The Streets of Chicago have been a highlight of the NASCAR season since they were introduced in 2023. The first race was particularly memorable, introducing Shane van Gisbergen into the sport and into the winner’s list in the same event, and the next year’s event offered a fight to the end won by Alex Bowman.
But in the third year of a three deal, there’s no indication that NASCAR necessarily will return to Chicago, especially considering a change in city administration and pushback from some local groups despite the positive economic impact.
That’s all the more reason to tune into Sunday’s Grant Park 165, airing at 2 p.m. ET on TNT, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and see what in past years has been some of the most exciting left-and-right-turn racing on the NASCAR schedule.
Odds via BetMGM
+200 – Shane van Gisbergen
+725 – Christopher Bell
+750 – Kyle Larson
+1100 – Ty Gibbs
+1100 – Tyler Reddick
+1100 – Chase Elliott
+1800 – William Byron
+1800 – Alex Bowman
+2000 – Chris Buescher
+2500 – AJ Allmendinger
The Chicago Street Course is made up almost entirely of sharp 90-degree corners, except for one right-left-right curve on the backstretch, meaning that drivers can make big moves into braking zones and do not have the flowing corners that make passing difficult and allow a lead car to build up a big gap with the car behind.
That produces tight racing and means that more of the field is able to hang with the ‘road course ringers’ – those drivers who have long careers racing entirely on road courses, like Shane van Gisbergen who raced in the Australian Supercars series or AJ Allmendinger who started his career on the IndyCar ladder.
“The A.J. Allmendinger’s or the Shane van Gisbergen’s, those guys are really good, and recognized for their road course experience, although, last year Alex Bowman won the race and he does not come from a road course racing background,” noted Kyle Busch. “So, it’s anyone and everyone in the field that can go out there and get it done on at the road course races.”
Busch does not fit the mold of a ringer himself, though he has four wins on road courses throughout his career. Additionally, he is one of only three drivers (alongside Ty Gibbs and Michael McDowell) who earned a top-ten finish in both of the last two trips to the track.
Busch would certainly like to see one back on the schedule if Chicago comes off it.
“Another street circuit would be a pretty good idea. If we’re going to do it, we should go to an area that we’re not currently racing in. I wouldn’t change racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to run on the streets of Las Vegas. Let’s go somewhere different,” Busch suggested.
Though Busch might believe that anyone can win, that doesn’t mean Shane van Gisbergen isn’t going to be the odds-on favorite. Not only did SVG win in his NASCAR debut at this very track in 2023, but he’s the defending winner on a road course with his win at Mexico City. He also won three times on road courses, meaning he won half of all the road courses for the year, when he spent a year in the Xfinity Series to get acclimated to full-time NASCAR competition.
“Ah, every time I come back, I get the memories of the first-ever race, coming and doing really well here,” van Gisbergen said. “This city will always hold so many memories. I’m really looking forward to getting back on the streets of Chicago and hopefully getting a third win for the city and a second Chicago win for Trackhouse.”
It’s bad news for the rest of the field because SVG is feeling confident about the race as well. Last year, he won the Xfinity race at the track and ran up front in the Cup Series race before being hit from behind as Chase Briscoe spun out of control in wet conditions early in the race, sending van Gisbergen into the wall and causing terminal damage.
“We should be very strong this weekend. I know everyone is going to be better,” he said compared to last year’s result. “Last year was a big step up on competition and I know this year will be, too. We just have to continue to focus on us. We’ve prepped very hard, spent last week’s simulator time on Chicago, so hopefully we get there this weekend and are solid.”
As for the root of his success, van Gisbergen attributes the fact that the track drives very similarly to tracks he’s used to in the Australian Supercars series.
“It’s just like the tracks I’ve grown up racing on. In Supercars there are a lot of street circuits on the schedule, so I’m comfortable with the walls. It’s similar to a few tracks that I raced in Australia, whereas most of these guys aren’t used to street circuits. Just something I’m comfortable with and have spent many years racing,” he explained.
Van Gisbergen’s experience and confidence make him a formidable opponent.
However, the combination of weather conditions and mistakes from other drivers ended his chances last year, and the Chicago Street Course has been nothing if not unpredictable. It rained in each of the last two races at the track, necessitating rain tires, and the National Weather Service predicts rain on Sunday this year as well.
That might be a challenge for van Gisbergen, but he was able to win at Mexico after a significant portion of that race was affected by rain and wet conditions.
Another thing to note is the ongoing bracket challenge. There might be no perfect brackets left for fans at home, after a chaotic Atlanta race ended any possibility of predictability, but drivers are still competing for $1m.
The Cup Series will practice at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday followed by qualifying at 2:10 p.m. ET. Both will broadcast on TruTV with radio coverage on MRN.
Trackhouse Teammates Ready for Friendly Competition in Chicago in Xfinity Series
Anytime NASCAR heads to Chicago, Shane van Gisbergen is the easy favorite. That’s true in both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series, and SVG won in his first attempt in the Xfinity Series at the track last year after emerging triumphant from a thrilling battle with Kyle Larson throughout the race.
However, he’ll have a new challenger in Saturday’s The Loop 110 on the Chicago Street Course (airing at 4:30 p.m. ET on CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio): his teammate. 18-year-old rookie Connor Zilisch has proven his mettle on the road courses with two road course wins in the Xfinity Series and a class win in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Van Gisbergen may have experience on street circuits from Australian Supercars, but Zilisch has experience of his own from the Mazda MX-5 Cup series, where he won on the Streets of St. Petersburg.
“SVG and I are good buddies,” Zilisch said. “I’ve never really had the opportunity to race head-to-head with him. We’re going to be in the same cars, so it’s going to be up to the driver.
“It’s a track that Shane has a little more experience on, but I love street courses. I’ve won races on street courses, so hopefully I can pick up Chicago quickly and have a shot at it.”
Zilisch has the more recent experience in the Xfinity car, which may prove helpful as the Cup and Xfinity cars are more different than ever, not least because the Cup Series uses a sequential shifter while the Xfinity Series uses an H-pattern. Zilisch is coming off of his first-ever oval win at Pocono in his first time ever racing at the track and a stretch of five top-five finishes in a row, giving him momentum and proving his skill in this car on tracks he is still learning.
The Xfinity Series will practice at 10:30 a.m. ET followed by qualifying at 11:35 a.m. ET. Both sessions will broadcast on The CW App.
- SVG Has a Shot at Three as NASCAR Heads to Sonoma - July 10, 2025
- SVG Punts the Rugby Ball in Chicago; Zilisch Feels Like He Got Punted - July 5, 2025
- NASCAR Heads to Chicago for a Third Time, and Potentially the Last - July 3, 2025