Qualifying results set starting grid for Chicago race

Shane van Gisbergen entered the weekend as the race favorite. Nothing happened Saturday to change that.

The road-racing ace won the pole for Sunday’s Grant Park 165 on the Chicago Street Course. His lap time was 89.656 seconds and average speed 88.338 mph around the 2.14-mile, 12-turn layout.

Michael McDowell will start alongside van Gisbergen on Row 1.

Through two years of the Chicago Street Race, the eventual race winner started third in Year 1 (van Gisbergen) and eighth last year (Alex Bowman).

So far, the two pole winners didn’t even crack the top 10 at the checkers. Denny Hamlin finished 11th in 2023, while Kyle Larson caught an early crash and finished 39th in a 40-car field last year.

For the first time since Daytona to start the year, more than 40 cars entered Chicago. With a max race-day field of 40 and 41 cars trying to qualify, someone had to go home, and Saturday it was Corey Heim, whose best lap was barely clipped by Katherine Legge.

Earlier in the day Saturday, van Gisbergen also won the pole for this afternoon’s Xfinity Series race, The Loop 110.

NASCAR lineup for Chicago Street Race

1st – Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

2nd – Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

3rd – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

4th – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

5th – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

6th – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

7th – Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

8th – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

9th – Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

10th – Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

11th – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

12th – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

13th – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

14th – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

15th – Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

16th – A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

17th – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

18th – Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

19th – Will Brown, No. 13 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

20th – Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

21st – Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

22nd – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

23rd – Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

24th – Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

25th – John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

26th – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

27th – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

28th – Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

29th – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

30th – Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

31st – Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford

32nd – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

33rd – Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet

34th – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

35th – Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

36th – Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

37th – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

38th – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

39th – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

40th – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

How to watch NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series races in Chicago

Saturday: Xfinity Series, The Loop 110, 4:30 p.m. (CW).

Sunday: Cup Series, Grant Park 165, 2 p.m. (TNT).