NASCAR at Chicago live updates: Leaderboard, highlights from street race – USA Today

NASCAR‘s Chicago Street Course is most unique event on the 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 so an ambulance could make it to the infield to assist a fan. Ty Gibbs jumped up to second as 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.
Final 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:
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.
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:
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.
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.

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