Motorsports
Judge calls on NASCAR, teams to settle antitrust battle
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge urged NASCAR and two of its teams, including one owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan, to settle their increasingly acrimonious legal fight that spilled over into tense arguments during a hearing on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina grilled both […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge urged NASCAR and two of its teams, including one owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan, to settle their increasingly acrimonious legal fight that spilled over into tense arguments during a hearing on Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina grilled both NASCAR and the teams — 23XI Racing, which is owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins — on what they hoped to accomplish in the antitrust battle that has loomed over the stock car series for months.
“It’s hard to picture a winner if this goes to the mat — or to the flag — in this case,” Bell said. “It scares me to death to think about what all this is costing.”
23XI and Front Row were the only two organizations that refused to sign a take-it-or-leave-it offer from NASCAR last September on a new charter agreement. Charters are NASCAR’s version of a franchise model, with each charter guaranteeing entry to the lucrative Cup Series races and a stable revenue stream; 13 other teams signed the agreements last fall, with some contending they had little choice.
The nearly two-hour hearing was on the teams’ request to toss out NASCAR’s countersuit, which accuses Jordan business manager Curtis Polk of “willfully” violating antitrust laws by orchestrating anticompetitive collective conduct in negotiations. NASCAR said it learned in discovery that Polk in messages among the 15 teams tried to form a “cartel” type operation that would include threats of boycotting races and a refusal to individually negotiate.
One of NASCAR’s attorneys even cited a Benjamin Franklin quote Polk allegedly sent to the 15 organizations that read: “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney representing the teams, was angered by the revelation in open court, contending it is privileged information only revealed in discovery. Kessler also argued none of NASCAR’s claims in the countersuit prove anything illegal was done by Polk or the Race Team Alliance during the charter negotiation process.
“NASCAR knows it has no defense to the monopolization case so they have come up with this claim about joint negotiations, which they agreed to, never objected to, and now suddenly it’s an antitrust violation,” Kessler said outside court. “It makes absolutely no sense. It’s not going to help them deflect from the monopolizing they have done in this market and the harm they have inflicted.”
He added that “the attacks” on Polk were “false, unfounded and frankly beneath the dignity of my adversary to even make those type of comments, which he should know better about.”
NASCAR attorneys said Polk improperly tried to pressure all 15 teams that comprise the RTA to stand together collectively in negotiations and encouraged boycotting qualifying races for the 2024 Daytona 500. NASCAR, they said, took the threat seriously because the teams had previously boycotted a scheduled meeting with series executives.
“NASCAR knew the next step was they could boycott a race, which was a threat they had to take seriously,” attorney Lawrence Buterman said on behalf of NASCAR.
Kessler said outside court the two teams are open to settlement talks, but noted NASCAR has said it will not renegotiate the charters. NASCAR’s attorneys declined to comment after the hearing.
Bell did not indicate when he’d rule, other than saying he would decide quickly.
Preliminary injunction status
Kessler said he would file an appeal by the end of the week after a three-judge federal appellate panel dismissed a preliminary injunction that required NASCAR to recognize 23XI and Front Row as chartered teams while the court fight is being resolved.
Kessler wants the issue heard by the full appellate court. The injunction has no bearing on the merits of the case, which is scheduled to go to trial in December. The earliest NASCAR can treat the teams as unchartered is one week after the deadline to appeal, provided there is no pending appeal or whenever the appeals process has been exhausted.
There are 36 chartered cars for the 40-car field each week. If 23XI and Front Row are not recognized as chartered, their six cars would have to compete as “open” teams — which means they’d have to qualify on speed each week to make the race and they would receive a fraction of the money guaranteed for chartered teams.
Discovery issues
Some of the arguments Tuesday centered on Jonathan Marshall, the executive director of the RTA. NASCAR has demanded text messages and emails from Marshall and says it has received roughly 100 texts and over 55,000 pages of emails.
NASCAR wants all texts between Marshall and 55 people from 2020 through 2024 that contain specific search terms. Attorneys for the RTA said that covers more than 3,000 texts, some of which are privileged, and some that have been “deleted to save storage or he didn’t need them anymore.”
