Motorsports

Nascar goes to Mexico: Ben Kennedy on the making of the landmark Cup Series event

This weekend, Nascar will race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, marking the first points-paying Cup Series race held outside the US in the modern era. Technically, a points-paying race did take place in Ontario, Canada, back in 1958 but that was well before the start of what’s widely considered modern Nascar, which […]

Published

3 weeks ago

June 10, 2025

Your Sports Nation

This weekend, Nascar will race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, marking the first points-paying Cup Series race held outside the US in the modern era.

Technically, a points-paying race did take place in Ontario, Canada, back in 1958 but that was well before the start of what’s widely considered modern Nascar, which began in 1972. Since then, there has never been an event like this.

Exhibition events have taken Nascar to places like Australia and Japan, while from 2005 to 2008 the second-tier Xfinity Series raced at the circuit hosting this weekend’s action. The Cup Series, though, is a different matter entirely.

Nascar may be the governing body for multiple series but, for those outside the US especially, Nascar is the Cup Series and the product that needs to be brought to their doorstep.

Still, introducing an international race to the official Cup Series schedule is far from straightforward. Unlike Formula One, which has long operated with a global infrastructure, Nascar is not an internationally established series and faces real challenges when expanding to new markets.

Lessons from Chicago

In many ways, the groundwork for Nascar’s expansion into Mexico began with the downtown event in Chicago, despite that not being an international event.

The 2023 edition was the first street race that Nascar had ever held, a sign that the series wanted to start doing things a little differently. However, it also highlighted that Nascar was not appropriately set up for the various logistical challenges.

Jeff Wohlschlaeger, head of sales for Nascar at the time, told BlackBook Motorsport that Nascar failed to anticipate “the level of work that would be required” for the event. The race ended up costing a reported US$50 million, which far exceeded the original budget of between US$15 million and US$25 million.

While Mexico will present its own unique challenges, the experience in Chicago means Nascar is far more prepared than it was previously.

Nascar’s most recent attempt to branch out into new markets has not been without teething issues, but these have been invaluable lessons for the series’ expansion into Mexico

“There’s some learnings [from Chicago] and quite a few of the people that work on the Chicago event are also spending time helping promote Mexico City as well,” Ben Kennedy, Nascar’s executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovations officer, tells BlackBook Motorsport.

“The biggest [learning] is how we think about marketing and promoting events and taking it to market. One example of that is we’ve branded the weekend in Chicago and the weekend in Mexico with the Nascar name. It’s important for us to be able to build the Nascar name in Chicago as well as Mexico.”

Indeed, Nascar races are usually heavily commercialised and centred around brand partnerships, like the Coca-Cola 600. But all the marketing in the buildup to this weekend has focused on the ‘Nascar Mexico City Weekend’, before being called the ‘Viva México 250’ one month out from its debut.

One major difference from Chicago is that the series won’t be promoting the event itself. Instead, the weekend is being led by Oseca, the promoter behind the Formula One race at the same circuit. Yet, as Kennedy points out, it remains a great undertaking for Nascar.

“The travel and logistics, travelling a pretty good distance from Michigan and having our entire industry go to Mexico City, it’s a far drive,” he explains.

“We have to coordinate flights and hotel rooms, and logistics when people get on the ground, as well as a couple hundred haulers that are going to be travelling down there as well.”

‘We felt the best first step would be to go south’

Kennedy reveals that Nascar “had multiple conversations across many countries and continents.” So why choose Mexico?

Nascar wanted to make a statement at the start of its new seven-year media rights deal, which is reportedly worth US$7.7 billion across four broadcasters. One of those, Amazon Prime Video, holds a five-race package that includes this weekend’s event, marking the first time the Cup Series has aired exclusively on a streaming platform.

The significance of going abroad for this race should help drive viewers to Prime Video, though the decision to pick Mexico also reflected practical considerations given the logistical challenges meant Nascar couldn’t venture too far afield.

