Motorsports
Full Cracker Barrel 400 results
Nashville Superspeedway has been on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule since 2021, but it has never hosted a race this early in the year. The 300-lap race around the four-turn, 1.333-mile (2.145-kilometer) Lebanon, Tennessee oval, which is known as the Cracker Barrel 400, has generally been held in late June, but this year, it is […]

Nashville Superspeedway has been on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule since 2021, but it has never hosted a race this early in the year.
The 300-lap race around the four-turn, 1.333-mile (2.145-kilometer) Lebanon, Tennessee oval, which is known as the Cracker Barrel 400, has generally been held in late June, but this year, it is set to kick off the month as race number 14 of 36 on the schedule.
Including the recent exhibition All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro two weekends ago, this race is the third straight Sunday night Cup race. Last year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was also a night race.
Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin locked out the front row for the Cracker Barrel 400, and Hamlin started the race, even though he could be pulled out at any moment with his longtime partner, Jordan Fish, expecting their third child.
Full qualifying results can be found here.
Follow along with our race updates and results from the Cracker Barrel 400.
NASCAR at Nashville: Stage 1 results
1st – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2nd – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
3rd – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4th – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
5th – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
6th – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7th – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
8th – Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
9th – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
10th – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
NASCAR at Nashville: Stage 2 results
1st – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
2nd – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3rd – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4th – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
5th – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
6th – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
7th – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8th – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
9th – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
10th – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
NASCAR at Nashville: Full race results
1st – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
2nd – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
3rd – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4th – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
5th – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6th – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
7th – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
8th – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
9th – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
10th – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
11th – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
12th – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
13th – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
14th – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
15th – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
16th – Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
17th – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
18th – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
19th – Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
20th – A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
21st – Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
22nd – Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
23rd – Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
24th – Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
25th – Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
26th – Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
27th – John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
28th – Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
29th – Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
30th – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
31st – Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
32nd – Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
33rd – Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
34th – J.J. Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
35th – Chad Finchum, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
36th – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
37th – Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota
38th – Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
39th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
The 15th race on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the FireKeepers Casino 400, which is set to be shown live on Amazon Prime Video from Michigan International Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 8.
Motorsports
NASCAR Saturday schedule at Chicago
Cup and Xfinity cars will have the right of way Saturday on the streets of downtown Chicago. The action will begin on the 12-turn, 2.2-mile circuit with more than four hours of practice and qualifying for both series. The green flag will drop on the 50-lap Xfinity race at 4:40 p.m. ET. Advertisement Kyle Larson […]

Cup and Xfinity cars will have the right of way Saturday on the streets of downtown Chicago.
The action will begin on the 12-turn, 2.2-mile circuit with more than four hours of practice and qualifying for both series. The green flag will drop on the 50-lap Xfinity race at 4:40 p.m. ET.
Advertisement
Kyle Larson won the pole position for last year’s Cup Series race and finished third in the 2024 Xfinity race behind Ty Gibbs and Shane van Gisbergen, who won from the pole.
NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500
New crew chief, same winning ways for Denny Hamlin
In his first year with crew chief Chris Gayle, Denny Hamlin’s performance is nearly identical to this point last year with crew chief Chris Gabehart.
Chicago schedule
(All Times Eastern)
Saturday, July 5
Garage open
-
8:30 a.m. – midnight — Xfinity Series
-
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. — Cup Series
Track activity
-
10:30 – 11:20 a.m. — Xfinity practice (CW App)
-
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. — Xfinity qualifying (CW App)
-
1 – 1:50 p.m. — Cup practice (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
-
2 – 3 p.m. — Cup qualifying (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
-
4:30 p.m. — Xfinity race (50 laps, 110 miles; Stage 1 at Lap 15, Stage 2 at Lap 30; CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Weather
Saturday: Partly cloudy with a high of 94 degrees, winds from the southwest at 10-20 mph. It’s expected to be 92 degrees with no chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.
Motorsports
Suarez says there ‘wasn’t love anymore,’ but no hard feelings at Trackhouse
Daniel Suarez was not required to attend the NASCAR media bullpen in Chicago on Saturday, but not only did he show up, he spoke candidly about his future beyond Trackhouse Racing. The two sides announced earlier this week that they’ve agreed to mutually part ways at the end of the season. Suarez has driven the […]