That issue is set to be heard during a hearing next Tuesday before Bell.
Motorsports
CHEVROLET NCS: Van Gisbergen Sweeps Pole Wins at Chicago – Speedway Digest
Returning to the circuit that started his NASCAR career, Shane van Gisbergen started his double-duty weekend by driving Chevrolet to a sweep of the pole wins for the Chicago Street Race weekend. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Chicago Street Race winner laid down a monster best-lap of 89.656 seconds in his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing […]

Returning to the circuit that started his NASCAR career, Shane van Gisbergen started his double-duty weekend by driving Chevrolet to a sweep of the pole wins for the Chicago Street Race weekend. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Chicago Street Race winner laid down a monster best-lap of 89.656 seconds in his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to earn the pole position for the third rendition the event.
· Van Gisbergen’s pole – his third all-time in NASCAR’s top division – came after he drove the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to the pole position for the 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, natives first start of the season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Van Gisbergen is the last driver to sweep the pole wins in a doubleheader weekend for NASCAR’s top-two division – accomplished at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in 2024.
· Van Gisbergen led the Bowtie brigade to a sweep of the top-three starting positions with the pair of Spire Motorsports teammates, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar, driving their Chevrolet-powered machines to second- and third-place qualifying efforts, respectively.
· Having to qualify her way into tomorrow’s Grant Park 165, Katherine Legge drove her No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet to a best-lap of 92.368 seconds to earn her spot in the starting lineup for tomorrow’s event – making her the first woman to make a start in NASCAR’s top division at the Chicago Street Course.
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP
POS. DRIVER
1st – Shane van Gisbergen
2nd – Michael McDowell
3rd – Carson Hocevar
6th – Kyle Busch
10th – Austin Dillon
Chevrolet’s season statistics heading into the 20th NASCAR Cup Series race:
Wins: 7
Poles: 9
Top-Fives: 37
Top 10s: 76
Stage Wins: 16
Post-Race Driver Quotes:
Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – Pole Win Quotes
Where did you find that extra time when you went back out?
“Yeah, that was epic! Our team did a great job. The No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet was ripping really good. I’m a lucky boy, I’ve got some great cars today — both the Cup and Xfinity car. This is pretty special. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow. Practice wasn’t that great for us, but when we went out for qualifying, the car felt really good. We turned in two pretty good laps.”
We heard you mention that the field has picked up its game. How do you do that for yourself? How do you up your game?
“You can always do something better, right? You’re always learning. I learned a lot in the Xfinity Series car this morning, and that just gives you a great leg up for the Cup car. I think it’s great running both cars, it certainly helps.”
Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
“It’s a lot of pressure to come in with only 20 minutes of practice on a street course where there’s no room for error to put it in the show. I actually feel pretty good about it now. We would have been a lot faster, I think, had I not kept nicking the wall. I’ve given my crew a lot of work to do from that, but we had to keep pushing to put it in the show. I’m really proud of this team, and I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow.”
Shane van Gisbergen and Michael McDowell – Front-Row Press Conference Quotes
How did you feel about your car’s race trim?
Van Gisbergen: “Yeah, my practice went okay. It’s very hot, so it’s slick out there at the times. They’re a lot slower than previous years. My car felt pretty good. I probably took it too easy. I had too much left at the end of practice, but yeah, I feel like my race car was pretty good. I liked a few things, and then in qualifying, I sharpened it up. My first lap was a pretty good banker and I knew I had a lot left. And then the next lap went pretty decent… probably had two- or three-tenths left, and pretty cool to lay it down.”
We saw quite a few drivers making mistakes or coming close to making mistakes today. Can you describe how on edge you guys are, and how little margin of error may be out there?
Van Gisbergen: “Yeah, I think that’s the temperature. We’re over a second off, I think, from what we managed last year. The track’s just treacherous, and when it’s that hot and slick, the margin for error is just so small. On a track like this with no run-offs, you’ve really got to be — like I hit the wall two or three times, I think, on my qualifying lap. You’ve got to be that accurate and that close to the walls, and you have no margin left. I don’t blame the guys crash, it’s a very, very tough track, this one.”
