Jeff Gordon reflects on how to grow NASCAR’s popularity
Jeff Gordon discusses the popularity of NASCAR and how the sport can continue to grow.
Sports Seriously
NASCAR‘s inaugural In-Season Challenge got off to a chaotic start last week at Atlanta. Chase Elliott won on his home track in what became an event of attrition following multiple big wrecks.
More than one-third of the grid did not finish the June 28 race at EchoPark Speedway, and Elliott passed leader Brad Keselowski on the final lap to take victory by 0.168 seconds.
That victory marked Elliott’s first win since his win at Texas Motor Speedway back in April 2024. It also closed the gap at the top of the drivers’ standings from Elliott in second to points leader William Byron, who was caught in one of the wrecks. Elliott now sits 37 points behind Byron atop the standings.
With many drivers knocked out of contention before the checkered flag, the in-season challenge bracket saw plenty of upsets. Top seed Denny Hamlin’s DNF gave No. 32 seed Ty Dillon the win and eliminated the Joe Gibbs Racing driver from contention. Same goes for Hamlin’s JGR teammate Chase Briscoe, the No. 2 seed.
This week marks the only street course event on the Cup Series calendar in 2025, so there will likely be even more surprises in store. Here’s everything you need to get ready for the Cup Series race in Chicago on July 6:
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 disrputed 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.
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 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
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