Nascar news

• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• "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’
  
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• "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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• NASCAR Chicagoland predictions 2026, expert picks for Cup Series race

  04-07-2026 12:04 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019 for the eero 400 on July 5.18 drivers entered into this weekend's race ran in the last Cup race at Chicagoland in 2019, but the Next Gen car has not run at the track before.Still, it's a 1.5-mile track, and the field will search for grip up and down the grooves.Alex Bowman won the last event in 2019, and he, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin are all former winners.Here are The Tennessean's expert picks for Sunday'
  
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• Chase Elliott Says Seven Years Away Has Changed Everything at Chicagoland

  04-07-2026 04:32 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Chase Elliott isn’t convinced anyone has a true advantage entering NASCAR’s long-awaited returnFor the first time since 2019, the NASCAR Cup Series is back at Chicagoland Speedway.That means drivers are returning to one of the sport’s most popular intermediate tracks, but according to Chase Elliott, nobody should assume previous success will automatically translate into speed this weekend.Even drivers with years of experience at the 1.5-mile oval are essentially learning the tr
  
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• Riley Herbst Paces NASCAR Cup Practice at Chicagoland Speedway

  04-07-2026 04:21 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Craig White | Racing America On SIHeading into the weekend, nobody really knew what to expect as the NASCAR Cup Series was set to compete at Chicagoland Speedway for the first time in seven years. After Friday afternoon's practice session around the 1.5-mile speedway in Joliet, IL, one thing seems perfectly clear: 23XI Racing is going to be tough to beat.The team, led by Riley Herbst, the driver of the No. 35 Monster Energy Toyota, swept the top-two spots in single-lap practice speeds, and all f
  
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• Denny Hamlin Finally Believes a NASCAR Championship Is Within Reach

  04-07-2026 04:10 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  For nearly two decades, Denny Hamlin has chased the one accomplishment missing from his Hall of Fame résumé: a NASCAR Cup Series championship.Despite becoming one of the winningest drivers of his generation, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has repeatedly watched title opportunities disappear because of late cautions, untimely restarts, and the randomness that defined NASCAR’s former winner-take-all Championship 4 format.That experience changed the way he approached every season.
  
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• 5 Things NASCAR Cup Practice at Chicagoland Taught Us About Sunday’s Race

  04-07-2026 03:58 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  NASCAR Cup Series teams finally got their first opportunity to put the Next Gen car on Chicagoland Speedway Friday, ending a seven-year absence from the 1.5-mile oval. While Riley Herbst topped the speed chart with a lap of 30.326 seconds, the practice session offered far more insight than a simple leaderboard.Several teams showed race-winning speed, drivers learned plenty about the aging racing surface, and one organization may have quietly established itself as Sunday’s team to beat.Here
  
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• Chicagoland represents the return the old Atlanta after Cup practice

  04-07-2026 03:07 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoUpon climbing out of the 23XI Racing No. 45, and despite being amongst the fastest in practice on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway, Tyler Reddick seemed puzzled."In general, pretty happy,” Reddick said in a way that sounded anything but. “Feeling pretty good about where we're at. I guess the only thing I'm holding back on -- just confused about -- I thought we were going to be ripping the top today, but it just took forever to clean up. Hopefully those O'Reilly boys wil
  
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• Chicagoland represents the return of old Atlanta after Cup practice

  04-07-2026 03:07 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoUpon climbing out of the 23XI Racing No. 45, and despite being amongst the fastest in practice on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway, Tyler Reddick seemed puzzled."In general, pretty happy,” Reddick said in a way that sounded anything but. “Feeling pretty good about where we're at. I guess the only thing I'm holding back on -- just confused about -- I thought we were going to be ripping the top today, but it just took forever to clean up. Hopefully those O'Reilly boys wil
  
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• Kyle Larson looks to break winless drought as NASCAR returns to Chicagoland

  04-07-2026 01:57 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — When it comes to 1.5-mile tracks, Kyle Larson is always confident. With NASCAR returning to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend, there is even more reason for optimism for the Hendrick Motorsports driver.Larson has a successful history on the bumpy asphalt of Chicagoland, a D-shaped oval circuit. He has four top-five finishes in six Cup Series starts at the speedway about 50 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. His 6.17 average finish is tops in track history among driver
  
