Nascar news

• NASCAR Cup Chicagoland starting lineup: Denny Hamlin beats Larson to pole by 0.001s

  04-07-2026 22:00 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoDenny Hamlin earned pole position for the NASCAR Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, securing his 52nd career pole and his fourth of the 2026 season.It was a nail-bitter for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, with Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports nearly matching Hamlin on his own qualifying lap. He will start on the outside of the front row, just 0.001s slower than Hamlin.The RFK Racing duo of Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski will start third and fourth, respectively. It's then
  
  Read more

• 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Pit Stall Assignments: Where Every Driver’s Team Will Pit at Chicagoland

  05-07-2026 03:54 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The starting lineup is officially set for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, and teams now know where they’ll be making every pit stop during the eero 400.Following Saturday’s qualifying session, NASCAR released the official pit stall assignments for all 38 drivers. While qualifying determines the starting grid, pit selection is another critical advantage, especially at a 1.5-mile intermediate track where green-flag pit cycles often shape the outcome of th
  
  Read more

• Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell Hit With NASCAR Inspection Penalties Before Chicagoland Race

  05-07-2026 03:32 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Saturday qualifying at Chicagoland Speedway wasn’t the end of NASCAR’s workday.Following pre-race inspection, NASCAR penalized the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Kyle Larson and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Michael McDowell after both teams failed inspection multiple times.While both teams lost key personnel for the remainder of the weekend, the consequences were far more severe for McDowell, whose qualifying session never even began.Michael McDowell Will
  
  Read more

• NASCAR Cup Series Starting Lineup: Where Every Driver Will Start at Chicagoland

  05-07-2026 03:16 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag Sunday after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in one of the closest qualifying sessions of the 2026 season.Hamlin turned a lap of 30.296 seconds (178.241 mph), edging Kyle Larson by just 0.001 seconds. Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski continued RFK Racing’s strong weekend by qualifying third and fourth, while Ty Gibbs completed the top five.Toyota placed five drivers inside the top eight, while reig
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Christopher Bell approaching complete wrist recovery but not there yet

  05-07-2026 01:28 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoChristopher Bell continues to make progress with his fractured left wrist and has even replaced his cast in exchange for a split this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.He is fresh off a top five last week at Sonoma Raceway, no doubt one of his biggest challenges since his injurious crash at Michigan International Speedway, and views a pathway to a complete recovery.“I mean, the pain level has been low ever since the beginning but I would say my ability to drive the car is the
  
  Read more

• Chicagoland is a new, very jumpy race track for NASCAR NextGen cars

  05-07-2026 00:53 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoFor all intents and purposes, Chicagoland Speedway is a new racetrack for this iteration of the NASCAR Cup Series and it’s very much an open question about how it will race on Sunday night.It’s a new track, not because of how much it has aged since its last race weekend in 2019, but because the NextGen car is such a radically different platform compared to those that came before it.Independent rear suspension
  Wider low-profile tire 
  Sealed underbody 
  Rear di
  
  Read more

• NASCAR Cup Series set for first race at Chicagoland Speedway since 2019

  05-07-2026 00:45 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — It has been seven years since NASCAR last raced at Chicagoland Speedway. Seven years of Midwest heat, rain and snow covering the aging asphalt at the 1.5-mile track. That last weekend also was before NASCAR moved into its Next Gen cars.The Cup Series returns to Chicagoland on Sunday, and what was old is new again.“It is definitely like learning a new racetrack,” Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe said.NASCAR ran 19 Cup races on the D-shaped oval in Joliet
  
  Read more

• Denny Hamlin earns pole position for eero 400 in NASCAR’s return to Joliet racetrack. ‘I’m a Chicago master.’