Daniel Suarez was not required to attend the NASCAR media bullpen in Chicago on Saturday, but not only did he show up, he spoke candidly about his future beyond Trackhouse Racing.
The two sides announced earlier this week that they’ve agreed to mutually part ways at the end of the season. Suarez has driven the No. 99 Chevrolet since 2021 and has two wins with the team. Justin Marks hired Suarez as his flagship driver when founding Trackhouse Racing.
“I have known for several months it was going to happen,” Suarez said. “It’s like everything in life – things change, people change, the company changes, and that’s OK. There is nothing wrong with that. There just wasn’t love anymore, but there are no hard feelings. I really want to stick to the amazing years that we had together early in the process of Trackhouse, and it was just time for a change.”
Suarez appeared on the June 25 episode of “The Dale Jr. Download” and mentioned that there were things he was uncomfortable with this season. He then used the same word in another interview after the news of his impending separation from Trackhouse Racing was announced. However, he never provided details about what those things were.
Saturday, Suarez admitted it was “a very difficult question” when asked for those details, and he didn’t want to offer anything specific.
However, he did say, “There have been several situations in the last eight months, 10 months, that I haven’t felt like I used to for different situations. Sometimes when you don’t have that feel, there is no chemistry anymore. It’s like being in a relationship and living together because you bought a house together. It just didn’t feel good anymore, and this is both ways. I’m pretty sure it was both ways.
“It was just a matter of time. Sometimes when you don’t have that, when you’re fighting with the best of the best, you need to have everything clicking in the right direction, and unfortunately, I have felt a few things are missing for the last several months.”
Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen have both won in the regular season and are likely to clinch a spot in the playoffs. Suarez is winless and will need to win his way in as well. He is 29th in the standings.
Because he is a rookie, there is leeway with van Gisbergen’s performance. However, Chastain is eighth in the standings, and there is a clear gap between Chastain’s and Suarez’s teams in top-10 finishes and stage points.
Suarez praised the talent of his teammate, but then he paused for almost 10 seconds before expanding further on trying to pinpoint why there is a difference in the teams.
“Since my new crew chief came to Trackhouse, he told me a lot of things that he didn’t think were right within the organization and a lot of things that needed to be changed,” Suarez said of Matt Swiderski. “I’ve been very vocal with the team, ‘Hey, we need to adjust this; we need to adjust that.’ I’m not the only one seeing it. There are more people seeing it.’ And not a lot of things happen; everything happens so slow.
“I don’t think that’s the only reason. I think there are more things, but I just think that lately there have been things that have made me feel that I’m not as important. I believe we can run good. In Pocono, we were the fastest Trackhouse car in qualifying and the race. But we’re extremely inconsistent … and that’s something we have to work on, and I feel like there are a good amount of people that feel like there is still things to work on as an organization. I just feel like my voice was [not] really heard anymore, and when that happens, in my opinion, that could be the beginning of the end.”
Although things are coming to an end, Suarez has also spoken highly of Trackhouse Racing and his love for the organization and team. In fact, he said the No. 99 team is one of the best he’s ever had, and they are special to him and will be missed.
Trackhouse Racing was a place he hoped to finish his Cup Series career. Now he’s looking for somewhere else that will feel like home with its support while allowing Suarez to be himself.
He is confident that he’ll be in a Cup Series car next year. Contractually, Suarez was unable to start speaking to others until this week, and he promptly began exploring options. But, he acknowledged, it is still early in the silly season cycle.
“I’m confident things are going to work out,” Suarez said. “Good things happen to good people, and I’m 100 percent sure I’m going to be fine.”
Motorsports
William Byron: “I’m just an idiot” for wrecking out of Chicago Cup practice
In NASCAR Cup Series practice at Chicago, things were looking promising for William Byron. He was faster than Shane van Gisbergen, setting the pace in the first practice group. He lapped the street circuit in 1:31.008s, over three tenths quicker than SVG. However, after completing eight laps, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet returned to the […]

