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.
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
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?
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
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.
