Race time temperatures climbed close to the 30-degree mark as the GEN-3 Electric OMRS SportsMods (Ontario Modifieds Racing Series) made their long anticipated 2025 regular season debut at Peterborough Speedway on Saturday, May 5th.

With John Baker Jr. and Chad Strawn on the front row, teams rolled from the staging area for the 20-lap headliner. At the drop of the green flag, Baker took the early race lead, with Rob Richards using the preferred inside line to work his way into the runner-up spot. He didn’t hold the position long, as Strawn became the new second-place car and set off in pursuit of his rival in the No. 63.

JBJ – a multi-time Super Stock and Modified feature winner at the popular Central Ontario facility – had his foot down as quickly as the pack came to the line and didn’t lift for the entire race distance. He moved out to as much as a 10-car length advantage, with Strawn on his back bumper as the local fan favourite sought to add another checkered flag to his impressive resume.

The leaders started to work through slower traffic with 11 laps on the board, but Baker kept his machine glued to the track’s lower lane. At one point, Strawn got close enough to the leader to get him out of shape but looked at the big picture.

At the checkered flag, Baker Jr. took the win by mere inches over Strawn. Richards, Ethan Thompson, Glenn Morris, Rick Warnes and Garrett Yake completed the running order.

GEN-3 Electric OMRS SportsMods race notes:

• John Baker Jr. and Chad Strawn split wins in the group’s qualifying heats.
• Brad Stevenson was hoping for a strong run in the SMS Racing No. 77 but mechanical issues in practice sidelined his effort.
• OMRS officials announced changes in the posted schedule. The next event on the agenda for the group will be a Saturday, July 19th date at Peterborough Speedway. The marquee Bill Pickford Memorial has been moved to Saturday, August 16th.

CHICAGO — Shane van Gisbergen made a big jump in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings after his win in the Grant Park 165 in Chicago.

The Kiwi commands seventh in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings after Chicago. Essentially, if the playoff started today, SVG would start in seventh.

Here is what the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings look like after Chicago:

1. Kyle Larson: 2031 points

• 23 playoff points earned
  • 15 from race wins at Homestead-Miami, Bristol, Kansas
  • Eight from stage wins
• Eight points pending from being third in regular-season championship points standings after Chicago
  • 19 points behind points leader William Byron

2. William Byron: 2027

• 12 playoff points earned
  • Five from Daytona 500 win
  • Seven from stage wins
• 15 points pending from being regular-season championship points leader after Chicago
  • +13 points to Chase Elliott, +19 to Kyle Larson, +43 to Denny Hamlin, +48 to Tyler Reddick

3. Denny Hamlin: 2026

• 19 playoff points earned
  • 15 from wins at Martinsville, Darlington, Michigan
  • Four from stage wins
• Seven points pending from being fourth in regular-season standings after Chicago

4. Christopher Bell: 2021

• 16 playoff points earned
  • 15 from wins at Atlanta, COTA, Phoenix
  • One stage win
• Five points pending from being sixth in regular-season standings after Chicago

5. Chase Elliott: 2015

• Five playoff points earned with Atlanta win
• 10 points pending from being second in regular-season standings

6. Ryan Blaney: 2013

• Nine playoff points earned
  • Five from Nashville Superspeedway win
  • Four from stage wins
• Four points pending from being seventh in regular-season standings after Chicago

7. Shane van Gisbergen: 2011

• 11 playoff points earned
  • 10 from wins in Mexico City, Chicago
  • One from stage two win in Chicago
• 27th in regular-season standings

8. Ross Chastain: 2008

• Five playoff points earned from Coca-Cola 600 win at Charlotte
• Three points pending from being eighth in regular-season standings after Chicago

9. Chase Briscoe: 2008

• Six playoff points earned
  • Five from Pocono win
  • One from a stage win
• Two points pending from being ninth in regular-season standings after Chicago

10. Austin Cindric: 2008

• Eight playoff points earned
  • Five from win at Talladega
  • Three from stage wins
• 18th in regular-season standings after Chicago

11. Tyler Reddick: 2007

• One point earned from a stage win
• Six points pending from being fifth in regular-season standings after Chicago

12. Joey Logano: 2007

• Seven points earned from Texas win and two stage wins
• 12th in regular-season standings after Chicago

13. Josh Berry: 2006

• Six points earned from Las Vegas win and a stage win
• 22nd in regular-season standings after Chicago

14. Bubba Wallace: 2002

• Two points earned from stage wins
• 13th in regular-season standings after Chicago

15. Alex Bowman: 2001

• One point pending for being 10th in regular-season standings after Chicago

16. Chris Buescher: 1996

• Penalized five playoff points for Kansas infraction, negating one playoff point earned for a stage win

More NASCAR and motorsports news from the racing experts

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

Shane van Gisbergen completed a sweep on the Chicago Street Course on Sunday, winning the NASCAR Cup Series race on the tricky downtown circuit.

It was van Gisbergen’s second victory of the season and his third career Cup win. The Trackhouse Racing driver also won in Chicago in 2023, becoming the first driver to take his Cup Series debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.

Ty Gibbs was second, and Tyler Reddick finished third. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five.

It was a dominant weekend for van Gisbergen, a three-time champion in Australia’s Supercars. The 36-year-old New Zealand native won the Xfinity Series race from the pole Saturday. He also was the top qualifier for the Cup race.

Michael McDowell joined van Gisbergen on the front row and quickly moved in front. He won Stage 1 and led for 31 laps before he was derailed by a throttle cable issue.