In NASCAR Cup Series practice at Chicago, things were looking promising for William Byron. He was faster than Shane van Gisbergen, setting the pace in the first practice group. He lapped the street circuit in 1:31.008s, over three tenths quicker than SVG.
However, after completing eight laps, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet returned to the track for the closing moments of the session. That ended up being a mistake, as Byron lost it on entry into Turn 10. The car slid out and hit the wall, breaking the left-rear toe-link and damaging the side of the car. He crab-walked the car back to the pits, but the damage was done.
Byron will have to start from the rear of the field as a result of the costly mistake. He will join Denny Hamlin on the back row, who lost an engine at the very beginning of the practice session.
Advertisement
“I’m an idiot,” Byron told TNT Sports. “I just took a lot through there and (had) a lot of speed. I was just getting my tires cleaned back off from leaving pit road.”
He continued: “I had just pitted, so my tires were probably just coming up to temp again. I took it easy the first half of the lap and I was starting to push, being close to the alternate start/finish (line) and just lost traction.”
As for the battle ahead of him, Byron was confident in his ability to get the No. 24 back through the field, but admitted: “Just sucks starting from the back … just don’t like crashing.”
Byron ended up second overall in practice. Unfortunately, his Hendrick Motorsports teammates also found the wall, just not as severely. Chase Elliott pancaked the wall at Turn 4 and Alex Bowman was forced to replace a bent toe-link. Like Byron, Elliott won’t make a qualifying attempt either. In the end, repairs meant that all four Hendrick drivers — including Kyle Larson — will start from the rear of the field.
Advertisement
Read Also:
Denny Hamlin “couldn’t even make a pace lap” before Chicago engine failure
Trackhouse owner Justin Marks to drive NASCAR Cup car at Goodwood
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.
Motorsports
Shane van Gisbergen completes sweep of Chicago streets with NASCAR Cup pole – Speedway Digest
Road course superstar Shane van Gisbergen pulled of the second qualifying double of his fledgling NASCAR career during Saturday’s time trials on the Chicago Street Course. After securing the pole position for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, Van Gisbergen blitzed the rest of the field on his final run for the top starting position in […]

Road course superstar Shane van Gisbergen pulled of the second qualifying double of his fledgling NASCAR career during Saturday’s time trials on the Chicago Street Course.
After securing the pole position for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, Van Gisbergen blitzed the rest of the field on his final run for the top starting position in Sunday’s Grant Park 165 on the 2.2-mile, 12-turn street circuit (2 p.m. ET on TNT, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Van Gisbergen posted a respectable lap on his second run, only to see it surpassed by recent Pocono winner Chase Briscoe. But Van Gisbergen responded with a lap at 88.338 mph (89.656 seconds) to beat eventual second-place qualifier Michael McDowell (87.879 mph) by 0.468 seconds, a huge margin in the competitive Gen-7 environment.
The Busch Light Pole Award was Van Gisbergen’s first on the Chicago Street Course, his second this season and the third of his career. Last fall, he swept the Cup and Xfinity poles at the Charlotte Roval.
“I’m a lucky boy—I got some great cars today,” said the three-time Australian Supercars champion. “Xfinity pole, Cup pole—pretty special. Hopeful for the race tomorrow.
“Practice wasn’t that great, and I went out in qualifying, and the car felt really good … I learned a lot in the Xfinity car this morning, and that just gives you a great leg up for the Cup car.”
Carson Hocevar, McDowell’s Spire Motorsports teammate, will start third after a lap at 87.824 mph. Tyler Reddick claimed the fourth spot on the grid, followed by Briscoe, who was second fastest behind Van Gisbergen in the first of two qualifying groups.
Hocevar and Reddick are head-to-head opponents in the In-Season Challenge, with the second round to be contested in Sunday’s race.
Kyle Busch, Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs and Austin Dillon claimed the sixth through 10th starting positions respectively. Defending race winner Alex Bowman will start 11th.
There will be plenty of speed at both ends of the field. Denny Hamlin blew the engine in his No. 11 Toyota on his first practice lap and did not make a qualifying run. Neither did William Byron, who slammed the outside wall with less than a minute left in practice—after setting the fastest time in the session.
Chase Elliott also sustained damage to his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and did not qualify. Byron, Elliott and Hamlin will start 38th, 39th and 40th respectively on Sunday.
Bubba Wallace, facing an In-Season Challenge matchup against Bowman, spun twice and backed into a Turn 2 tire barrier during time trials and will start 37th.
Katherine Legge will be the first female driver to compete in the Chicago Street Race after knocking the unchartered car of Corey Heim out of the field late in the Group B session. Legge earned the 33rd spot on the grid with a lap at 85.744 mph.
Motorsports
Daniel Suarez talks 2026 NASCAR plans amid forthcoming Trackhouse split
CHICAGO — For the first time since it was announced, Daniel Suarez opened up about his forthcoming split from Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR. Photo: Ryan Kemna/TRE Heading into the Chicago Street Course race weekend and coming off of a wreck at Atlanta, Suarez announced the split on social media. MORE: Daniel Suarez to leave Trackhouse […]