You guys mentioned the heat, but how do you feel like the track looks compared to the last two years – similar or different, anything stand out to you guys?
Van Gisbergen: “It’s the same for me.”
McDowell: “Yeah, I think everything looks the same. I mean, for a street course, it’s miraculous how good they get the corners the same every year. I think some of that is because there’s some hard stops too, right, like there’s curves on the other side, and street markers there that kind of get it that way. There’s a couple little bumps that are slightly bigger, but for the most part, it’s the same. They do a good job of having the barriers in the same spot. Visual references — I feel like they’re the same. In the first couple of years, it was a little different. But I felt like this was really consistent.”
Brad Keselowski was saying that he thought there were areas of the track that were repaved last year, and they’re just much more treacherous this year…
Van Gisbergen: “Yeah, I think it’s turn 12, turn 1, it’s lost a little grip and some color. But I still think that they’re the highest grip parts of the track. And there’s no bumps there, so yeah, I find it okay.”
McDowell: “I think, overall, the day was just hotter. I mean we were about a second slower in qualifying and in rac, , so everywhere was a bit slicker. But yeah, there’s some new asphalt that we have to use too on the inside of turn 11. I don’t know — well SVG will use it for passing, he did last year there. But that’s about the only spot I feel like that’s much different.”
You two were among the fastest at Mexico, so are either of you surprised that the other one’s on the front row with you?
McDowell: “I’m not surprised at all. As Jeff Gluck said this morning, asking what I was going to do to beat SVG, obviously I didn’t do enough… he still got me about a half second there (laughs). We still got some work to do, but our race trim was good. Tomorrow will be a mixed bag with potential weather in and out, so a lot of variables to go out there and navigate.”
Van Gisbergen: “He (Michael McDowell) is a good road course racer. But you never know in NASCAR. There’s 15 guys that can turn up on a road course, and that’s the beauty of this series. Everyone’s so good, so you never know on a given weekend who’s going to be the challenger, so I’m not really surprised by anything in this sport.”
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Motorsports
Shane van Gisbergen dominates the streets of Chicago
Credit: Logan Riely / Getty Images Shane van Gisbergen is the king of the streets of Chicago and takes the win after a late race restart against teammate Connor Zilisch. SVG takes the pole on the streets of Chicago with Austin Hill on the front row. SVG clears for the lead immediately as Hill falls […]

Credit: Logan Riely / Getty Images
Shane van Gisbergen is the king of the streets of Chicago and takes the win after a late race restart against teammate Connor Zilisch.
SVG takes the pole on the streets of Chicago with Austin Hill on the front row. SVG clears for the lead immediately as Hill falls back to third and Sheldon Creed moves up to third.
Nick Sanchez swept around the inside of Sammy Smith for seventh on lap 2 and took the place.
Creed also went to the side of SVG to challenge for the lead, but Creed overdid the entry into turn 7. SVG was able to do the up and under to retake the lead.
On lap 3, Ryan Sieg slowed after contact with the wall but was able to make it to pit road.
A caution comes out on lap 5 for Jack Perkins spun from seventh and backed into the wall, suffering rear-end damage.
Still under caution on lap 7, William Sawalich stopped under caution with an electrical issue.
SVG and Creed led the way back on lap 8, and SVG easily cleared for the lead again.
Sam Mayer made a pass on Sanchez to break into the top five on the restart lap.
Zilisch also breaks into the top 15 on lap 9 after starting in 35th place. Zilisch was unable to qualify after suffering a crash in practice.
Connor Mosack goes off on lap 9 and bumps the wall. Mosack was able to get going, but the car was sparking.
Perkins also limped back to pit road with a destroyed back end with five to go in the stage.
Some drivers opt to pit to flip the stage. This includes drivers like Jesse Love, Brandon Jones, Taylor Gray and Thomas Annunziata.
With two to go a caution is called as Brad Perez hits the tyre barrier and takes them to the end of the stage.
