily I got to the switches fast enough before I ran into something, and then a cable broke after that. It’s just a shame. We had a great No. 71 DePaul Chevrolet. We’ve got some good momentum heading into Sonoma next weekend.”
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 1st
“It was a brilliant day for this No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet team. Our car was really, really nice – the best car I’ve had here, by far. The strategy was a bit all over the place, as we knew it would be today – racing the weather, racing cars and different stops. Stephen (Doran, crew chief) did a really good job on the box all day of just painting the picture in my head of who I was up against. We had two great pit stops. Just so stoked to get WeatherTech in victory lane for their home race.”
GM PR
Motorsports
NASCAR Chicago results: Shane van Gisbergen continues his road racing mastery with second win of 2025
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 […]

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

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.”
Motorsports
Bubba Wallace throws points away
Shane van Gisbergen wasn’t always in the front in the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race on July 6 at the Chicago street course, but he was always the best car. SVG passed Chase Briscoe for the lead with 12 laps to go, then held off Ty Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger on two final […]

Shane van Gisbergen wasn’t always in the front in the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race on July 6 at the Chicago street course, but he was always the best car.
SVG passed Chase Briscoe for the lead with 12 laps to go, then held off Ty Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger on two final restarts to earn his second win of the Cup Series season.
SVG led only 26 of 75 laps, but that was due to pit strategy in the first two stages. It was an otherwise dominating performance in the second half of the race for the driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
SVG’s dominance was only thwarted early by Michael McDowell, who led the first 31 laps before having to go to the garage with a throttle issue.
Here are the winners and losers from the NASCAR Chicago street race on July 6:
Not enough credit has been given to Trackhouse for getting Shane van Gisbergen in a Cup car at this course two years ago, and moreso for progressing SVG from that Chicago win in 2023 to a full-time Cup driver with multiple wins in 2025.
SVG will have every opportunity to make it out of the round of 16 in the playoffs with the amount of playoff points he has already earned, and with two more road courses left in the regular season. It’s not inconceivable that SVG goes into the playoffs with the most (or tied for the most) wins from the regular season.
In the era of playoff points and win-and-in, SVG has more value than any other driver outside the top 10 in the points standings. And looking ahead to the playoffs, the Charlotte Roval is at the end of the Round of 12. So if SVG advances from the first round of the playoffs, watch out.
SVG’s victory was a reprieve for Chris Buescher and Alex Bowman after challenging weekends through the streets of Chicago.
Bowman, the defending race champion, had to start at the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments, and twice had to drive into the top 10 on a differing pit strategy. After a tangle with Bubba Wallace late in the race, Bowman finished eighth and held onto a playoff spot just ahead of the cutline, 39 points to the good.
Buescher started in the top five, had a power issue, lost a lap while repairing the issue, got back on the lead lap and finished 18th.
Both drivers would have appreciated a stronger results day on Sunday, but sometimes it’s the better results from bad circumstances that help on the playoff bubble. SVG holding off bubble busters Ty Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger for the win helped too.
Wallace’s challenging weekend nearly had a positive ending — until he got the worst end of a late-race duel with Alex Bowman.
Wallace spun with six laps to go across the bumper of Bowman, ruining what had been quite the recovery for the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota.
The veteran driver started at the rear of the field after unapproved adjustments, worked up into the top 20 by the middle of Stage 2, spun to put him back outside the top 30, then drove into the top 10 with the help of pit strategy on the final run.
But as Bowman and Wallace wrestled for position in the top 10 (with contact being made multiple times), Wallace’s spin had a direct impact on his race result.
Wallace had to settle for a 28th-place finish, a blow to his standing near the playoff cutoff line. Wallace now sits two points ahead of Ryan Preece for the final playoff spot heading into Sonoma next weekend.
Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar were the two big stories of the first 30 laps of the race, and neither driver had a satisfying ending to the day.
Hocevar’s day ended quickly, pinballing off of two separate walls before spinning across the field in Lap 3, collecting six other cars. Hocevar finished 35th, again finding the bad result out of a fast car after starting inside top 10.
McDowell led the first 31 laps of the race (including a Stage 1 victory) before having to go behind the wall with a throttle issue. McDowell finished in 32nd, but he had the car to stay ahead of SVG through the first 40% of the race.
My bet, presuming neither McDowell nor Hocevar win to get into the playoffs: One of the two Spire drivers will win a race during the playoffs without the pressure of a playoff berth looming over them. Spire Motorsports is fast enough to win. But can their equipment make it to the end of one of these races, and can their drivers get their cars there?
Motorsports
Rains hold off until after NASCAR Chicago race this year
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 […]

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:
Motorsports
NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicago: Live updates, highlights, leaderboard
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Chicago street course on July 6 for the always-eventful Grant Park 165. The first two Cup races through the Chicago streets grabbed headlines in different ways. In 2023, Shane van Gisbergen stunned the sport with a win in his first NASCAR start. Last year, Alex Bowman held off […]