“The amount of inventory that we carry through our Cup Series schedule makes it very difficult for us to travel from the United States overseas, pack our stuff up, and then be back the next weekend, seeing that we have 38 [races],” says Kennedy.

While Mexico is the most logical choice for now, Kennedy adds that Nascar will “take a race north of the border” at some point soon, meaning Canada is very much in the mix for a future event.

“We want to focus on North America,” continues Kennedy. “We’ve had a few conversations in Mexico. We’ve also talked to folks north of the border as well at a few different locations and we’d still love to have an event up in Canada at some point.

“But with everything on the table, and the great partners that we already have down in Mexico, we felt like the best first step for us would be to go south.”

The race was officially unveiled at an event at the circuit in August 2024, featuring appearances from Ben Kennedy and Daniel Suárez

Maximising the Mexican market

One of Nascar’s drivers is Daniel Suárez, who graduated from the Nascar Mexico Series. It highlights the organisation’s existing presence in the country and sits alongside similar regional series in Canada, Brazil and Europe. All of these offer insight into Nascar’s broader international expansion plans.

“It’s really important for us for building the overall awareness and relevance of Nascar in these markets prior to us considering it for a Cup race,” Kennedy says. “But, just as important, we want to use it as a pipeline for the future stars of our sport.

“Daniel Suárez is a great example of someone that started in Mexico and is now in our Cup Series, and we would like to see the same for Brazil and Canada and our other territories too.”

Nascar will also look to maximise its visibility in Mexico during its visit through a free-to-air (FTA) broadcast deal with US-based Spanish-language media giant TelevisaUnivision.

Notably, Nascar gave the Spanish-language rights to a local broadcaster rather than Prime Video, which is airing the race in the US. This underscores how eager series executives are for the event to reach the widest possible audience.

“It was one of the first things when we decided that we’re going to Mexico City,” notes Kennedy. “It was a priority for us to find a free-to-air partner so that we could have the distribution and exposure going into the weekend and race day.”

Suárez is the only Mexican driver to have ever won a Cup Series race, while only two drivers from the country – Jorge Goeters and Pedro Rodríguez – have ever made it to the top level of Nascar previously

Avoiding F1 comparisons

Working closely with Oseca and racing at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez inevitably invites comparisons between Nascar and Formula One, something that is only increasing as the open-wheel series grows its presence in the US.

Nascar’s global expansion plans are, in part, a response to Formula One’s rising influence, as well as the increasing competition for eyeballs.

Kennedy himself stops short of making any direct comparisons between the pair.

“Even though we’re going to be racing on a very similar layout to Formula One, and I would guess that many fans that come on June 15th have gone to a Formula One race, so much of it’s going to feel different,” he says.

“The closeness of competition, the level of aggression that our drivers are going to have … they’re going to see a different style of racing that’s going to be true to what Nascar is.”

Evidently, Nascar is keen to distance itself from Formula One amid mounting pressure.

Since the first race of the Formula One season on 16th March, Nascar’s average viewership has been 2.56 million. Formula One is not that far behind, averaging 1.33 million viewers over the same period.

Take out the first three races of the Formula One season, which aired during the middle of the night in the US, and the gap narrows further: 2.53 million for Nascar versus 1.58 million for Formula One.

Formula One is also attracting viewers in the sought-after 18 to 49 demographic, with last month’s Miami Grand Prix drawing 917,000 viewers in that age group.

In this context, it’s easy to understand why Nascar feels the need to evolve and also why Mexico won’t be a one-off. But the first hurdle to clear will be ensuring this weekend’s event is a success, laying the foundation for a long-term future on the schedule.

“The biggest thing is making sure that we strike the right tone when we go to Mexico, that we have people that are following the weekend, that come to the event, that tune into the race weekend,” Kennedy says.

“We feel like we’ve done a lot of things in our power, especially over the past few months, to make sure that this event is successful.