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No. 9 – Shane van Gisbergen (JR Motorsports
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No. 00 – Sheldon Creed (Haas Factory Team)
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No. 21 – Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing)
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No. 41 – Sam Mayer (Haas Factory Team)
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No. 48 – Nick Sanchez (Big Machine Racing)
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No. 7 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports)
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No. 8 – Sammy Smith (JR Motorsports)
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No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (JR Motorsports)
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No. 1 – Carson Kvapil (JR Motorsports)
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No. 07 – Alex Labbe (SS-Green Light Racing)
Many drivers pit under the stage caution, but SVG stayed out.
SVG and Jeb Burton line up for the restart on lap 19. Once again, SVG easily clears for the lead as Christian Eckes gets on J. Burton’s bumper. Love did the switch-up and got ahead of J. Burton and Eckes in turn 8.
By lap 24, SVG had a gap of about 8 seconds to Love in second place.
Also on lap 24, Matt DiBenedetto hit the tyre barrier at turn 1 and brought out the third caution.
Some drivers pit under the caution, including SVG. Creed takes the lead alongside Love. Just before we could go back to green, Josh Bilicki stopped on track with a fire.
For the restart with two to go, Creed clears for the lead.
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No. 00 – Sheldon Creed (Haas Factory Team)
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No. 2 – Jesse Love (Richard Childress Racing)
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No. 21 – Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing)
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No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (JR Motorsports)
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No. 8 – Sammy Smith (JR Motorsports)
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No. 27 – Jeb Burton (Jordan Anderson Racing)
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No. 11 – Josh Williams (Kaulig Racing)
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No. 7 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports)
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No. 20 – Brandon Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing)
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No. 70 – Thomas Annunziata (Cope Family Racing)
Some drivers pit, but many choose to stay out. Creed and Love line up again for the restart on lap 35. Creed gets the jump on Love as Zilisch looked to sweep around Love but thought better of it. SVG also surged from 11th to seventh on the restart lap.
Thomas Annunziata hit the tyre barrier at turn 2, and Gray stopped to avoid contact but was hit into Annunziata. Bother were able to continue, but caution was called for debris.
On lap 37, Creed and Hill led the way back to green with Zilisch and Love directly behind them. Creed pushed Hill into the wall slightly, but got ahead for the lead. Zilisch moved up to second.
Parker Retzalff spins around as Zilisch takes the lead before the end of the restart lap.
While Zilisch extended his lead to about two seconds, SVG broke into the top five, and by lap 40, SVG was in third.
SVG passed Creed on lap 41 and began charging towards teammate Zilisch.
On lap 43, Justin Allgaier reported brake issues and pitted from 13th.
Caution thrown on lap 44 as Andre Castro gets stuck in the tyre barrier at turn 6.
The two weekend favorites line up alongside each other for the restart with two laps to go. Zilisch takes the outside, and SVG takes the inside.
Zilisch gets ahead but doesn’t clear SVG. SVG sends Zilisch deep in the corner of turn 1 and takes the lead.
Zilisch was right on SVG’s bumper throughout the last lap, but this was Shane van Gisbergen’s race.
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No. 9 – Shane van Gisbergen (JR Motorsports) [FL]
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No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (JR Motorsports)
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No. 00 – Sheldon Creed (Haas Factory Team)
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No. 21 – Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing)
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No. 48 – Nick Sanchez (Big Machine Racing)
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No. 2 – Jesse Love (Richard Childress Racing)
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No. 8 – Sammy Smith (JR Motorsports)
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No. 41 – Sam Mayer (Haas Factory Team)
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No. 32 – Austin Green (Jordan Anderson Racing)
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No. 44 – Brennen Poole (Alpha Prime Racing)
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No. 11 – Josh Williams (Kaulig Racing)
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No. 07 – Alex Labbe (SS-Green Light Racing)
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No. 25 – Harrison Burton (AM Racing)
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No. 26 – Dean Thompson (Sam Hunt Racing)
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No. 16 – Christian Eckes (Kaulig Racing)
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No. 1 – Carson Kvapil (JR Motorsports)
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No. 70 – Thomas Annunziata (Cope Family Racing)
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No. 31 – Blaine Perkins (Jordan Anderson Racing)
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No. 10 – Daniel Dye (Kaulig Racing)
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No. 28 – Kyle Sieg (RSS Racing)
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No. 20 – Brandon Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing)
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No. 24 – Kaz Grala (Sam Hunt Racing)
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No. 7 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports)
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No. 4 – Parker Retzlaff (Alpha Prime Racing)
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No. 71 – Ryan Ellis (DGM Racing + JIM)
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No. 14 – Connor Mosack (SS-Green Light Racing)
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No. 27 – Jeb Burton (Jordan Anderson Racing)
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No. 99 – Matt DiBenedetto (Viking Motorsports)
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No. 50 – Preston Pardus (Pardus Racing Inc.)