  04-07-2026 23:59 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Denny Hamlin is atop the NASCAR Cup Series points standings for the first time all season.If that wasn’t enough reason for Hamlin to head into Fourth of July weekend in a celebratory mood, the series’ return to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet for the first time since 2019 is definitely a welcome one.Hamlin won the Cup Series race in 2015 and has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six races in Joliet. Now, he’s on the pole for Sunday’s eero 400, adding to his local
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• NASCAR O'Reilly Series race at Chicagoland delayed by rain

  04-07-2026 23:08 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The start time for the Cuervo 300NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race on July 4 at Chicagoland Speedway is being delayed for weather.Rain fell on the 1.5-mile speedway about an hour before the scheduled green flag in Joliet, Illinois, as a part of a storm moving in from the west. The track surface will need to be dried, and any storms with lightning will need to move through the area before the race can begin at Chicagoland.No start time target has been given by NASCAR.Connor Zilisch is on the
  
  Read more

• Hamlin Captures Fourth Cup Series Pole Of Season By 0.001 Seconds

  04-07-2026 22:59 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Denny Hamlin celebrates his pole-winning run for Sunday's eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. | Craig White | Racing America On SIDenny Hamlin, who assumed the NASCAR Cup Series point lead for the first time this season last weekend at Sonoma Raceway following power steering issues for Tyler Reddick, encountered more good luck on Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway, and the end result was his fourth pole position of the season.Hamlin, who had a non-favorable qualifying order draw after a su
  
  Read more

• Denny Hamlin wins pole position for NASCAR's return to Chicagoland Speedway

  04-07-2026 22:32 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — Denny Hamlin has the pole position for a NASCAR Cup Series race. Again.Hamlin had a lap time of 30.296 seconds and a best speed of 178.241 mph on Saturday in qualifying for the first Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway in seven years. It was just enough to edge Kyle Larson in second at 30.297 seconds and 178.235 mph in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.It was Hamlin's third straight pole on an oval track. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has four poles this season in his
  
  Read more

• Ryan Preece felt like NASCAR TV pried into a personal exchange over his radio

  04-07-2026 22:15 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoRyan Preece felt like he was having a private conversation with his crew during Cup Series practice on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway but the television crew aired out his frustrations about a NASCAR mandated safety change.“I’m going to argue with NASCAR about this adjustment that they want and I don’t. This headrest is a pain in the [expletive]. It’s knocking my [expletive] head everywhere. Sorry, I’m not trying to swear. I’m just absolutely a
  
  Read more

• Michael McDowell faces multiple penalties after three inspection failures

  04-07-2026 22:12 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoThe weekend has gone sideways for the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Michael McDowell, and not on the track.McDowell's car failed inspection three different times, which means they have several penalties coming their way.First of all, the car chief has been ejected for the remainder of the race weekend. Secondly, they were not permitted to take part in qualifying, and will start last (38th) in Sunday's NASCAR Cup race.However, it doesn't stop there. Once the green flag fli
  
  Read more

• Michael McDowell and Kyle Larson penalized, car chiefs ejected after inspection failures

  04-07-2026 22:12 via sports.yahoo.com
  Motorsport photoThe weekend has gone sideways for the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Michael McDowell, and not on the track.McDowell's car failed inspection three different times, which means they have several penalties coming their way.First of all, No. 71 car chief Travis Young has been ejected for the remainder of the race weekend. Secondly, they were not permitted to take part in qualifying, and will start last (38th) in Sunday's NASCAR Cup race.However, it doesn't stop there. Once th
  
  Read more

• NASCAR Starting Lineup: Qualifying Results for the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

  04-07-2026 22:09 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Denny Hamlin has earned pole position for the eero 400, which will take place on Sunday, July 5, at Chicagoland Speedway. It is the first time that NASCAR will race the track since 2019. That last time, Alex Bowman won in the No. 88. Hamlin will be joined by rival Kyle Larson on the front row. RFK Racing follows in 3rd and 4th via Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski. Ty Gibbs nabbed 5th place. Toyota proved strong again, earning 5 of the top-7 qualifying spots. However, neither of those 5 drivers
  
  Read more

• NASCAR Starting Lineup for Sunday’s Race: eero 400 Lineup, Cup Series Qualifying Results at Chicagoland