“Hopefully this is just the catalyst and the start to many years of racing in Mexico.”

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Motorsports

Yamaha Donates Motorcycle Training Support Vehicle to Burbank PD

Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, donated a UMAX Rally 2+2 utility golf car to the Burbank Police Department. The donation supports the department’s motorcycle training unit through the Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative (OAI). The motorcycle training support vehicle will aid officers during skill-building exercises at the training grounds. Jay Leno, a longtime Burbank resident and motorcycle […]

Published

6 minutes ago

July 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

“As a friend and supporter of the Burbank PD, I heard they needed a reliable support vehicle for their training grounds, and I knew Yamaha would be the perfect partner,” said Leno, who hosted the presentation at his world-famous Jay Leno’s Garage, featured on the popular YouTube series of the same name. “The Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative is an incredible program that helps keep off-road recreation sustainable and safe for future generations.”

Monthly Training Gets a Boost from Motorcycle Training Support Vehicle

The Burbank Police Department conducts monthly training for motorcycle officers to maintain advanced riding skills. Officers will use the new Yamaha UMAX Rally 2+2 motorcycle training support vehicle during course design. They will also use it during course instruction. Furthermore, the vehicle will support operations at the department’s motorcycle training facility.

“We’re extremely thankful for Yamaha’s generous support and commitment to rider safety,” said Rafael Quintero, chief of police for the City of Burbank. “Whether it’s on the highway or on a trail, responsible riding starts with training and preparation, and we’re proud to set that example.”

Yamaha OAI Builds Safer, Sustainable Recreation

The Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative protects and enhances access to public land for outdoor and motorized recreation. It leads the powersports industry in land access advocacy and responsible riding education. Since 2008, OAI has contributed more than $7 million to over 535 projects across the U.S.

“While most OAI grants fund trail building, maintenance and conservation efforts, we also recognize that access can be threatened by unsafe or irresponsible behavior,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha Motorsports marketing director. “That’s why we’re proud to support the Burbank PD’s training efforts — it’s a win for the community and for rider education.”

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Motorsports

Major NASCAR Chicago street closures take effect in coming hours – NBC Chicago

Preparations are underway for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, but the biggest street closures are set to go into effect in coming hours. The circuit, set up through Chicago’s Grant Park, will play host to the Xfinity Series’ Loop 110 on Saturday and the Cup Series’ Grant Park 165 on Sunday, and the top drivers […]

Published

7 minutes ago

July 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Preparations are underway for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, but the biggest street closures are set to go into effect in coming hours.

The circuit, set up through Chicago’s Grant Park, will play host to the Xfinity Series’ Loop 110 on Saturday and the Cup Series’ Grant Park 165 on Sunday, and the top drivers in the world will make their way up and down several iconic Chicago streets.

Those streets are the focus of the latest rounds of closures, which could impact Chicago commuters on Thursday, according to officials.

Roosevelt Road, located along the far southern edge of the circuit, will close at 10 p.m. Wednesday between Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago officials said.

Just two hours later, another major closure will go into effect, as southbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will close between Randolph and McFetridge, impacting a major north-south thoroughfare for Chicago motorists.

On Thursday night at 10 p.m., Michigan Avenue will close between Roosevelt Road and Jackson Drive, officials say. At the same time, northbound DuSable Lake Shore Drive will close between McFetridge and Randolph.

The races take place Saturday and Sunday. There will be closures on Michigan Avenue, Monroe Street, Ida B. Wells Drive, Indiana Avenue, Post Place and Garvey Court, among others. A full list can be found on the OEMC website.

After the race is over, crews will work to quickly reopen as many major thoroughfares as possible, focusing on DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue, according to the city.

All race-related cleanup will likely be completed within a week, according to the city’s schedule.