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No. 45 – Brad Perez (Alpha Prime Racing)
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No. 51 – Jeremy Clements (Jeremy Clements Racing)
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No. 19 – Jack Perkins (Joe Gibbs Racing) +4 laps
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No. 35 – Andre Castro (Joey Gase Motorsports) +7 laps
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No. 54 – Taylor Gray (Joe Gibbs Racing) [DNF]
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No. 91 – Josh Bilicki (DGM Racing x JIM) [DNF]
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No. 42 – Anthony Alfredo (Young’s Motorsports) [DNF]
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No. 18 – William Sawalich (Joe Gibbs Racing) [DNF]
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No. 39 – Ryan Sieg (RSS Racing) [DNF]
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No. 5 – Kris Wright (Our Motorsports) [DNS]
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No. 53 – Sage Karam (Joey Gase Motorsports) [DNS]
Next week, NASCAR Xfinity heads to Sonoma! Tune in Saturday, July 12, at 15:30 EST (20:30 BST).
Motorsports
Shane van Gisbergen Treated, Released from Care Center Following Chicago Win
Shane van Gisbergen dazzled in the streets of Chicago with a dominant performance in Saturday’s (July 5) The Loop 110, passing JR Motorsports teammate Connor Zilisch on the final restart to score back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series wins in the Windy City. An untimely caution and subsequent pit stop on lap 26 dropped van Gisbergen to […]

Shane van Gisbergen dazzled in the streets of Chicago with a dominant performance in Saturday’s (July 5) The Loop 110, passing JR Motorsports teammate Connor Zilisch on the final restart to score back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series wins in the Windy City.
An untimely caution and subsequent pit stop on lap 26 dropped van Gisbergen to 25th after leading from the pole. He fought through heavy traffic and gritted out a mid-race cool suit failure to complete the comeback. He did so with temperatures around 95 degrees outside and even hotter inside of his No. 9 racecar.
After performing a celebratory burnout and conducting a TV interview, van Gisbergen went to the infield care center for treatment from overheating (in part from the cool suit failure) and was unavailable for a post-race press conference.
He was treated and released from the care center around 7:35 p.m. local time. He’ll start on the pole for Sunday’s (July 6) Grant Park 165 and will look to double up by sweeping the weekend and scoring his second NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2025 season.



NASCAR Content Director at Frontstretch
Stephen Stumpf is the NASCAR Content Director for Frontstretch and is a three-year veteran of the site. His weekly column is “Stat Sheet,” and he formerly wrote “4 Burning Questions” for three years. He also writes commentaries, contributes to podcasts, edits articles and is frequently at the track for on-site coverage.
Find Stephen on Twitter @stephen_stumpf
Motorsports
Ty Dillon, Denny Hamlin Say NASCAR In-Season Bracket Challenge Building Fun Rivalries, Driver Trash-Talking
By Jerry Jordan, Editor CHICAGO – The NASCAR in-season bracket challenge is having its intended effect, even if it’s with drivers who weren’t expected to advance past the first round, like Ty Dillon. This past week, Dillon, who was the No. 32 seed in the rankings, knocked out No. 1 seed Denny Hamlin. That would […]

By Jerry Jordan, Editor
CHICAGO – The NASCAR in-season bracket challenge is having its intended effect, even if it’s with drivers who weren’t expected to advance past the first round, like Ty Dillon.