  04-07-2026 21:44 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The NASCAR Cup Series is back at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend for the first time since 2019. Following practice on Friday, the field of 38 Cup Series drivers hit the track for qualifying on Saturday to determine the eero 400 starting grid.Let’s take you right into the NASCAR starting lineup for Sunday’s race at Chicagoland following Cup Series qualifying results today. Further below you can find the eero 400 starting grid.Related: Latest Buzz on NASCAR’s Long-Term Plans fo
  
  Read more

• Ty Gibbs moves on from Sonoma strategy decision

  04-07-2026 21:15 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoIn real time, immediately after the race last weekend at Sonoma Raceway, the disappointment from Ty Gibbs was palpable.He finished third, but after sweeping both stages it was a fair expectation to have wanted more. Shane Van Gisbergen won but earned track position by giving up points in exchange for track position in flipping both stages.As it turns out, SVG scored the most points anyway in winning the race but Gibbs scored the second most in finishing third. The decision made w
  
  Read more

• Racing Insights: Will experience be key to Chicagoland success?

  04-07-2026 20:49 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  After spending the last three years racing on the streets of downtown Chicago, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway in nearby Joliet for the first time since 2019.With this serving as the first race for the Next Gen car at Chicagoland, expect drivers to face challenges from the track’s aged and bumpy nature while navigating multiple grooves from the bottom to ripping the fence. Several drivers need a strong showing at a crucial point in Sunday’s eero 400 (6 p.m. ET,
  
  Read more

• Christopher Bell shifts from cast to splint as he continues to heal from wrist injury

  04-07-2026 20:45 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  JOLIET, Ill. — Christopher Bell has gotten his left wrist out of a cast and into a splint ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.The lingering outcome of his June 7 crash at Michigan International Speedway has led to discomfort rather than pain as his fractured wrist continues to heal.“The pain level has been low ever since the beginning, but I would say my ability to drive the car is the same as what it has been,” Bell said Saturday at Chicagola
  
  Read more

• Nos. 5, 71 Chevrolets penalized after inspection failures at Chicagoland

  04-07-2026 20:00 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  NASCAR officials levied penalties to the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports teams Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway for multiple pre-race inspection failures, the sanctioning body announced.RELATED: Starting lineup | At-track photosThe No. 71 Chevrolet failed three times before passing on its fourth try. Consequently, driver Michael McDowell was not permitted to attempt a qualifying lap and will forfeit pit-stall selection. He’ll start Sunday’s eero 400
  
  Read more

• What to Watch: A mix of old, new and uncertain in racing's revival at Chicagoland

  04-07-2026 19:30 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Track: Chicagoland Speedway
  Location: Joliet, Illinois
  Track length: 1.5 miles
  When: 6 p.m. ET
  Where to tune in: TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
  Race purse: $11,233,037
  Race distance: 267 laps | 400.5 miles
  Segments: 80 | 165 | 267
  Sunday’s starting lineup| Pit-stall assignmentsVeterans, first-timers share new-car feel in Chicagoland’s rebirthJOLIET, Ill. — Coming back to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019 has felt in some ways famil
  
  Read more

• Kyle Busch Remembered: Chicagoland wins that defined Rowdy

  04-07-2026 19:29 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoAs NASCAR returns to Chicagoland for the first time in seven years, we continue our 'Kyle Busch Remembered' series with a look back at his many victories at the intermediate track. Busch won eleven races across all three national divisions at Chicagoland Speedway, and was victorious in the track's most iconic finish.Busch, the NASCAR record-older for most career wins with 234 victories between Cup, O'Reilly, and Truck, died unexpectedly in May at the age of 41 ... just days after
  
  Read more

• Sunday Setup: Bumps create Chicagoland challenge for crew chiefs

  04-07-2026 18:39 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  JOLIET, Ill. — NASCAR is back at Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019, but it might as well be the NASCAR Cup Series’ first time ever.Despite 19 prior races on the 1.5-mile oval dating back to 2001, the Cup Series has never raced at the Joliet speedway with its Next Gen car. That alone provides an extra challenge to crew chiefs ahead of Sunday’s eero 400 (6 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).MORE: Starting lineup | At-track phot
  