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• Riley Herbst leads Cup practice in NASCAR's return to Chicagoland

  04-07-2026 01:08 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoFor the first time since 2019, NASCAR is racing at Chicagoland Speedway. Because of that fact, series officials went with a more traditional race weekend format through a 50-minute practice on Friday.Topping the speed charts was Riley Herbst in the No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota, followed by teammate Bubba Wallace. Herbst lapped the intermediate oval in 30.326 seconds (178.065mph), just 0.023s ahead of Wallace in the No. 23 Toyota.Kyle Larson was one of three Cup drivers who took part
  
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• How Did Kyle Busch Perform at Chicagoland Speedway? A Look Back at His Record

  04-07-2026 00:51 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Kyle Busch was one of Chicagoland Speedway’s most successful NASCAR Cup Series drivers, winning twice and leading more than 500 laps before the track left the schedule after 2019. Here’s a look back at his record as NASCAR returns this weekend.As the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019, many fans are remembering one of the track’s greatest competitors.Since Kyle Busch’s death in May, NASCAR fans have continued searching for stor
  
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• Denny Hamlin is starting to believe a championship is possible

  04-07-2026 00:50 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoFor much of this decade, Denny Hamlin hasn’t wanted to talk about that elusive NASCAR Cup Series championship, but instead reaching various goals focused on number of victories.  Under the old playoff format, it would either happen or it wouldn’t, and there was extraordinarily little he could do with so much variability. For example, Hamlin dominated the championship race last year under the old Final Four format at Phoenix Raceway but was denied the title due to
  
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• Brad Keselowski credits Toyota's unity while seeking Ford, RFK improvement

  03-07-2026 22:35 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  JOLIET, Ill. — Through the first half of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, Toyota teams have combined to win 11 of 18 races.RFK Racing team co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski said Friday at Chicagoland Speedway he believes the manufacturer has earned its flowers. But he also sees lessons Ford and Chevrolet can learn from what a rival Original Equipment Manufacturer is accomplishing behind the scenes.MORE: Chicagoland schedule | Cup standingsWith 10 weekly entries from Team Penske, RFK Ra
  
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• 18-Year-Old JGR Driver Opens Up After Denny Hamlin Backs Him As Potential No. 11 Replacement After Retirement

  03-07-2026 21:52 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  18-Year-Old JGR Driver Opens Up After Denny Hamlin Backs Him As Potential No. 11 Replacement After RetirementNASCAR’s future shifted on its axis when Denny Hamlin openly endorsed that rising teenage phenom Brent Crews as the leading candidate to inherit his iconic No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota once he steps away from full-time racing. For 18-year-old Crews, who currently drives the No. 19 for JGR in the O’Reilly Series, Hamlin’s statement completely caught him off guard and be
  
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• Riley Herbst, 23XI fastest in Friday practice at Chicagoland

  03-07-2026 21:03 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  23XI Racing driver Riley Herbst topped the leaderboard in Friday evening’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Chicagoland Speedway, as the premier series hit the 1.5-mile Joliet track for the first time since 2019.The driver of the No. 35 Toyota posted the fastest lap at 178.065 mph in the closing minutes of practice, leading a 23XI 1-2 with teammate Bubba Wallace second-fastest (177.930 mph). All four 23XI Toyotas were inside the top eight.RELATED: Practice resultsKyle Larson (177.877 mph), De
  
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• NASCAR purse for O'Reilly Series race at Chicagoland in July 2026

  03-07-2026 19:00 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  NASCAR is gearing up for the 20th race weekend of the 2026 season at Chicagoland Speedway, and the O'Reilly Series is bound to put on a show. The O'Reilly Series hasn't competed at the venue since the 2019 season. Now, the sport will head to Chicagoland with a substantial amount of money on the line.The purse for the O'Reilly Series race at Chicagoland will be $1,661,806 on Saturday evening. NASCAR no longer releases the earnings for the winning driver, making it impossible to determine how much
  
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• NASCAR purse for Cup Series race at Chicagoland in July 2026