This past week, Dillon, who was the No. 32 seed in the rankings, knocked out No. 1 seed Denny Hamlin. That would be somewhat similar to Mississippi State Bulldogs beating the Auburn Tigers in this year’s NCAA Championships. Although Hamlin’s elimination from the bracket came after he was involved in a multi-car crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the outcome propelled Dillon to the next round, facing off this week on the Chicago Street Course against Brad Keselowski.
During his post-race interviews, Dillon chided Hamlin’s fans with, “I beat your favorite driver.” It’s a phrase that Hamlin routinely uses after he wins a race, embracing his “bad guy” role in the sport.
“Yeah, you know, obviously we’re quite overlooked going into that race, probably rightfully so coming in as a 32 seed against a one seed,” Dillon told members of the media during his driver appearance in Chicago. “We’ve been getting a lot of comments, calls, and even walking around here in Chicago, I feel like the fan enthusiasm. I usually get a couple, hey, Ty, but like some more enthusiastic fan interaction already. So that’s been fun. You know, I think a lot of credit goes to Denny as well. He’s leaned into the Denny versus the world thing the last year or so and built up a bit of a villain role, and it’s been fun. And when drivers kind of lean into some kind of entertainment part of our roles, it opens up doors for us, other guys to show some of our personality. And I think without Denny opening up to his fans a little bit or opening up to the sport a little bit, there’s not that opportunity for people to see me when we excel in a situation. And NASCAR also adding to it, doing the bracket challenge to add something interesting throughout the year that gives us a little chance to talk trash and go at each other a little bit and in a good fun (way). So, it was just a good moment.”

To his credit, rather than rally his fans against Dillon, Hamlin went on his podcast, Actions Detrimental, and told everyone to give Dillon his due, as he had earned the right to engage in a little trash-talking.
“I see people giving Ty Dillon a lot of flak,” Hamlin said on the show. “Give him his moment, people. He beat me.”
When asked about it on Saturday, Hamlin said, “I think that’s one of the things that the In-Season Tournament was meant to do, right? To create a rivalry that maybe you wouldn’t think of. While that rivalry may only last one week, the social media content will live on for forever for it.”
Dillon confessed he had planned his response once he knew that Hamlin was officially knocked out of the race, adding that the banter is good for the sport.
“I said, ‘Hey, give me a second after this interview, I got something to say,’” Dillon said. “So, somewhat spontaneous, I guess you could call it that, but it was there. It was always there, and I just wanted to lean into it a little bit.”
Afterward, he said he texted Hamlin, who had no issues with his comments.
“Yeah, I sent him a text afterward and just said, hey, man, just having fun with your friends,” Dillon said. “I hate that you got taken out. We didn’t get to race straight up as much as we probably wanted to, but he was like, ‘man, I loved it.’ That was cool. And Denny gets it, you know, and I think that’s something for our drivers to continue to grow. Denny’s grown, I think, in his comfort level of who he is in the race car and around the track to where he’s leaning into that little, bit of a villain role, and I think we should all see that a little bit.
“I think we get so focused, as drivers on our own performance, and we beat ourselves up, but we don’t lean into the fact that so much of what we do isn’t just about us. It’s about the entertainment level that we provide to our fans, and Denny has done a great job of that, like I said, and given me also the opportunity when I excel, playing off of him to show some of my personality. I like trash-talking. When I play sports, it’s kind of the fun thing that I do. Like, I don’t mean anything by it, but I like to see where people’s minds are inside the game, and so that was just a fun moment. He gets it, which is cool, and there’s a level of people that kind of understand there’s another level to this whole game once you’ve been around long enough that really matters as far as leaning into the fan side of this thing.”
Dillon’s match-up this week may be somewhat easier than last week but his bracket opponent won’t be cutting him any slack, saying there’s definitely going to be a battle to advance to the next round.