  Read more

• "Not Trying To Swear"- Ryan Preece Rips NASCAR’s Mandatory Safety Change in Aggressive Chicagoland Outburst

  04-07-2026 18:15 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Via Imago ©Via ImagoChicagoland Speedway hosted its last NASCAR Cup Series race in 2019. Seven years of nobody racing there meant NASCAR had to come in and fix the place before it was fit to host a Cup race again. New SAFER barriers, repaved infield roads, restored garage stalls, and a 50-minute practice window to let drivers figure out a track that had gotten rough just from sitting. Most drivers got on with it. But Ryan Preece had a different issue to deal with.NASCAR wanted Preece’
  
  Read more

• Denny Hamlin claims Busch Light pole at Chicagoland

  04-07-2026 17:55 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin claimed the Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday evening’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway (6 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).Hamlin set the pace in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session with a lap of 30.296 seconds at 178.241 mph, barely edging Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson by one-thousandth of a second. Larson clocked a 30.297-second lap at 178.235 mph in his No. 5 Chevrolet.RELATED:
  
  Read more

• "Wish He Was There"- Kyle Larson Unmasks Bitter Chicagoland Reality That Saved His Secret Bond With Kyle Busch

  04-07-2026 17:02 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Image Credits: Imago ©Image Credits: ImagoNASCAR is back at Chicagoland Speedway on July 5 for the first time since 2019. Half the grid has never raced a Cup car on this 1.5-mile oval in Joliet, Illinois. For Kyle Larson, the place means something specific.He and Kyle Busch put on one of the best final laps anyone had seen in years. Busch died in May 2026. Coming back to that same track, Larson said something simple that stuck.“Wish he was there this weekend.”The race was July 1
  
  Read more

• These 3 Former NASCAR Cup Champions Still Haven’t Won a Race in 2026

  04-07-2026 16:47 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced plenty of surprises through 18 races.Toyota has won 11 events. Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick have spent much of the summer battling atop the standings. Ty Gibbs has emerged as a legitimate championship contender. Meanwhile, several drivers have already punched their tickets to the Chase.But perhaps the biggest surprise is who’s still missing from Victory Lane.Three former NASCAR Cup Series champions, drivers who own a combined six championshi
  
  Read more

• Brad Keselowski Thinks Toyota Has Found NASCAR’s Winning Formula

  04-07-2026 15:51 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  For years, NASCAR’s biggest battles played out on pit road, atop the pit box and behind the wheel.Brad Keselowski believes the sport’s most important competition has moved somewhere else.Speaking Friday at Chicagoland Speedway, the RFK Racing co-owner offered one of the most revealing assessments yet of why Toyota has dominated the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, arguing the manufacturer’s greatest advantage isn’t horsepower or aerodynamics. It’s organizational philo
  
  Read more

• Hocevar faces 'mystery' In-Season Challenge opponent in 100th Cup start

  04-07-2026 15:06 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  JOLIET, Ill. — To say Carson Hocevar hasn‘t been focused on the In-Season Challenge is putting it mildly.Last Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, the driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet finished 11th to Zane Smith‘s 18th, eliminating Smith in the opening round of the tournament.RELATED: Chicagoland weekend schedule | At-track photosAsked after Friday‘s practice about his second-round matchup Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway (6 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, MRN Rad
  
  Read more

• Ty Gibbs rises as title challenger: 'We're easily a championship contender'

  04-07-2026 12:07 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  JOLIET, Ill. — Ty Gibbs believes he can win the NASCAR Cup Series championship. And halfway through the 2026 campaign, he’s giving others a reason to believe, too.The fourth-year, second-generation driver enters Chicagoland Speedway fourth in the points standings after 18 of 26 regular-season races, with the 10-race Chase looming in September. Gibbs drove the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to his first career win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March and has largely been a top-five main
  
  Read more

Follow @NewsNascarUSA on Twitter!