CHICAGO — For the first time since it was announced, Daniel Suarez opened up about his forthcoming split from Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR.

Heading into the Chicago Street Course race weekend and coming off of a wreck at Atlanta, Suarez announced the split on social media.
MORE: Daniel Suarez to leave Trackhouse Racing after 2025
“It was a relief,” Suarez said. “Things change, people change and that’s okay. Nothing wrong with that. There was just wasn’t, a, love, but there is no hard feelings at all. We had two amazing years together and it’s time for a change.”
Suarez elaborated on his relief with how long this has been coming.
“It’s been hard the last six months because I wasn’t happy anymore,” Suarez said.

After 18 NASCAR Cup Series races in 2025, Suarez is 29th in points with a second-place finish at Las Vegas and top 10 finishes at Talladega and Texas. At this point last season, he was 11 spots higher in points and had a win at Atlanta to lock him into the playoffs.
Although he hasn’t won in the Cup Series, Suarez isn’t winless this season. In front of a home crowd at Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Suarez won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race — quelling a 19th-place Cup finish there.
With Trackhouse prospect and JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch shaping up to be Suarez’s replacement, many people floated the idea of Suarez effectively swapping rides with Zilisch in 2026.
As of now, Suarez isn’t keen on a move like that.
“In my mind, I have nothing to prove in Xfinity. I had one of the best weekends in Mexico City. I hadn’t been in a competitive car since 2016 and I love the series but I want to compete with the best of the best. That’s why I wake up every morning, is to compete with the best of the best, so that’s what we want to do,” Suarez said.


Suarez has two Cup wins — at Sonoma in 2022 and Atlanta in 2024 — and playoff appearances in each year to boot. He also has sponsorship to further boost his chances of getting a Cup ride in 2026.
“I feel like I’m in the best moment of my career on track and off track. I have great partners who follow me everywhere. With everything happening in Mexico and here in the U.S., with the Hispanic market growing so much, I feel blessed to be the face of it. I think we’re going to be fine,” Suarez said.
With the announcement public, the 2026 season really begins for Suarez.
“I’m confident in that but I couldn’t talk to anyone until this week. We’ve been working to find new options and find something,” Suarez said.
Still, Suarez and his team have a championship to race for.
“We have the rest of the season to run and I love the 99 team. They’re the best team I have ever had,” Suarez said.

Ryan Kemna contributed to this report.
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com
Motorsports
Fans descend on Grant Park for third NASCAR Chicago Street Race
Grant Park buzzed with energy Saturday morning as tens of thousands of attendees descended on the park grounds for the third NASCAR Chicago Street Race amid rising temperatures and a blazing sun. The third and final race weekend of NASCAR’s three-year deal with the city brought fans from throughout the country, with first-time race attendees […]

Grant Park buzzed with energy Saturday morning as tens of thousands of attendees descended on the park grounds for the third NASCAR Chicago Street Race amid rising temperatures and a blazing sun.
The third and final race weekend of NASCAR’s three-year deal with the city brought fans from throughout the country, with first-time race attendees and seasoned fans flooding through the gates. The city and NASCAR could extend the contract for two more years of races if both parties agree to do so, but the race in Chicago faces a murky future.
When asked if the event would return in 2026, Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese said, “We’ll have those conversations after the race, but right now our focus is on this weekend.”
Katie Wylie, 35, visited her hometown of Chicago this weekend to give her twin sons, 7-year-olds Jack and Ben Wylie, their first in-person NASCAR experience. Her partner, Ben Trueblood, joined them for the trip from Nashville, where the family now lives.

