After a high-speed catastrophe put an early end to the night for half of the field in last week’s race, the In-Season Tournament couldn’t have been more shaken up if it was picked up and physically turned upside down.
With a new winner on the board for the postseason, only four spots remain in the 16-driver field as we roll into the winding Windy City circuit situated around Grant Park.
Each of the last two years saw rain mar the events, shortening both races by several laps in order to see the finish before darkness crept onto the windshields. Unfortunately, it looks like we might see it again, meaning the 40-driver field must stay on their toes and mind their Ps and Qs if they want to make it to the finish.
With a race distance of just 75 laps, it might seem like these drivers will be let off the hook in terms of duration, but around the tight confines of downtown Chicago, its 12 unique turns offer the pack 900 opportunities to make a mistake.
Nothing comes easy in this city. You have to earn it. After 165 miles today, there’s no doubt that the winner of this race will stand alone as the strongest of them all, at least for this week.
Last Week in Atlanta…
Eight days ago, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series headed to the newly-dubbed EchoPark Speedway for the Quaker State 400, and after a mostly tame first stage, the first big wreck of the night took out contenders Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney, among others.
Not long after the start of stage 2, an even bigger accident broke out on a restart when Denny Hamlin’s car spun near the end of the backstretch, collecting over half of the field.
In the end, it came down to a tango between two race teams: Hendrick Motorsports and RFK Racing. As the race inched to a close, Brad Keselowski’s teammates faded to the back of the line while Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman stuck together.
Teamwork made the dream work for the hometown hero as the 2020 Cup Series champion brought his famous No. 9 Chevy to Atlanta victory lane for the second time in his career. The win was Elliott’s first of the year and locked him into the postseason.
This Week in NASCAR
The biggest story of NASCAR silly season broke early last week when Trackhouse Racing and driver Daniel Suárez announced that they had mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the 2025 Cup Series season.
The move comes as Suárez is in the midst of a middling season that places him 29th in points. Suárez and Trackhouse both offered no information on their futures.
Since it was a light news week, let’s head on over to the Xfinity Series where Shane van Gisbergen won the pole and went on to win after fighting through engine woes and a trip through the field.
The final restart gave the Kiwi a stab at the win, lining him up on the outside of the front row with teammate Connor Zilisch. As the duo went into turn 1, some contact put Zilisch in the fence while SVG scooted away.
The wunderkind did all he could to fight his way back to van Gisbergen’s back bumper, but it wouldn’t be enough as SVG claimed his third career NASCAR victory on the Chicago street course and his second Xfinity victory on the city streets in as many years.
Today’s Grant Park 165 will be broadcast on TNT at 3pm ET with Adam Alexander, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Steve Letarte in the booth. Shane van Gisbergen qualified on pole, but for the entire starting lineup, click here.
Writer’s Pick
Since both races here have been marred by rain and were shortened as a result, we are skipping the race segment for this weekend and skipping right ahead to the writer’s pick. Last week’s writer’s pick was Bubba Wallace, and after he was swept into a couple of accidents, he finished 22nd.
As for this week, I’m taking Shane van Gisbergen.
Not all picks are interesting. SVG has just been better here than anyone else, and that’s no disrespect to Alex Bowman or Cole Custer, the only other drivers to win at the Chicago Street Course.
The only reason he didn’t win those races were Chase Briscoe sliding into him during a deluge and not participating in the 2023 Xfinity Series event.
So, that means the multi-time Supercars champion holds a .750 win rate in races he’s participated in at this track, and now that he’s more acclimated to the NextGen car, I have no doubt he will come away with his second win of the 2025 season.
(Top Photo Credit: Tim Parks/HHP)
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