Six double-digit seeds in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge advanced to the quarterfinal round after Sunday’s Grant Park 165.

Ty Gibbs and Alex Bowman, both of whom had top-10 finishes at the Chicago street race, are the only single-digit seeds left in the event. The seeds were determined by finishes in the three races prior to the start of the in-season challenge two weeks ago.

Ty Dillon, the lowest-seeded driver in the 32-driver field, pulled off another notable upset over Brad Keselowski. Dillon took down top seed Denny Hamlin last week at Atlanta.

The most heated second-round battle resulted in a late spin-out, as Alex Bowman knocked Bubba Wallace out of the way to finish ahead of the No. 23 car.

The eight remaining drivers will be matched up for the quarterfinal round at Sonoma, another road course. The best individual finish in each of the four matchups will move on to the semifinal round at Dover.

NASCAR In-Season Challenge Bracket

No. 32 Ty Dillon vs. No. 8 Alex Bowman

No. 12 John Hunter Nemechek vs. No. 20 Erik Jones

No. 15 Ryan Preece vs. No. 23 Tyler Reddick

No. 6 Ty Gibbs vs. No. 14 Zane Smith

The full NASCAR points standings can be found here.

Alex Bowman produced the most action in an In-Season Challenge matchup with his spin of Bubba Wallace.

Bowman and Wallace were the only top 10 seeds matched up against each other in the second round. They went at it for a few laps before the No. 48 car won out.

Bowman ended up in eighth place, while Wallace was relegated to 28th place after the incident.

The No. 48 car driver is one of two single-digit seeds left in the bracket. Ty Gibbs is the other.

Gibbs finished second behind Shane Van Gisbergen in the Chicago street race. Gibbs, the No. 6 seed, is the highest-remaining seed remaining in the bracket.

Bowman will go head-to-head with Ty Dillon, the No. 32 seed. The winner of that matchup faces the winner of the John Hunter Nemechek-Erik Jones matchup.

Gibbs is matched up with Zane Smith. Tyler Reddick and Ryan Preece make up the other matchup on the right side of the bracket.

The four quarterfinal matchups will be determined at Sonoma, the second road course in a row on the schedule, next Sunday.

Bowman and Preece have the best recent average finishes at the northern California track among the eight quarterfinalists.

Gibbs is viewed as one of the better road-course drivers on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, but he has two finishes outside the top 15 in his two Cup Series starts at Sonoma.

NASCAR has updated its playoff standings and Cup points after the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Race on Sunday. Shane van Gisbergen won the race, and there are now seven races remaining before the playoffs begin.

The Chicago Street Race also featured the second round of NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament. Here’s a look at the updated NASCAR playoff standings and Cup points.

NASCAR playoff standings after Chicago

Shane van Gisbergen now has 11 playoff points after earning a win at Chicago. He is one of five drivers who have over 10 playoff points this year.

Bubba Wallace suffered a setback after finishing 28th at Chicago. He would make the playoffs if it began today, but the 31-year-old is only two points above the cut line.

Updated Cup points after Chicago Street Race

William Byron finished last at Chicago but still has the most Cup points in 632. He has only won the Daytona 500 this season, but Byron has been a consistent driver with 10 top-10 finishes, seven top-five finishes and seven stage wins.

Byron is not too comfortable, as Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson are right behind him. Elliott is 13 points behind the leader, while Larson is only 19 points behind Byron.

This past weekend, NASCAR held the Chicago Street Race in Grant Park for a third consecutive year. DePaul landed a partnership with Spire Motorsports and was featured on Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1. 

“Partnering with Spire Motorsports for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race allows us to spotlight DePaul on a national stage while embracing a global event in our own backyard,” said DePaul Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy. “It’s the perfect example of how we’re using sports to elevate our visibility and create real-world learning experiences for our students.”

DePaul went full throttle with a partnership, but McDowell wasn’t able to go full throttle in the race. 

He started in second place and led each of the opening 31 laps; he passed Shane van Gisbergen — the winner of the Cup Series — in the opening corner. 

There was an issue with McDowell’s throttle cable that sent him to the service lane, and ultimately took him out of the running for the win. 

“The throttle cable just broke,” McDowell said to NASCAR post-race. “I don’t know what caused it or how it got to that spot, but that’s what happened. I feel like we had control of the race the whole race.

“I was behind the pace car, and the throttle stuck wide-open. Luckily, I got to the switches fast enough before I ran into something, and then a cable broke after that. It’s just a shame. We had a great car,” McDowell said. 