Katie Wylie walks with her twins, Jack Wylie (left) and Ben Wylie, at Butler Field before the NASCAR Chicago Street Race on Saturday.
“They’re big race fans, so we’re excited for them to experience their first in-person race,” Katie Wylie said, adding that she was most excited for the opportunity to be in the city and experience the energy of race weekend.
The family made the most of their visit, catching the Cardinals-Cubs game at Wrigley Field on Friday and planning to wrap up their Saturday night with fireworks at Navy Pier before heading home Sunday.
As for the NASCAR festivities, Wylie said she was impressed with the atmosphere. “It’s really great. I honestly didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “They did a great job with curating the environment of the grounds and this village here.”

Aaron Moy and sister Amy Moy wear NASCAR-themed accessories and outfits at Grant Park on Saturday.
Aaron Moy, 54, originally from Chicago, traveled from his new home in Minnesota to attend this weekend’s NASCAR Street Race. A longtime fan, Moy said he has previously attended NASCAR races in Joliet from 2006 until 2015, when his favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, retired.
Since the Chicago street races began, Moy made it a point to attend. This year, he’s attending both days of racing and hopes to catch a glimpse of some of his favorite drivers. “We’re trying to see our favorite drivers: Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott,” he said. “Secondly, we want to see our drivers win the race.”
Like many fans, Moy is keeping a close eye on the weather forecast after rain put a damper on the event the last two years. “The last two races were rain-impacted. And the forecast isn’t great tomorrow,” he said of Sunday’s races.
Sunday’s high is expected to be in the low- to mid-80s with chances of storms, according to the National Weather Service.
When asked what he did during last year’s weather delays, Moy explained that although it’s tempting to seek shelter at a nearby business, he’s previously chosen to stay near the track area.
“You never know when they’ll say, ‘OK, drivers to your cars’ and then we gotta rush back in,” Moy said.
Moy came prepared for another round of possible showers this year. He said he packed a poncho to wear because umbrellas are not permitted on the race grounds, and he was also sporting what he called an “Anti-Rain Vortex” hat in hopes of keeping the rain away.

NASCAR fan Aaron Moy wears an “Anti-Rain Vortex” hat that he hopes will keep the rain away during the NASCAR race at Grant Park.
For some attendees, it’s hard to ignore a street race in their backyard.
Loop residents were among the tens of thousands venturing to Grant Park on Saturday.
“It’s right down the street from me,” said 73-year-old Clarissa Hinton, who lives in a condo less than 10 minutes away.
It’s probably safe to assume Hinton would have traveled farther; the 10-year NASCAR fan was decked out in a black checkered racing suit accentuated with a necklace made of toy race cars and a purse to match.
Besides rooting for Shane van Gisbergen, the winner of the inaugural Chicago race two years ago, Hinton was enjoying the atmosphere of the two-day event, which also features local food vendors, a kids’ zone and live entertainment.
“It’s a lot of fun!” she said.

