van Gisbergen wins NASCAR Chicago race: Highlights, results

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

NASCAR Cup Series in Chicago results

Final results.

1. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
4. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
6. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
7. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
8. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
9. Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
10. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
11. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
12. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
13. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
14. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
15. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
16. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
17. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
18. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
19. Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
20. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
21. Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
22. Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
23. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
24. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
25. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
26. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
27. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
28. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
29. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
30. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
32. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (out)
33. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford (out)
34. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford (out)
35. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (out)
36. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (out)
37. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford (out)
38. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford (out)
39. Will Brown, No. 13 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (out)
40. 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

Cody Ware’s crash forces race to finish under yellow flag

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.

Austin Cindric stopped on track with mechanical issue

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.

Caution period for ambulance

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.

van Gisbergen takes the lead from Briscoe

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.

van Gisbergen moves to second

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.

van Gisbergen hunting down the leaders

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.

Stage 3 begins under caution

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.

Ryan Blaney wins Stage 2

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.

Michael McDowell wins Stage 1

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.

Red flag on lap 4 after big crash

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.

Green flag racing in Chicago

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

• Race: Grant Park 165
• Time: 2 p.m. ET
• Location: Chicago Street Course, Chicago
• TV: TNT, alternate telecast on truTV
• Streaming:Stream the Grant Park 165 on Sling

What is the lineup for the Grant Park 165 at Chicago?

1. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
3. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
4. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
5. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
6. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
7. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
8. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
9. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
10. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
11. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
12. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
13. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
14. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
15. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
16. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
18. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
19. Will Brown, No. 13 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
20. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
21. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
22. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
23. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
24. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
25. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
26. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
27. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
28. Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
29. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
30. Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
31. Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
32. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
33. Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
34. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
35. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
36. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
37. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
38. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
39. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
40. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR In-Season Challenge second round matchups

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

What is the weather forecast for NASCAR Cup race in 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.

What time does the NASCAR Cup race in Chicago start?

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.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race in Chicago on?

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.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race in Chicago?

Yes, the Grant Park 165 will be streamed on WatchTNT, Max and Sling TV.

Stream the NASCAR race at Chicago on Sling

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race in Chicago?

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.

Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Chicago last year?

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.