McDowell ended up finishing in 32nd place, 22 laps behind van Gisbergen.

“Epic weekend for us. I’m a lucky guy,” van Gisbergen said to the Associated Press.

Shane Van Gisbergen is rapidly establishing himself in NASCAR, winning twice in his rookie season and possibly positioning himself for the Cup Series playoffs. After securing victories at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and the Grant Park Street Circuit, he heads to Sonoma with a chance to match top drivers like Denny Hamlin. His crew chief praises Van Gisbergen’s ability to navigate through challenging situations on the track. As he becomes more comfortable with the car’s setup, there’s significant potential for him to improve even further, particularly on oval tracks.

By the Numbers

• Two victories in 2025: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and Grant Park Street Circuit.
• Van Gisbergen’s average finish on ovals has improved from 30th to top-20.

State of Play

• Trackhouse Racing’s strategic investment in Van Gisbergen is paying off with multiple wins.
• Ongoing improvements are expected on oval tracks, enhancing his competitiveness.

What’s Next

Van Gisbergen will race at Sonoma Raceway next, where he aims to continue his winning trend and build on his playoff positioning. With two more road courses left in the regular season, opportunities for additional victories remain, which could strengthen his spot for the playoffs.

Bottom Line

Shane Van Gisbergen is proving to be a significant asset for Trackhouse Racing, combining natural talent with strategic racing IQ to enhance his potential as a star in NASCAR. His development as a driver is key to attracting sponsorship and could lead to a competitive playoff run.

The price of avocados from Mexico, a mainstay at both restaurants, has doubled from about $45 to $50 per box to about $90 to $100, he said. That price has trickled down to customers, now costing them $2 per scoop, up from $1. It’s now cheaper to buy the popular topping from local markets than from wholesalers. Many local grocers now limit the number of avocados each customer can purchase, he said, because of high demand.

“Those signs are because of people like me,” Hammer joked, referring to the quantity restrictions. He said customers are beginning to “tighten their belts” and visit his restaurants less frequently.

They’re also ordering fewer extras like avocado and guacamole. Even mainstay are becoming more expensive. The price of ground beef has increased due to the rising costs of cow feed, Hammer’s suppliers have told him.

Looking ahead

In an attempt to keep things afloat during these uncertain times, Hammer, whose family owned a pub when he was growing up, has stopped taking a salary from the restaurants. Instead, he relies on his digital marketing business for income. He acquired Twisted Root just six months ago, while Joe Biden was president, and Mauka Poke about a year and a half ago, he said.

The seafood restaurant brings in about $350,000 a year with a 5% profit margin, but Twisted Root has a negative 10% profit margin despite its $450,000 yearly revenue. The staff is larger there and the rent higher, plus Twisted Root offers vegan alternatives that are more expensive than meat and dairy products, Hammer said. He tries to keep the menu prices reasonable for customers, which sometimes means taking on more cost.

After qualifying third, Carson Hocevar had high hopes for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at the Chicago Street Course. But while his teammate Michael McDowell passed Shane van Gisbergen and led the opening lap, Hocevar slipped back to seventh.

Just three laps into the race, Hocevar clipped the wall at the apex of Turn 10, shooting out into the outside wall. At that point, he lost control and spun in front of the field.

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Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, Austin Dillon, Todd Gilliland, Riley Herbst, and reigning Supercars champion Will Brown all plowed into it, suffering damage. The track was nearly completely blocked as well. A.J. Allmendinger made it through, but not without being clipped by Keselowski on his way by.

Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain led the lucky ones through a small opening between the pile-up and the concrete wall. There was also some contact between cars behind the main crash as drivers tried to slow, with Cole Custer sustaining some damage after hitting Erik Jones.

NASCAR was forced to red flag the race in order to clean up the mess. The stoppage lasted 16 minutes.

This will also impact the $1 million in-season bracket challenge as Hocevar was part of the final 16, facing off against Tyler Reddick in Chicago. Keselowski was facing Ty Dillon, who entered the tournament as the bottom seed.

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William Byron wasn’t involved in the wreck, but the championship leader had his own issues early, going to the pits and falling off the lead lap after experiencing clutch issues.

Read Also:

Daniel Suarez felt unheard, with “no chemistry” at Trackhouse Racing

Shane van Gisbergen goes elbows out to win Chicago NASCAR Xfinity race

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