Clarissa Hinton wears a checkered flag outfit and carries a bag decorated with toy cars during NASCAR events Saturday in Grant Park. She’s been a fan of NASCAR for 10 years and is rooting for Shane van Gisbergen.
Sam Eddy, 24, of Mundelein, has been a NASCAR fan for years, attending races in Joliet and Phoenix and spending childhood summers at Illinois’ now-closed Rockford Speedway. This weekend marks his family’s first time at the NASCAR Chicago Street Race.
Eddy attended Saturday’s event with relatives including his mother, Angela Eddy, 55, who noted the family’s longstanding ties to the sport. “We’re a NASCAR family. My uncle was a famous NASCAR driver back in the day: ‘Tiger’ Tom Pistone,” she said. “He was a very famous racecar driver when they used to race at Soldier Field in the ’50s.”
Both mother and son said they were excited to finally experience the Chicago street race for the first time after missing the last two years.
The Eddys said they planned to attend both days of the event, with VIP passes in hand, while also keeping an eye on Sunday’s forecast. “We’re going to see how it plays out,” Angela Eddy said.
Cooper Lawrence, 26, of the Loop is a NASCAR newcomer who wanted to see what the event had to offer.
“It’s pretty nice,” he said. “I’ve got a good viewing area over here. Everything’s pretty reasonably priced. It’s not like other sporting events.”
He said it was worth the nearly 90-degree heat, especially for the opportunity to see a street race format, rather than cars running on “a boring oval.”
He planned to stick around for the Zac Brown Band show Saturday evening, but Lawrence said he primarily came for the street race, but said the Zac Brown show was a “bonus.” Lawrence said he’d welcome another year of NASCAR in Chicago.
“I’d be back,” he said.
Also in attendance Saturday was Ray McElroy, 52, a West Chicago resident and former NFL player for the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts. The event was McElroy’s first NASCAR race, which he said came about as part of an effort to bring more young people of color into the sport.
McElroy was there on behalf of his nonprofit, A Ray of Hope on Earth, which works to provide youth mentoring opportunities. “We got introduced to an official with NASCAR that’s looking to expand NASCAR’s diversity with young people of color,” McElroy said. “And since we have a nonprofit that we work with a lot of young people, we wanted to expose some of our young men to this opportunity.
“We’re really excited about an opportunity to expose some of our young men to the opportunities that NASCAR has to provide,” he added.
Beyond the community work, McElroy said he was looking forward to the thrill of the live racing experience. “To see how fast these friggin’ things roll down Lake Shore Drive. It’s got to be incredible,” he said. “You see it on television, but it’s totally different than seeing it live.”
McElroy said he and his organization also had special access to certain areas “Just to kind of see the guys put the cars together and all of the ins and outs of racing, behind the scenes, is also very exciting,” he said.
Other attendees traveled well over an hour from Illinois’ suburbs.
For the last three years, 61-year-old McHenry resident Georgene Sergeant has made it her mission to bring others along with her to experience the “excitement, speed, loudness and fun” of the event.
This time, she recruited Amber Rausch, a friend she met at a St. Patrick’s Day event.
“I think it draws in people that might not be NASCAR fans and then they become fans,” said Sergeant, who works for Sunoco, which is NASCAR’s official fuel.
“We just don’t have NASCAR up here. So, I think it’s an experience for people who don’t normally have that option.”
Sergeant said she was most looking forward to the Zac Brown Band concert and wished event organizers hadn’t pared down the number of musical acts this year. “I’m disappointed,” she said.
Still, her new pal, Rausch, was content to take in the general atmosphere.“Everybody’s fun and friendly and ready to party,” said Rausch, 36, of Woodstock, after snapping a selfie in front of Buckingham Fountain. “It’s just a happy day.”
-
College Sports1 week ago
WAC to Rebrand to UAC, Add Five New Members in 2026
-
Technology3 weeks ago
Polar is teasing a Whoop alternative without subscription
-
Motorsports5 days ago
Why Cosmetics are Making Up for Lost Time in Women’s Sports
-
Technology3 weeks ago
I loved the Whoop MG, but didn’t love the price: that’s why I’m excited about this mysterious new fitness band from a major Garmin rival
-
NIL3 weeks ago
Go Straight to Collective Bargaining (Part II) ✦ OnLabor
-
College Sports3 weeks ago
Locked On Women's Basketball
-
Professional Sports2 weeks ago
Alex Pereira responds to rumors of UFC heavyweight title fight with threatening message
-
Technology1 week ago
Pet fitness and wellness trends for a healthier and happier dog
-
College Sports2 weeks ago
Women's Basketball Thanks Shannon LeBeauf for 14 Seasons
-
Health3 weeks ago
Kyrie Irving's Mental Health Message