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Chicago street course on July 6 for the always-eventful Grant Park 165.
The first two Cup races through the Chicago streets grabbed headlines in different ways. In 2023, Shane van Gisbergen stunned the sport with a win in his first NASCAR start. Last year, Alex Bowman held off a handful of drivers charging hard to win the race shortened by darkness.
SVG is on the pole for Sunday’s race, besting Michael McDowell for the top spot by better than 0.4 seconds.
Follow along with our live race updates, with green flag set for after 1 p.m. CT on Sunday.
LIVE LEADERBOARD: Full field leaderboard of NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165
Recap | Results | Points standings | Winners and losers | In-season tournament second round results
- William Byron’s regular-season points lead is down to 13 points ahead of Chase Elliott.
- Katherine Legge finished 19th, the first top-20 finish by a female in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick in 2017.
- SVG is 2-for-3 at Chicago in the Cup Series and 2-for-2 in the Xfinity Series. He swept the weekend winning both races (and sat on the pole for both races).
- Chase Briscoe finished 23rd after the damage late in the race.
- Bubba Wallace finished 28th after his beating and banging with Alex Bowman late, resulting in Wallace’s spin. Wallace now leads Ryan Preece by two points for the final playoff spot.
The top 10 from Chicago:
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
The full results can be found here.
Shane van Gisbergen wins at Chicago ahead of Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick as the caution flies on the final lap with Cody Ware into the tire barrier in turn 6. Kyle Busch ends up with a top five. Austin Hill will get a top 10 in a third RCR car.
Tyler Reddick is the fastest car on the track, and he passes Denny Hamlin for third. He has three seconds to make up in 2.5 laps.
Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace have a couple interactions with bumpers, and it ends with Wallace spinning off the bumper of Bowman down a straightaway. Wallace may have cut across Bowman there, or there may have been some intent to things by Bowman.
Shane van Gisbergen drives away from Ty Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger on the restart. (Very surprised Gibbs wasn’t more confrontational on that restart. Maybe too used to Saturday Ty Gibbs in the Xfinity Series?)
Chase Briscoe has damage and a tire going down. His final result will not be indicative of his running position in the second half of the race.
Austin Cindric is stalled in turn 6, and the caution is out. On the restart, Ross Chastain, Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. all had some sort of incident. Stenhouse got the worst of it.
A lot of conversation on radios about impending rain and lightning during the caution, and green flag is back out with Shane van Gisbergen in control. Ty Gibbs is up to second, with Chase Briscoe third and AJ Allmendinger fourth. Allmendinger then passes Briscoe for third. Gibbs and Allmendinger each need to win to get into the playoffs.
Caution is out for a spectator medical emergency, as NASCAR needs to get an ambulance across the track. SVG had just made the pass on Chase Briscoe. Briscoe, Reddick, Hamlin and Wallace all should get some fuel saving aid here.
Shane van Gisbergen is within a second of Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick with 20 laps to go.
Meanwhile, Michael McDowell is back on track.
Chase Briscoe clears Tyler Reddick for the lead, and he has clear road. Shane van Gisbergen is up to fourth and battling with Denny Hamlin for third. If this stays green, SVG will catch the leader soon.
Shane van Gisbergen and AJ Allmendinger are among those who pit before the stage end, so Ryan Blaney picks up the playoff point with the Stage 2 win.
The top 10:
- Ryan Blaney
- Chase Briscoe
- Tyler Reddick
- Alex Bowman
- Bubba Wallace
- Denny Hamlin
- Chase Elliott
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Erik Jones
- Christopher Bell
- Ross Chastain and others pit on a one-stop strategy.
- Kyle Larson is up to sixth as the leaderboard is shaken up by strategy.
- Bubba Wallace is up to 18th after the earlier spin.
- Chris Buescher is back on the lead lap and is 23rd as he tries to make some decent out of the early power issues.
- SVG leads AJ Allmendinger by two seconds with six laps to go in Stage 2.
The No. 71 Spire Motorsports race team will continue to work on the throttle issue for Michael McDowell in the garage area. His chances to win are done. Tough day altogether for Spire.
On the restart, Kyle Busch spins on his own through turns 7 and 8. He goes from sixth to the back of the pack. That has been a common occurrence in the 2024 and 2025 seasons for Busch.
Michael McDowell reports that he has a stuck throttle, and he pits from the lead. He also gets fuel and tires, and it’ll be a tight ask to make it to the end on fuel.
“Max save,” McDowell is told by his team.
McDowell’s crew chief tells him that they couldn’t find a “smoking gun” for the issue. Now, McDowell says it is all the way stuck as he drives around the course under caution. He’s coming back down pit road.
Josh Berry crashes in turns 7 and 8, and he can’t get re-fired. Caution is out halfway through Stage 2.