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Motorsports

Honda branding for Kirkwood at Mid-Ohio

Kyle Kirkwood will become the second IndyCar driver to carry Honda branding this season with a new livery for his No. 27 Andretti Global Honda at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. “The collaboration comes at a home race for Honda, as the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is just over 60 miles from the Honda […]

Published

35 minutes ago

July 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Kyle Kirkwood will become the second IndyCar driver to carry Honda branding this season with a new livery for his No. 27 Andretti Global Honda at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

“The collaboration comes at a home race for Honda, as the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is just over 60 miles from the Honda Marysville and East Liberty Auto Plants as well as Honda Research & Development, and celebrates all of Honda’s products – from the streets to the sky,” Honda’s announcement stated. “More than 400,000 Honda and Acura automobiles are made in Ohio each year, as well as research and design on components for Honda products from lawnmowers to the HondaJet.”

The Mid-Ohio race marks the one-year anniversary of IndyCar’s shift to hybrid powertrains, and Kirkwood’s auto manufacturer livery follows the one-off Honda Racing Corporation US colors and branding carried to victory lane by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou in April at Barber Motorsports Park.

“We are thrilled to have Honda represented on the No. 27 Andretti Global machine of Kyle Kirkwood this weekend,” said Honda and Acura motorsports manager Chuck Schifsky. “We’ve had a long partnership with the Andretti organization, and when the chance came up to have Kyle run a Honda-branded car here at the Honda race at Mid-Ohio, we jumped at it. It’s a great opportunity to bring awareness to all parts of the Honda brand – from planes, motorcycles and power products, to road cars and our hybrid-powered Indy cars – especially on this one year anniversary of IndyCar going hybrid.

“We have thousands of Honda associates from our five Ohio manufacturing plants and the North American R&D center coming to watch the race, and seeing that Kyle is one of only two drivers to win so far this year, and all nine races have been won by Honda, we’re hoping we can continue that streak and put on a great show for them.”

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Drivers to watch, favorites to win and predictions for NASCAR Chicago

Drivers to watch, favorites to win and predictions for NASCAR Chicago originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia The city is buzzing, the track is almost ready and cars are arriving soon. Now, it’s time to meet the drivers. Advertisement The 2025 Chicago Street Race will see the world’s greatest stock car drivers hitting the track. […]

Published

36 minutes ago

July 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Drivers to watch, favorites to win and predictions for NASCAR Chicago originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The city is buzzing, the track is almost ready and cars are arriving soon.

Now, it’s time to meet the drivers.

The 2025 Chicago Street Race will see the world’s greatest stock car drivers hitting the track. A combination of big name stars, past Chicago winners and young prospects will make up the field in Sunday’s race.

Here’s everything to know about the drivers competing in the Grant Park 165:

Who are the drivers in the NASCAR Chicago Street Race?

There are 41 drivers attempting to qualifying for the 2025 Chicago Street Race.

Thirty-six of the 41 entries are locked into the race by virtue of the NASCAR charter system. That leaves five drivers battling for four spots, with the slowest one going home after Saturday’s qualifying session.

The five drivers who are not guaranteed a starting spot are Kaulig Racing’s Will Brown, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill, Garage 66’s Josh Bilicki, 23XI Racing’s Corey Heim and Live Fast Motorsports’ Katherine Legge.

One of the standout drivers in Sunday’s race will be Tyler Reddick, who competes for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing. He’ll be sporting a Jordan Brand-sponsored Toyota that will be tough to miss out on track.

Here’s the full entry list for the Grant Park 165, with car numbers, driver names, team names and sponsors:

Car number	Driver	Team	Sponsor
1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing	Busch Light Apple
2	Austin Cindric	Team Penske	Discount Tire
3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing	Breztri
4	Noah Gragson	Front Row Motorsports	Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy
5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports	Valvoline
6	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing	Kroger/Blue Buffalo
7	Justin Haley	Spire Motorsports	Gainbridge
8	Kyle Busch	Richard Childress Racing	Slurpee
9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports	NAPA Auto Parts
10	Ty Dillon	Kaulig Racing	Sea Best
11	Ryan Truex	Joe Gibbs Racing	Progressive
12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Menards
13	Will Brown*	Kaulig Racing	Mobile X
16	AJ Allmendinger	Kaulig Racing	Celsius
17	Chris Buescher	RFK Racing	Body Guard
19	Chase Briscoe	Joe Gibbs Racing	Bass Pro Shops
20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing	Craftsman
21	Josh Berry	Wood Brothers Racing	Motorcraft/Quick Lane
22	Joey Logano	Team Penske	Shell/Pennzoil
23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing	McDonald’s
24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	All-Pro Auto Reconditioning
33	Austin Hill*	Richard Childress Racing	United Rentals
34	Todd Gilliland	Front Row Motorsports	Grillo’s Pickles
35	Riley Herbst	23XI Racing	Lucy
38	Zane Smith	Front Row Motorsports	Vermeer Midwest
41	Cole Custer	Haas Factory Team	Haas/Andy’s Custard
42	John Hunter Nemechek	Legacy Motor Club	Dollar Tree
43	Erik Jones	Legacy Motor Club	Advent Health
45	Tyler Reddick	23XI Racing	Jordan Brand
47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	JTG Daugherty Racing	Rate
48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Ally
51	Cody Ware	Rick Ware Racing	Arby’s
54	Ty Gibbs	Joe Gibbs Racing	Monster Energy
60	Ryan Preece	RFK Racing	BuildSubmarines.com
66	Josh Bilicki*	Garage 66	PureKick
67	Corey Heim*	23XI Racing	Robinhood
71	Michael McDowell	Spire Motorsports	DePaul University
77	Carson Hocevar	Spire Motorsports	Zeigler Auto Group
78	Katherine Legge*	Live Fast Motorsports	e.l.f. Cosmetics
88	Shane van Gisbergen	Trackhouse Racing	WeatherTech
99	Daniel Suárez	Trackhouse Racing	Jockey

Favorites, picks, predictions for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88, Trackhouse Racing

The inaugural Chicago winner in 2023, SVG has only gotten stronger in the past two years. The former Australian Supercars driver has transitioned to full-time NASCAR, making him even more familiar with the American stock cars. He won the Xfinity Series race at Chicago last year and was in position to take the Cup victory again before an accident took him out. With one win already in 2025 at the road course in Mexico City, the 36-year-old Kiwi is again the heavy favorite in Chicago.

Christopher Bell, No. 20, Joe Gibbs Racing

In the first two years, no one has led more laps in Chicago than Bell (51) — he just doesn’t have the finishes to show for it. The Joe Gibbs Racing star was 18th in 2023 after winning both stages and 37th in 2024 after hitting the wall late. Bell has already won a road course race this year (Circuit of the Americas) and finished second to SVG in Mexico City. He could be the top challenger for van Gisbergen this weekend.

Chase Elliott, No. 9, Hendrick Motorsports

Fresh off a hometown win in Atlanta, Elliott has more momentum than any driver. He’s scored three straight top-fives, including a third-place finish in Mexico City behind SVG and Bell. Elliott’s road course prowess matches anyone in the field, leading all drivers with seven career wins. Even though he hasn’t visited victory lane at the track type since 2021, he’s been more consistent than anyone (25 top-10s in 37 career starts).

Ty Gibbs, No. 54, Joe Gibbs Racing

Gibbs didn’t get the finish in Mexico City (11th), but he was the only driver to match SVG out front. He led 27 laps in the race, often battling side-by-side with the eventual winner. In Chicago, Gibbs has finished ninth and third with laps led each year. Still searching for his first career win, the 22-year-old Gibbs could finally get it done on Sunday in his 106th career start.

Michael McDowell, No. 71, Spire Motorsports

He’s not necessarily a household name, but McDowell is constantly in the mix at road courses. The 2023 Indianapolis winner started fifth and finished fifth in Mexico city — the same finish he had in Chicago last summer. That came after a seventh-place run in 2023. McDowell, like SVG, is one of the series’ best drivers at racing in the rain.

