The NASCAR Chicago Street Race has landed Arby’s as the sponsor. On Wednesday, NASCAR announced the fast-food chain will join the league as the newest founding partner of the race, which will take place at Chicago’s Grant Park on Sunday, July 6. Arby’s is no stranger to NASCAR as it serves as an anchor partner for Rick Ware Racing (RWR) and driver Cody Ware in the Cup Series.

“It’s a watershed moment anytime you have a new brand joining the sport for the first time, especially when it’s a partner like Arby’s with such a unique, recognizable brand,” Craig Stimmel, Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, NASCAR, said in a press release. “The fact that we’re welcoming Arby’s to NASCAR on the streets of Chicago speaks to the tremendous momentum behind the NASCAR Chicago Street Race and the sport overall.”

More on Arby’s and the Chicago Street Race

“Arby’s is thrilled to hit the track as a Founding Partner of the 2025 NASCAR Chicago Street Race,” Jeff Baker, Chief Marketing Officer at Arby’s, said. “This marks an exciting moment for our brand in the world of motorsports, with one of the most dynamic and groundbreaking events in racing. Nothing goes better with NASCAR than one of our delicious Arby’s sandwiches, and we can’t wait to bring the meats to the streets for race fans and Arby’s fans in Chicago and beyond.

Arby’s joins Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Xfinity’s Xumo brand as the third Founding Partner of the 2025 Chicago Street Race. The restaurant was founded in 1964 and has 3,600 locations around the world. Its main headquarters are located in Atlanta.

“Arby’s is all about bringing joy to their fans, and that’s exactly our goal with the NASCAR Chicago Street Race,” Julie Giese, NASCAR Chicago Street Race President, said. “As anticipation rises in the Chicago market, we know that Arby’s will be a perfect fit for the fun and enjoyment that we plan to bring back to Grant Park this Independence Day Weekend.”

The Chicago Street Race began in 2023 and Shane van Gisbergen won the Cup Series event that year. Alex Bowman won the race in 2024.

Alex Bowman was involved in a terrifying wreck at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, and while he is expected to race in Mexico City, Hendrick Motorsports has placed Anthony Alfredo on standby.

Denny Hamlin won his third race of the season at Michigan on Sunday, but only after a red flag brought the contest to a halt after Bowman’s No.48 Hendrick Motorsports car was sent head-first into the wall at high speed. Bowman was shaken up after the crash, but avoided serious injury.

Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon gave a promising update ahead of the first NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico, claiming that he expects Bowman to race as usual. However, Alfredo is ready to replace Bowman if he’s deemed unfit to race on Sunday.

Alfredo does all of the simulator work for Hendrick Motorsports and will compete in the Xfinity Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. He is also mentally preparing for Sunday’s Cup Series race in the event that he’s needed.

Bowman made a fast start to the 2025 season, placing in the top 10 in five of his first six races. However, he has failed to finish in three of his last nine races after suffering two crashes and an engine fault. The latest incident at Michigan was one of the biggest wrecks of the season.

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The No. 48 Chevrolet was running in the 29th position when a collision between the cars of Austin Cindric and Cole Custer compromised him. Contact was made with Bowman, and his car slammed into the outside wall and damaged the barrier.

“Yeah, that hurt a lot,” Bowman told Amazon Prime after leaving the infield care center. “That was probably top of the board on hits I’ve taken, and unfortunately, I’ve taken a lot of hits, so hate that for the Ally 48 team.

“Looks like the 41 got loose or the 2 got into him or something, then at that point you’re just along for the ride. Couldn’t really do anything except think, ‘oh s—, this is about to hurt’, really. So I hate that for our team, and it’s been a rough two months, so just got to keep digging.

“I mean, honestly, we were pretty decent yesterday, I thought. I was pretty optimistic about today, and we completely missed it to start the race, then obviously got super loose and had long pit stops, making adjustments trying to make it better, and never really got a chance to race again after that.

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“Confident that my guys would’ve got the car better and we could’ve got back up there, but unfortunately, when you get in the back like that, s— gets pretty crazy, and stuff like that happens.”

After the crash in Michigan, reporters asked Bowman if he was more afraid to compete after suffering another major scare. In April 2023, Bowman missed several weeks of racing after suffering a fractured vertebra in a crash, and he hurt his back again at Michigan.

“No, I’m not afraid. I wouldn’t even say concerned,” Bowman said. “I don’t know, I’m a race car driver, I hit s—. I would like to stop hitting s—.”

By Jerry Jordan, Editor

MEXICO CITY – After one charter plane was delayed getting to Charlotte, N.C. and another charter plane had engine issues that sent crews from multiple teams back to their race shops on Thursday, NASCAR canceled Xfinity Series practice and altered Cup Series activities for Friday.

The problems began when one of the charter planes coming from Singapore, was delayed, according to a post on X by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Then, on Thursday morning, reports began filtering in that a second plane had an issue on takeoff and passengers heard, “a boom.” At first, it was believed the plane had blown a tire but the pilot told NASCAR teams he believed it was birdstrike that damaged one of the engines.

The plane was heading down the runway at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and about to take flight, according to passengers on the plane, when it had to abort the takeoff. The aviation monitoring website, Flight Aware, confirmed delays for both planes heading to Mexico City; however, one of them, a Boeing 767, did take off at 3:56 p.m. EST. It landed safely at Mexico City Santa Lucía Airport, an airport south of the primary airport in Mexico City, where most commercial flights land.

According to Flight Aware, the planes are owned by Omni Air International, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A phone call made after hours was sent to a voicemail system where a message was left.