Van Gisbergen regained the lead when he passed Chase Briscoe with 16 laps left. As fog moved into downtown Chicago with thunderstorms in the forecast, van Gisbergen controlled the action the rest of the way.

AJ Allmendinger was sixth, and Ryan Preece finished seventh. Ryan Blaney, who won the second stage, was 12th.

William Byron’s day was cut short by a clutch problem. The Hendrick Motorsports driver began the day on top of the series standings.

After McDowell seized the lead early in the race, Carson Hocevar caused a multicar crash when he hit the wall and spun out between Turns 10 and 11. Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suárez and Will Brown were among the drivers collected in the wreck.

“I didn’t see it until the last second,” Keselowski said. “I slowed down and I actually felt I was gonna get stopped and then I just kind of got ran over from behind. It’s just a narrow street course and sometimes there’s nowhere to go.”

Ty Dillon and Reddick moved into the third round of NASCAR’s inaugural in-season tournament when Keselowski and Hocevar were unable to finish the race. Dillon, the No. 32 seed, eliminated Keselowski after he upset top-seeded Denny Hamlin last weekend at Atlanta.

Gibbs, Preece, Alex Bowman, John H. Nemechek, Zane Smith and Erik Jones also advanced. The winner of the five-race, bracket-style tournament takes home a $1 million prize.

Bowman, the 2024 champion on the downtown street course, won his head-to-head matchup with Bubba Wallace. Bowman and Wallace made contact as they battled for position late in the race after they also tangled in Chicago last year.

The Associated Press
Shane van Gisbergen drives to Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Grant Park 165, Sunday.

CHICAGO — Shane van Gisbergen burned out his tires in celebration, sending white smoke into the air. He signed a rugby ball and punted it into the stands in downtown Chicago.

It was a familiar scene.

Van Gisbergen completed a Windy City sweep Sunday, winning the NASCAR Cup Series race on the tricky street course in downtown Chicago.

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

A talented one, too.

The 36-year-old New Zealand native became the second driver to sweep the Xfinity and Cup races in a single weekend from the pole, joining Kyle Busch at Indianapolis in 2016. With his third career Cup win, he also became the winningest foreign-born driver on NASCAR’s top series.

It was van Gisbergen’s second victory of the season after the Trackhouse Racing driver also won last month on a Mexico City road course.

“He’s the best road course stock car racer that I’ve ever seen,” Trackhouse owner Justin Marks said. “I think when he’s done with us all and walks away from the sport, I think he’s going to walk away as the best road course racer that this sport has ever seen.”

Marks brought van Gisbergen over from Australia’s Supercars for the first edition of NASCAR’s Chicago experiment in 2023, and he became the first driver to win his Cup debut since Johnny Rutherford in the second qualifying race at Daytona in 1963.

He also won Chicago’s Xfinity Series stop last year and the first stage in the Cup race before he was knocked out by a crash.

“This joint, it’s changed my life,” van Gisbergen said. “I didn’t have any plans to do more NASCAR races when I first came over here, and I never thought I’d be in NASCAR full time.”

In what might be the last NASCAR race on the downtown Chicago circuit, Ty Gibbs was second and Tyler Reddick finished third. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five.

“My team called a great strategy and got me in position to get me up front to compete for the win,” Gibbs said. “It worked out for us today, so I’m glad to have a good finish, but we wish we could have gone for the win.”

Michael McDowell joined van Gisbergen on the front row and quickly moved in front. He won Stage 1 and led for 31 laps before he was derailed by a throttle cable issue.

Van Gisbergen regained the lead when he passed Chase Briscoe with 16 laps left. As fog and rain moved into downtown Chicago, van Gisbergen controlled the action the rest of the way.

AJ Allmendinger was sixth, and Ryan Preece finished seventh. Ryan Blaney, who won the second stage, was 12th.

“I thought overall it was a pretty decent day. It was nice to win that stage,” Blaney said.

William Byron’s day was cut short by a clutch problem. The Hendrick Motorsports driver leads the point standings by 13 points over Chase Elliott.

After McDowell seized the lead early in the race, Carson Hocevar caused a multicar crash when he hit the wall and spun out between Turns 10 and 11. Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suárez and Will Brown were among the drivers collected in the wreck.

“I didn’t see it until the last second,” Keselowski said. “I slowed down and I actually felt I was going to get stopped and then I just kind of got ran over from behind. It’s just a narrow street course and sometimes there’s nowhere to go.”

Ty Dillon and Reddick moved into the third round of NASCAR’s inaugural in-season tournament when Keselowski and Hocevar were unable to finish the race. Dillon, the No. 32 seed, eliminated Keselowski after he upset top-seeded Denny Hamlin last weekend at Atlanta.

Gibbs, Preece, Alex Bowman, John H. Nemechek, Zane Smith and Erik Jones also advanced. The winner of the five-race, bracket-style tournament takes home a $1 million prize.

Bowman, the 2024 champion on the downtown street course, won his head-to-head matchup with Bubba Wallace. Bowman and Wallace made contact as they battled for position late in the race after they also tangled in Chicago last year.

“I wasn’t expecting that to happen or to get raced like that, but we did,” Bowman said. “We just have to move on from it and keep digging. I don’t really know what I could have done much different.”

Top-20 finish

Katherine Legge finished 19th for her best career Cup result. She became the first woman to finish in the top 20 in a Cup race since Danica Patrick at Texas in November 2017.

Legge was the first woman to qualify for the Cup race in downtown Chicago.

Up next

The Cup Series is at Sonoma Raceway in California on Sunday, July 13.