Jeff Gordon reflects on how to grow NASCAR’s popularity
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NASCAR’s Chicago Street Course is an outlier event on the Cup Series calendar. The narrow, tight corners and close barriers are a tough challenge for drivers across the grid.
Not for Shane van Gisbergen, though.
The Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet driver took pole and victory in both the Xfinity and Cup Series events this weekend, culminating in a methodical drive to victory in the Grant Park 165.
Michael McDowell took the lead from van Gisbergen on the opening lap en route to a Stage 1 win. Carson Hocevar’s spin on lap 4 took himself and four other drivers out of the running: Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski, Todd Gilliland and Will Brown.
McDowell’s run at the front came to an end early, though, due to a throttle problem reported on lap 32. He finished the day in 32nd with 31 laps led after starting from second on the grid.
It was far from a flag-to-flag win for van Gisbergen. He trailed McDowell for much of Stage 1 and worked his way through the field multiple times. He passed Tyler Reddick on lap 57 and cleared Chase Briscoe three laps later to take the lead.
Organizers put out a yellow flag shortly after he took the lead from Briscoe so an ambulance could make it to the infield to assist a fan. Ty Gibbs jumped up to second on the restart to become van Gisbergen’s top challenger in a dash to the finish but the New Zealander kept Gibbs behind him on the restart with nine laps to go.
Cody Ware hit the wall with two laps to go but van Gisbergen had crossed the start-finish line by the time organizers threw the yellow flag, meaning the race would finish under caution.
Gibbs and Reddick rounded out the top three behind van Gisbergen. The three-time Supercars champion’s been a standout on road courses this year. He took sixth in Austin and won in dominant fashion in Mexico City.
Forecasts predicted rain late in the race but it never came to fruition with all-dry running throughout the Sunday afternoon in Chicago.
USA TODAY Sports had full coverage of the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course. Scroll below for results, highlights and a recap of the action.
NASCAR Grant Park 165 extended highlights
Final results.
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
- Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
- Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
- Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
- Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
- Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
- Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (out)
- Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford (out)
- Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford (out)
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (out)
- Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (out)
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford (out)
- Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford (out)
- Will Brown, No. 13 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (out)
- William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (out)
In-season challenge bracket results
Sunday’s results in Chicago saw some surprises in the bracket with top seeds losing three matchups. Here’s how things look entering Round 3 next week in Sonoma:
Top half of draw
- No. 32 Ty Dillon def. No. 17 Brad Keselowski
- No. 8 Alex Bowman def. No. 9 Bubba Wallace
- No. 12 John Hunter Nemechek def. No. 5 Chase Elliott
- No. 20 Erik Jones def. No. 29 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Bottom half of draw
- No. 15 Ryan Preece def. No. 31 Noah Gragson
- No. 23 Tyler Reddick def. No. 26 Carson Hocevar
- No. 6 Ty Gibbs def. No. 22 A.J. Allmendinger
- No. 14 Zane Smith def. No. 3 Chris Buescher
The Rick Ware Racing Ford hit the wall on the penultimate lap of the race but organizers did not throw the yellow flag until after leader van Gisbergen crossed the start-finish line, forcing the race to finish under caution.
The Team Penske Ford driver was one of many drivers involved in midfield collisions during the latest restart. He suffered a broken toe link and won’t continue in the race with 11 laps to go as the yellow flag comes out once again.
Shortly after van Gisbergen took the lead, officials put out a yellow flag and it was later confirmed to be for an ambulance to reach the infield. Green flag running resumes with 14 laps to go.
The 2023 Grant Park 165 winner passed Chase Briscoe on lap 60 to take the lead once again halfway through the final stage. Sixteen laps remain from the streets of Chicago.
The road course standout is on a tear in the final stage of the race. His pass on Tyler Reddick on lap 57 puts him second behind leader Chase Briscoe with 18 laps left to go.
The winner of the first street race in Chicago two years ago has moved back up into the top five after his pit stop late in Stage 2. He’s now third behind Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick and closing down the three-second gap.
Erik Jones suffered a broken toe link after making contact with the wall late in Stage 2. Green flag running resumed on lap 48 with Chase Briscoe leading the field over Tyler Reddick.
Shane van Gisebergen and AJ Allmendinger were leading the way for much of Stage 2 but both pitted before lap 45, leaving the Team Penske Ford driver to take the lead and Stage 2 win. Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top five after two stages.
McDowell took the lead from Shane van Gisbergen on lap 1 and held on following the caution period to take the win after the first 20 laps. van Gisbergen kept behind McDowell for most of the stage but pitted on lap 18, leaving McDowell to take the stage win uncontested.
Carson Hocevar spun out in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet after hitting two walls and more cars collided and blocked the track. Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, Todd Gilliland, Riley Herbst and Will Brown were involved in the wreck.
The lone street race of the 2025 Cup Series calendar is underway with Michael McDowell taking the lead from pole sitter Shane van Gisbergen.
How to watch NASCAR Cup race in Chicago
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
- Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
- Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
- Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Will Brown, No. 13 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
- Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
- Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
- Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
- Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
- Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
- Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
- Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
- Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
- Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
- Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
- Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
- Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
- William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Thirty-two drivers qualified for the inaugural in-season challenge and 16 were eliminated in Atlanta. The 16 winners advanced to the second round and make up the remaining bracket. Here’s how things look entering Chicago:
Top half of draw
- No. 17 Brad Keselowski vs. No. 32 Ty Dillon
- No. 8 Alex Bowman vs. No. 9 Bubba Wallace
- No. 5 Chase Elliott vs. No. 12 John Hunter Nemechek
- No. 20 Erik Jones vs. No. 29 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Bottom half of draw
- No. 15 Ryan Preece vs. No. 31 Noah Gragson
- No. 23 Tyler Reddick vs. No. 26 Carson Hocevar
- No. 6 Ty Gibbs vs. No. 22 A.J. Allmendinger
- No. 3 Chris Buescher vs. No. 14 Zane Smith
The Weather Channel is calling for a 60% chance of rain in Chicago today. The hourly forecast predicts the highest chance of rain between 4 and 6 p.m. ET which may hit towards the end of the race. Temperatures should stay around the low 80s.
The Grant Park 165 is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local) Sunday, July 6, on the street course in downtown Chicago.
The Grant Park 165 will be broadcast on TNT. It’s the second of four races to be broadcast on the network. Pre-race coverage will start at 1 p.m. ET.
Yes, the Grant Park 165 will be streamed on WatchTNT, Max and Sling TV.
Stream the NASCAR race at Chicago on Sling
The Grant Park 165 is 75 laps around the 2.2-mile track for a total of 165 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 20 laps; Stage 2: 25 laps; Stage 3: 30 laps.
Alex Bowman led the final eight laps, taking the lead on Lap 51 of the shortened race that ended with a countdown clock on Lap 58 instead of the scheduled 75 after weather disrupted the race. When the clock hit zero, Bowman needed to maintain his lead for two laps – taking the white flag and the checkered flag – to earn his lone victory of 2024. Bowman pulled away from Tyler Reddick and won by 2.863 seconds.