Longshots and sleepers to watch

There are plenty of skilled street course racers in the field on Sunday that haven’t been mentioned — Kyle Larson, A.J. Allmendinger, William Byron and Tyler Reddick, to name a few. Another name to monitor is Will Brown, who is coming over from the same Australian series that gave us SVG. Brown, driving for Kaulig Racing in a one-off entry, made his Cup debut in Sonoma last year but has never driven the Chicago Street Race.

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Motorsports

Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Chicago Street Course – Speedway Digest

5 KYLE LARSON Age: 32 (July 31, 1992) Hometown: Elk Grove, California Last Week: 17th (Atlanta) Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels Standings: 3rd Twitter Instagram Facebook No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet 2025 Cup Career Chicago Street Races 18 384 2 Wins 3 32 0 Poles 1 22 1 Top 5 9 128 1 Top 10 12 194 1 Laps […]

Published

51 minutes ago

July 2, 2025

Your Sports Nation

5 KYLE LARSON

Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)

Hometown: Elk Grove, California

Last Week: 17th (Atlanta)

Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels

Standings: 3rd

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No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet

2025

Cup Career

Chicago Street

Races

384

Wins

Poles

Top 5

128

Top 10

194

Laps Led

851

10,107

Stage Wins

Average Finish

12.7

14.0

21.5

Kyle Larson leads all NASCAR Cup Series drivers with nine top-five finishes and 12 top 10s in 2025. That marks his second-highest total of top 10s in a season's first 18 races (2021). 
The 32-year-old is tied for the most road course wins in the Next Gen era with Tyler Reddick (three).
Larson has the third-best average finish this season at 12.67. 
On 36 laps on road courses this season, Larson turned in the fastest time. That's the highest total in the series, 13 more than the next-closest driver, Shane van Gisbergen (23).
Larson has won two of his last six starts on road courses. His most recent road-course victory came at the 2024 Charlote ROVAL.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT

Age: 29 (Nov. 28, 1995)

Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia

Last week: 1st (Atlanta)

Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson

Standings: 2nd

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No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevrolet

2025

Cup Career

Chicago Street

Races

340

Wins

Poles

Top 5

110

Top 10

181

Laps Led

136

5,662

Stage Wins

Average Finish

10.3

12.8

12.0

With his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend, Chase Elliott is now second in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season points standings, 37 markers behind teammate William Byron. 
The triumph was his second at Atlanta and his 20th career Cup Series win, making him the fourth driver to reach 20 victories with Hendrick Motorsports.
The 29-year-old advanced to the second round of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Elliott will be up against John Hunter Nemechek in the Chicago Street Race. Elliott has finished better than Nemechek in 14 of 18 events this season, including both road course races.
Elliott’s average finish of 10.23 in 2025 leads the series and is also his second best ever in the first 18 races of a season. He is the only driver to finish in the top 20 in every event so far. 
His three consecutive top-five finishes account for the longest active streak in the series and his longest of the season.
Heading into Chicago this weekend, Elliott is tied for the longest active streak of top fives on road courses with three.
The 2020 Cup Series champion has the most road course wins among active drivers and the third all-time behind NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). His average finish of 8.84 leads active drivers (minimum four starts).
In the Next Gen era on road courses, Elliott has led 147 laps – the most by a driver without a win so far. His average finish of 9.83 in that span ranks second and his 585 points earned rank third.
Elliott’s autographed race-winning Desi9n to Drive uniform is up for grabs as part of a sweepstakes fundraiser that runs through July 9.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 27 (Nov. 29, 1997)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Last Week: 37th (Atlanta)

Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle

Standings: 1st

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No. 24 All-Pro Chevrolet

2025

Cup Career

Chicago Street

Races

270

Wins

Poles

Top 5

Top 10

114

Laps Led

769

3,747

Stage Wins

Average Finish

12.8

15.0

10.5

William Byron is in the midst of a remarkable 2025 season, leading the driver points standings for 15 out of 18 weeks including presently by 37 markers. He has also collected the most stage points (188).
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has paced the field in a NASCAR Cup Series-leading 13 of 18 events for a total of 769 laps (second most).
The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet has an average starting position of 11th (second best) this season and an average finish of 12.78 (fourth best).
In the Next Gen era on road courses, Byron has a 12.74 average finish and has collected 541 points.
In the last nine road course races, Byron has two wins, two second-place finishes, five top-five finishes and seven top 10s, all tied for the most. He also has led 110 laps which ranks second.
Currently, the 27-year-old driver has three consecutive top-10 finishes on road courses which is tied for the second longest active streak. Byron is one of six drivers who finished in the top 10 at both Circuit of The Americas as well as in Mexico City this year.

48 ALEX BOWMAN

Age: 32 (April 25, 1993)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Last Week: 3rd (Atlanta)

Crew Chief: Blake Harris

Standings: 12th

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No. 48 Ally Chevrolet

2025

Cup Career

Chicago Street

Races

343

Wins

Poles

Top 5

Top 10

105

Laps Led

157

1,525

Stage Wins

Average Finish

17.9

19.3

19.0

After a third-place finish in Atlanta last weekend, Alex Bowman enters this weekend 15th in the playoff standings, 39 points above the elimination line.
The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet returns to the Chicago Street Course as the defending race winner, having captured his eighth career NASCAR Cup Series victory there in 2024 after leading the final eight laps. Bowman remains the only driver to win on both the Chicago Street Course and the Chicagoland Speedway oval. 
The Tuscon, Arizona, native will return to the Windy City on Thursday, July 3, for a full day of community events and media appearances. Bowman’s schedule includes visits to the South Side YMCA for The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival and to Chicago Animal Care and Control for a pet adoption event. He will also appear at NASCAR’s Speed and Sound Fest at the DuSable Black History Museum where he’ll take part in a fan panel alongside historian Sherman “Dilla” Thomas.
Chicago marks the second race of the five-race NASCAR In-Season Challenge. After defeating Joey Logano in Atlanta, Bowman advanced into the second round and will face Bubba Wallace.
For this weekend's Chicago race the Best Friends Animal shelter partner is One Tail At A Time in Chicago.
Ally and HendrickCars.com are teaming up again to give fans the chance to win prizes with this year’s “Open Road Sweepstakes.” Fans can win VIP experiences at various races throughout the season and one lucky winner will hit the open road in a Chevy Silverado LT Trail Boss with an Airstream camper. Fans can stop by the Ally Fan Zone to enter the sweepstakes in-person and check out the camper. Fans can also enter at ally.com/sweepstakes/nascar.

HENDRICK
MOTORSPORTS /
Hendrick Motorsports

2025

All-Time

Chicago Street

Races

1,399

Wins

317*

1**

Poles

258*

1**

Top 5

26*

1,305*

Top 10

41*

2,228*

Laps Led

1,913*

84,225*

Stage Wins

15*

130

*Most all time
**Tied for most all time

With Chase Elliott winning and Alex Bowman coming home third at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports pushed its organizational record for consecutive races with a car in the top five to 26 events dating back to last season. It remains the only team to have a top-five finisher in each of this season's races.
The Hendrick Motorsports engine shop has won 15 combined poles (seven in the NASCAR Cup Series and eight in the Xfinity Series) and 16 combined races (five in the Cup Series, 10 in the Xfinity Series and the preseason Clash) this year. 
Hendrick Motorsports has led 40% of all laps raced through 18 events this season. Its 1,913 circuits paced are the third most through a season's first 18 races in company history. The team has led at least one lap in each of the last 33 races, the longest active streak by any organization and Hendrick Motorsports' third-longest streak all time
The organization's 15 combined stage wins are tied for the most ever through 18 races in a season. 
Hendrick Motorsports enters this weekend's race at the Chicago Street Course with Bowman as the event's defending winner. Kyle Larson sat on the pole for last year's race. The organization's three top fives and four top 10s are the most in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Five of the last nine road course races have gone to Hendrick Motorsports. The company leads all teams in poles, wins, top fives, top 10s, laps led and average finish on serpentine tracks in the Next Gen era.