Tyler Reddick’s team got him down pit road just before the caution came out, and he may benefit big time there. Chase Briscoe also pitted. Those two drivers are on the same strategy as leader Michael McDowell.
Shane van Gisbergen is up to fourth and approaching Kyle Busch for third, about four seconds behind leader Michael McDowell. AJ Allmendinger has been following SVG up the leaderboard, now up to sixth and battling Ryan Preece for fifth.
Michael McDowell continues to lead ahead of Kyle Busch. Shane van Gisbergen is up to eighth, working with newer tires.
Bubba Wallace gets clipped by Kyle Larson after Larson drives hard into a braking zone, and Wallace spins from P16. Wallace goes back to 32nd. Larson was there for a few moments on the inside, dive or not.
Ty Dillon continues his run as the 32-seed, taking advantage of Brad Keselowski’s involvement in the earlier crash to advance to the final eight. Tyler Reddick will also advance to the quarterfinals with Carson Hocevar’s DNF.
Michael McDowell stays out to win Stage 1, as SVG and the majority of the rest of the field pits late in the stage.
The top 10:
- Michael McDowell
- Kyle Busch
- Tyler Reddick
- Chase Briscoe
- Ryan Preece
- Ross Chastain
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Zane Smith
- Austin Hill
- Noah Gragson
Christopher Bell was too fast on pit road and earned a penalty.
Alex Bowman spins out of turn 12, but gets back going.
Michael McDowell leads SVG by about 0.8 seconds with six laps to go in Stage 1. SVG and team were chatting about the end-of-stage strategy earlier, with SVG telling his team that he thinks grip is about to change soon.
Among those who started in the rear of the field, Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace are up to 16th and 17th. Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott are still outside the top 20, and pit strategy will be the way for those two to get to the front.
Michael McDowell clears SVG again with Kyle Busch in second. Entering the top 10: AJ Allmendinger.
Meanwhile, Chris Buescher’s team sends him back out before he loses a second lap. They aren’t quite sure yet what the issue is, but Buescher will nurse the car around until the next caution.
William Byron has gone behind the wall to fix the issue from Lap 1.
Chris Buescher reported a power issue just before the caution and red flag, then told his team that his car was backfiring when he cranked it back up post-red flag. He will pit from the top five and turn the car back off as the No. 17 team will try to diagnose the issue.
Carson Hocevar brushes the wall through turns 10 and 11, and spins across the track, involving seven other cars including Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, Austin Dillon, Will Brown, Todd Gilliland and others.
Red flag because the track is blocked. Keselowski and Hocevar are in the in-season tournament and are in major danger of being knocked. Hocevar has major visible front suspension damage, at minimum.
Michael McDowell beats Shane van Gisbergen into turn 1 and takes the lead on the start. SVG tries to be aggressive in the next braking zone but McDowell holds him off.
Meanwhile, William Byron is off the pace, reporting a clutch issue.
The Grant Park 165 is almost set to begin, with drivers making their pace laps around the 2.2-mile circuit. The radar is OK for now, but we’ll see later.
The second round matchups in the in-season tournament:
- 17-seed Brad Keselowski vs. 32-seed Ty Dillon
- 8-seed Alex Bowman vs. 9-seed Bubba Wallace
- 5-seed Chase Elliott vs. 12-seed John Hunter Nemechek
- 20-seed Erik Jones vs. 29-seed Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- 6-seed Ty Gibbs vs. 22-seed AJ Allmendinger
- 3-seed Chris Buescher vs. 14-seed Zane Smith
- 23-seed Tyler Reddick vs. 26-seed Carson Hocevar
- 15-seed Ryan Preece vs. 31-seed Noah Gragson
10 cars will go to the rear of the field for the start after unapproved adjustments, including:
- Noah Gragson
- Kyle Larson
- Chase Elliott
- Ty Dillon
- Denny Hamlin (engine)
- Bubba Wallace
- William Byron
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Alex Bowman
- Katherine Legge
Shane van Gisbergen won the pole for the Grant Park 165 in Saturday’s qualifying session.
The top 10:
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
- Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
- Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Find the full starting lineup here.
The Grant Park 165 will be aired on the radio by the Motor Racing Network. MRN has affiliates all across the country, and their feed can also be streamed on NASCAR.com as well as the NASCAR app. The race can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
- Green Flag Time: Approx. 1:25 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 6
- Track: Chicago street course (2.2-mile temporary road course) in downtown Chicago, Illinois
- Length: 75 laps, 165 miles
- Stages: 20 laps, 25 laps, 30 laps
- TV coverage: TNT
- Radio: MRN
- Streaming: Watch FREE on Fubo;; MAX app for in-car cameras (subscription required); NASCAR.com and SiriusXM on Channel 90 for audio (subscription required)
The Grant Park 165 will be broadcast nationally on TNT. Other streaming options for the race include MAX for in-car cameras for each driver.
- 2024: Alex Bowman
- 2023: Shane van Gisbergen
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