NASCAR driver Ryan Ellis and teams from Trackhouse, DGM Racing, Haas Factory Team (Xfinity) and Sam Hunt Racing teams were on that plane.

On Lap 67 of the NASCAR Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman was racing deep in the pack when he found himself in a bad situation. After contact from Cole Custer, he ended up slamming the outside wall in a head-on impact that lifted the rear tires off completely the ground. Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet hit the wall at roughly 150mph, immediately ending his race.

Bowman later described it as perhaps the biggest hit of his career. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old has a history of injuries. He suffered a concussion following a crash at Texas Motor Speedway in 2022, missing five races as a result. In 2023, he suffered a back injury in a sprint car crash that forced him to miss three Cup races.

Thankfully, Bowman has been medically cleared to race this weekend in Mexico City despite some soreness. The road course event is a big opportunity for Bowman as his most recent win in the Cup Series came at the Chicago Street Course last summer.

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

As a precaution, Hendrick will have Anthony Alfredo on standby for Bowman at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Alfredo, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, also works as a simulator driver for HMS. He has 42 starts in the Cup Series, including one start earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway.

Bowman currently sits 13th in the championship standings after the first 15 races this year and is hoping for some positive momentum. He has finished 27th or worse in seven of the last nine races, including five finishes of 35th or worse in a dismal run for the No. 48 team.

NASCAR’s historic return to Mexico City marks a significant milestone for the sport, as the Cup Series prepares to race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on June 15, 2025, for the first points-paying international event since 1958.

This weekend, dubbed the Viva Mexico 250, not only brings the premier series to a global stage but also sees the Xfinity Series competing in The Chilango 150 on June 14, reviving NASCAR’s presence in Mexico after a 17-year absence. The event underscores NASCAR’s ambition to expand its reach and tap into the vibrant motorsport culture of a city with over 20 million residents.

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, a 2.42-mile road course with 15 turns, presents unique challenges for drivers and teams. Situated at an elevation of approximately 7,500 feet, the track’s thin air will test the car, engine performance and driver endurance.

To prepare, some competitors have trained in oxygen-deprived environments, utilizing hypoxic tents or specialized exercise regimens to adapt to the high altitude. The circuit, reconfigured since its last NASCAR event in 2008, features a distinctive section that cuts through a former baseball stadium, bringing fans closer to the action.

Its long start/finish straight, the longest among NASCAR’s road courses this season, promises intense racing moments.

This weekend holds special significance for Trackhouse Racing, a team with deep ties to the event. Daniel Suarez, the only Mexican-born driver to win a NASCAR national series race, serves as the unofficial ambassador for the Mexico City race.

Hailing from Monterrey, Suarez has competed at this venue 13 times in NASCAR’s Mexico Series, securing three victories. His familiarity with the track and cultural connection to the event make him a focal point, though he faces pressure both on and off the track.

Currently ranked 28th in the Cup Series standings and in a contract year with Trackhouse, Suarez aims to deliver a strong performance in front of an expected crowd that includes over 100 friends and family members.

The logistical undertaking to bring NASCAR to Mexico City has been monumental. Haulers departed Michigan International Speedway on June 8, traveling over 2,300 miles to reach the Autódromo. Xfinity Series teams crossed the border earlier, coordinating a complex operation to transport race cars, backup vehicles, and equipment.

NASCAR’s planning began over a year ago, with meticulous scheduling to ensure a seamless event. The organization’s commitment to this race reflects its broader strategy to grow the sport globally, exposing it to new audiences and potential sponsors while showcasing its top talent.

For fans, the weekend promises a festival of racing. The NASCAR Mexico Series will also compete, featuring events on June 13 and 14, with local drivers like Andres Perez De Lara and Ruben Rovelo making their Xfinity Series debuts alongside Suarez.

The Cup Series race, broadcast on Prime Video, and the Xfinity Series event on The CW, will reach a global audience, amplifying the event’s impact. Shane van Gisbergen, a road course specialist, enters as the betting favorite, while veterans like Denny Hamlin, who may miss the race due to the impending birth of his child, add intrigue to the storyline.

NASCAR’s return to Mexico City is more than a race; it’s a bold step toward international expansion. By embracing the challenges of a new market and celebrating the sport’s diversity, NASCAR aims to write a new chapter in its history, one that resonates with fans both in Mexico and beyond.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Denny Hamlin will miss NASCAR’s first international race of the modern era to remain in North Carolina following the birth of his child.

Ryan Truex will replace him Sunday in Mexico City.

“See you guys in Pocono,” Hamlin posted on social media. “We are happy to announce the birth of our son. Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five.”

Hamlin and fiancee Jordan Fish now have three children, two daughters and a son born Wednesday. Hamlin had been on baby watch the last 12 days as Fish went nearly two weeks past her predicted due date.

He had planned to get out of the car at Michigan last Sunday if she went into labor early in the race, but when the first stage passed with no word, he went on to score his third win of the season. The victory was the 57th of his career and made him the all-time winningest driver at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Through 15 races this season, Hamlin ranks third in the overall Cup Series standings.

Truex, younger brother of former JGR full-time driver Martin Truex Jr., is Gibbs’ reserve driver. His last Cup Series start was in 2014 and he has 26 starts at NASCAR’s top level.

Hamlin will need NASCAR to grant him a waiver to be eligible to compete in the playoffs for the Cup Series championship. NASCAR during the offseason tightened the rules for granting waivers, but said it would permit a driver skipping an event for the birth of a child.

The 44-year-old Hamlin will snap his streak of 406 consecutive starts. Hamlin last missed a race in 2014 at California Speedway because of an eye irritation.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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