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Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on the Chicago Street Race: “It’s a really fun event. I love it. I hope the weather is good, rain has kind of come out of no where the last couple of years. I hope it goes good. The fans deserve to see a good race there. I love being in the city and walking to the race track and good food, it’s fun.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on the performance of the team: “We’ve just been doing this long enough to know it all kind of starts and ends with us. We have to make sure we’re doing our part and I’m doing my part. Just bringing everything I can possibly bring every single week. It’s the honest conversations that we have on Monday mornings that are either going to make us better or make us fail. All of the pieces of the puzzle are there. We’re working on the right things. I think I’m asking for the right things out of the car. I’m really proud of our team for just sticking together. I think there’s been so many times that we could have thrown in the towel and really kind of fractured from the inside. It’s a really important thing for me to have climbed that mountain and stood on top of it with AG (Alan Gustafson) and we’ve kind of fallen off that hill. Getting back to the top with him and with our group and doing it together, I think is a really important thing to do. We have so much respect for one another as a team that we’re going to continue to make each other better as we push forward.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, on the Chicago Street Race: “Honestly, I’m just hoping we have good weather this weekend in Chicago. The last two years it has rained, and it really changed the dynamic of how the race goes and who is a factor. It would just be cool to see how the race plays out when that element isn’t involved. But even if it is, we have two years of experience with it. I just love the vibe the race brings, racing downtown through the city. It’s unlike the other venues we go to, and I think it brings an element that we need.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, on returning to the Chicago Street Race after winning last year: “Going back to Chicago is pretty special. That win last year was huge for me and this 48 team it was one of those races where everything came together at the right time. The street course is such a unique challenge, and the atmosphere is unlike anything else we see all year. I’m excited to get back there, defend that win, and hopefully keep building momentum for the playoff push.”

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Daniel Suarez optimistic, “not sad” about Trackhouse split

On Tuesday, Trackhouse Racing announced that the team’s original driver — Daniel Suarez — will not return in 2026 as the driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet. Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Suarez said of the news: “I want to make sure that you guys and the people listening know that I’m not sad. This is […]

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52 minutes ago

July 2, 2025

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On Tuesday, Trackhouse Racing announced that the team’s original driver — Daniel Suarez — will not return in 2026 as the driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet.

Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Suarez said of the news: “I want to make sure that you guys and the people listening know that I’m not sad. This is not sad. This is just a new chapter. That’s all it is … This is not a sad moment. It’s just a change and it happens.”

Suarez also revealed that this decision did not happen suddenly, adding: “This is not something new for me. I have known about this for a while and it just happens to be official today (Tuesday). I’m actually a little bit relieved that this is out and people know about it and we can talk about it and we can move forward with future plans and continue to work. I’m excited for whatever comes next.”

Suarez went on to talk about how thankful he is for his time with the organization, making it clear that there is no ill will between the two parties. “It’s just a change. I love Trackhouse. I love everyone there. There’s a lot of great people there, a lot of people I consider my family.”

Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet

Photo by: Krista Jasso / Getty Images

When Trackhouse originally formed as a single-car team in 2021, they signed Suarez, who had previously raced for large organizations such as Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. In both situations, he was let go to make room for another driver.

At Trackhouse, Suarez became a winner in the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time, but the past five years have not been without their struggles. Trackhouse also has a rising star in Connor Zilisch waiting in the wings, and he’s a driver many rival teams would be happy to snatch up. While no announcement has been made, it’s expected that Zilisch will be called upon to replace Suarez at Trackhouse.