“I haven’t paid a lot of attention to it, Ty is a really good road course driver in the rain, specifically so it should be an epic battle,” Keselowski said
Motorsports
Shane van Gisbergen goes elbows out for Chicago Xfinity win
The NASCAR Xfinity race at Chicago ended in a two-lap dash for the win with Connor Zilisch leading teammate Shane van Gisbergen (SVG). As the green flag flew, SVG forced it up the inside of JR Motorsports teammate Zilisch, pushing him wide and taking the race lead. Zilisch tried to fight back, but it was […]

The NASCAR Xfinity race at Chicago ended in a two-lap dash for the win with Connor Zilisch leading teammate Shane van Gisbergen (SVG). As the green flag flew, SVG forced it up the inside of JR Motorsports teammate Zilisch, pushing him wide and taking the race lead. Zilisch tried to fight back, but it was too late as van Gisbergen captured the checkered flag.
“Thought it was going to be a lost cause when the strategy went wrong, but it worked out well,” said van Gisbergen. “Thanks to JRM, the car was a rocket.”
Speaking more on the strategy, SVG said: “I knew that was what we were gonna do, but when so many cars didn’t follow us, it was a bit of worry, but then we had tire grip at the end. Really cool battles with everyone. I enjoyed it.”
He also praised Zilisch, calling him “a great young driver … I knew that was my opportunity (to pass him) and took it. It was an awesome 1-2 for the team.”
Zilisch seemed surprised by the move, saying, “I guess I shouldn’t have let him get to my bottom when I was clear there just barely on the front-straight. I just let him get to my inside and took advantage of it. Hate it for my #88 group. I should have just been a little bit more aggressive there. I just thought he was going to race me a little cleaner. I’ll learn from it, move on.”
Watch: Zilisch: ‘Thought he’d race me a little cleaner’ after runner-up finish
This was SVG’s first NASCAR Xfinity start of the year, but his fourth career win. He also won on the streets of Chicago one year ago, but that was with Kaulig Racing.
Sheldon Creed finished third, Austin Hill fourth, and Nick Sanchez fifth. Jesse Love, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, Austin Green, and Brennan Poole filled out the remainder of the top ten.
SVG fights through the field

Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images
There were no track-blocking wrecks during the race, but plenty of incidents. Van Gisbergen dominated from the start, but opted to go an alternate strategy that nearly cost him, staying out at the end of Stage 1. However, before he could make his scheduled stop later on, a debris caution with a few laps to go in Stage 2 forced his hand.
Van Gisbergen gave up the lead and came down pit road for his lone stop of the race, falling back to 19th for the restart. While Sheldon Creed claimed the Stage 2 win, SVG quickly drove up to 13th place.
As the final stage got underway, Creed remained in control while van Gisbergen rocketed up to seventh. The caution flew once more when Thomas Annunziata crashed in Turn 2. Taylor Gray tried to avoid the wreck, but got pushed into it.
On the following restart, van Gisbergen continued his forward push as Zilisch moved into the race lead. With some help from Creed, who pulled over for him, SVG moved into second with nine laps to go. He was over 3.5 seconds behind Zilisch, and while he began to chip away at it, another caution would bring the teammates together for a final showdown.
Andre Castro stuffed it into the tires, setting up the final restart of the race, where SVG forced his way by Zilisch. Van Gisbergen also earned pole position for the Cup race in Chicago, so he will attempt to complete the weekend sweep on Sunday.
Photos from Chicago – Race
In this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR XFINITY
Shane van Gisbergen
Connor Zilisch
JR Motorsports
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Motorsports
A look at NASCAR Chicago Street Race weekend
As NASCAR fans from across the globe gathered for the 2025 Chicago Street Race on Saturday, some spectators reveled in the moment more than usual, knowing it may be the last time the city hosts the event. This is the third and final year of NASCAR’s contract with the city for the Fourth of July […]

As NASCAR fans from across the globe gathered for the 2025 Chicago Street Race on Saturday, some spectators reveled in the moment more than usual, knowing it may be the last time the city hosts the event.
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.
NASCAR Chicago Street Race President Julie Giese has been tight-lipped about NASCAR’s future in the city, as well. A two-year extension for the course to stay in Chicago remains possible, but far from certain. Races in the previous two years have been met with rainy weather, leading to lengthy delays.