  03-07-2026 18:30 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  NASCAR is gearing up for the 20th race weekend of the 2026 season at Chicagoland Speedway, and the Cup Series is bound to put on a show. The Cup Series hasn't competed at the venue since the 2019 season. Now, the sport will head to Chicagoland with a substantial amount of money on the line.The purse for the Cup Series race at Chicagoland will be $11,233,027 on Sunday evening. NASCAR no longer releases the earnings for the winning driver, making it impossible to determine how much of the $11,233,
  
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• NASCAR qualifying order for O'Reilly at Chicagoland in July 2026

  03-07-2026 18:00 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The NASCAR O'Reilly Series is set to arrive at Chicagoland Speedway for its 20th race of the 2026 season. It is the only date in Chicagoland, as NASCAR visits the venue once per season. In 2025, no one won the pole because NASCAR hasn't competed at Chicagoland since the 2019 season.First, the O'Reilly Series needs to qualify for the event at Chicagoland, and the qualifying format is simple. Every driver will make a one-lap run, with the best overall lap times determining the starting lineup
  
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• NASCAR qualifying order for Cup Series at Chicagoland in July 2026

  03-07-2026 17:30 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The NASCAR Cup Series is set to arrive at Chicagoland Speedway for its 19th race of the 2026 season. It is the only date in Chicagoland, as NASCAR visits the venue once per season. In 2025, no one won the pole because NASCAR hasn't competed at Chicagoland since the 2019 season.First, the Cup Series needs to qualify for the event at Chicagoland, and the qualifying format is simple. Every driver will make a one-lap run, with the overall lap times determining the starting lineup. There will on
  
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• 2026 Chicagoland Speedway pit stall assignments

  03-07-2026 16:37 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  See where your favorite NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series drivers will pit this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.NASCAR Cup SeriesThis will be updated once pit stalls have been determined.NASCAR Cup Series eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday (6 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).RELATED: Chicagoland weekend schedule | How to watch NASCAR on TNT Sports/truTV/HBO MaxNASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesNASCAR O’Reilly Au
  
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• NASCAR Odds: Who Are the Favorites to Win at Chicagoland Speedway?

  03-07-2026 16:10 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend for the first time since 2019, bringing one of the sport’s most anticipated throwback events with it. After seven years away, drivers will once again tackle the 1.5-mile oval in Joliet, Illinois, and oddsmakers have already identified the favorites heading into Sunday’s race.Several of NASCAR’s biggest stars enter the weekend with momentum, but the betting board also features a handful of intriguing longshots ca
  
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• NASCAR News: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reveals Potential 2027 Plans for Chicagoland, Chicago Street Course

  03-07-2026 15:30 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The NASCAR Cup Series is back at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend for the first time since 2019. It’s been a return long-awaited by fans and drivers, but the lingering question has been whether this will be a one-off.On this week’s episode of Bless Your Heart, co-host Dale Earnhardt r. revealed that the word he’s heard around the sport is that NASCAR wants to return to Chicagoland and it might not be the only racing in the city.Related: NASCAR Qualifying Order at Chicagoland S
  
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• Why NASCAR Hasn’t Raced at Chicagoland Speedway Since 2019

  03-07-2026 15:28 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  When the NASCAR Cup Series takes the green flag at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend, it will end one of the longest absences for a former Cup Series venue in recent memory.The 1.5-mile oval in Joliet, Illinois, hasn’t hosted a NASCAR national series race since June 30, 2019. In the seven years since, fans have repeatedly wondered the same thing: Why did NASCAR stop racing there in the first place?The answer wasn’t just one decision. It was the result of several major changes that re
  
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• NASCAR entry list for O'Reilly Series race at Chicagoland in July 2026

  03-07-2026 15:01 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The NASCAR O'Reilly Series is ready to take on the 2026 Cuervo 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, and the entry list has been revealed. NASCAR released the 2026 eero 400 and O'Reilly Series entry list for Chicagoland on Monday afternoon. This is NASCAR's first race at Chicagoland since the 2019 season, before the COVID-19 pandemic took it off the schedule. The NASCAR Truck Series will have an off-weekend.There will be 38 entries for the 2026 Cuervo 300 on Saturday afternoon, meaning zero dri
  
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