Some residents have been lukewarm about the event, as it comes with street closures that make 10 commonly used intersections inaccessible. And after days of snarled traffic and rerouted buses, it takes awhile for the Loop to return to normal.
Amid the uncertainty, thousands of dedicated racing fans streamed into Chicago’s Grant Park early Saturday morning, braving the hot weather but enjoying clear blue skies as drivers completed their initial practice runs.
“I am out here because this will probably be the last year,” said John Drexler, a 66-year-old truck driver from Schaumburg and self-described “gearhead.”

Drexler said it would be a shame to lose a spectacle, which showcases Chicago’s skyline for an international audience.
“I’ve been a racing fan for more than 50 years, so I hope they bring it back,” he said. “Monaco and Long Beach are the only cities that are even comparable to this.”
Many spectators watched the race — and visited Chicago — for the first time. The street course rookies seemed in awe of the atmosphere.
“So far it’s been awesome. I’m over the moon,” said Scott Russell, 52, who traveled from Melbourne, Australia. “I paid a fortune for tickets (because) I thought if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do this properly. I would definitely come back to Chicago without a doubt.”
Fans filled the grandstands east of the pit stops on Columbus Drive and lined the fences along the rest of the 2.2-mile lakefront course, many wincing as drivers roared past at more than 100 mph. Drivers maneuvered through Grant Park and skirted Lake Michigan, sped past the Museum Campus down to Roosevelt Road, taking several 90-degree turns at about 50 mph, eventually heading north on Michigan Avenue and then east past the Art Institute of Chicago on Jackson Drive.
“I’ve been to all three of these because I felt like this was maybe not going to be around forever,” said Mike Piotrowski, who grew up watching racing on television.
Piotrowski is not like some of the NASCAR fans who have been to races all over the country. David Cox, 52, said he has made trips to Talladega in Lincoln, Alabama, and Bristol, in Tennessee, as well as watched races in Michigan.
“A NASCAR race is like a marriage, everyone should try it at least once,” Cox said. “If you don’t like it, don’t go back.”
John Tucker, a Lutheran minister from Salisbury, N.C., has been to four races this year. His daughter is married to an engineer from RCR Racing, which is why he became a traveling NASCAR fan eight years ago. He thinks the racing itself is interesting, but he said he became a true fan when he saw the “camaraderie of the pit crews.”
“They really look after each other,” Tucker said. “Family care is important to me, and to see that with a team … I didn’t expect that.”
Before Saturday, Tammy Southern had not been to a NASCAR race since 1997. This weekend was the first time she and her husband, Bradley, were able to take a vacation alone since they had children. They came to Chicago from South Bend, Indiana, to soak up “the stuff that you don’t normally see when you’re at home watching it.”
“There’s so many different experiences here that we get to see,” Southern said. “It’s sad that this might be the last one here.”

The weekend featured one of its first nonrainy days, as fans treated themselves to mock races, a trip down pit lane during qualifying and a look at each racer’s RV. Workers repaired cars while others kept the crew hydrated in the high-80s degree weather.
Thirty-eight drivers qualified for Saturday’s Xfinity Series The Loop 110 race, and many said Chicago’s heat wave made the course hotter and slicker than the past two years, making it more difficult to avoid scraping the walls.
“When the track is that hot and slick, there is no margin for error,” said 36-year-old New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen, just after completing the fastest time during the Loop 110 qualifying round.
Gisbergen, the winner of the inaugural Chicago Street Race in 2023, said he also hopes the Chicago Street Race returns for another year.
“You walk to the track with all the fans and it’s really cool,” he said. “This is a place that is really special to me.”

Many fans said they would love to see the race remain in Chicago, as well. They rave about how close spectators are to the track, as well as the “smell of the tires and asphalt” as racers drove by.
“I’m really happy to be here because it’s my first time I’ve ever been to Chicago and the city has amazed me (because of) how clean it is and the amount of people I’ve met and how friendly they are,” Russell said. “If someone said to me, ‘You want to go to Chicago (for the race)?’, I’ll be like ‘Yup, let’s go.’”
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