NASCAR Xfinity Series Returns to the Windy City

From the Music City to the Windy City, the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to the Chicago Street Course for The Loop 110 on Saturday, July 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, the NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This marks the second time the Xfinity Series visits the 12-turn, 2.20-mille street course. Last year’s inaugural race saw Cole Custer claim the victory from the pole position, leading all 25 laps of the rain-shorted race.

The race day festivities start off Saturday, July 6 at 10 a.m. ET with practice followed by qualifying at 11 a.m. ET on USA Network, and the NBC Sports App.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: The Loop 110

The Place: Chicago Street Course

Track Length: 2.20 Mile Asphalt Street Course

The Date: Saturday, July 6

The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

The Purse: $1,786,961

TV: NBC, 3 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 110 miles (50 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 15),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 30), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 50)

Will Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer go back-to-back?

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer won the inaugural Xfinity Series race in Chicago last season and will aim to remain the only driver with a Chicago Street Race win on his resume.

The 26-year-old driver is still on the hunt for his first trip to Victory Lane this season, possessing an average finish of 8.6 which is best amongst full-time drivers. Two of Custer’s last three victories came on road courses last season at Portland International Raceway and the Chicago Street Course.

NASCAR Xfinity Series history on road courses

Across the 42-year history of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, 41 drivers have triumphed to victory at road courses, with Shane van Gisbergen being the most recent to add his name to the collection with his wins in Portland and Sonoma earlier this season.

This weekend’s event at Chicago will be the fourth of six road and street course races the Xfinity Series will compete on this season. Hendrick Motorsport’s Kyle Larson won the first road course race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series 2024 season at Circuit of The Americas and then SVG gobbled-up the next two at Portland and Sonoma. Van Gisbergen is running double duty this weekend and has an opportunity at pulling off a NASCAR national series weekend sweep.

If SVG were to complete the weekend NASCAR national series sweep at Chicago, it would be the first weekend sweep on a street course and just the third not on an oval, joining Joey Logano’s Watkins Glen International sweep in 2015 and Kyle Larson’s Watkins Glen International sweep in 2022.

Drivers to watch: Chicago edition

After making headlines by winning in his NASCAR Cup Series debut last year at this very track, Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen looks to add another trophy to his cabinet on Saturday. Van Gisbergen already secured two wins on the season both in the last two road course races at Portland International Raceway and Sonoma Raceway where he started from pole position. The New Zealander will also run in the Cup Series on Sunday in the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in hopes to repeat the same heroics he pulled off last year at Chicago.

One cannot talk about road courses ringers without mentioning the most successful road course racer in NASCAR Xfinity Series history; van Gisbergen’s teammate AJ Allmendinger for Kaulig Racing. With 11 road course wins, Allmendinger will look to add another win to his name this weekend to make it a dozen. His last road course win came last season at COTA. Across the three road course races this season, he has finished in the top-10 twice, with a fourth-place finish at Portland, and a 10th-place finish at COTA. Like his teammate van Gisbergen, Allmendinger will run in Sunday’s Cup race for Kaulig Racing in the No. 13 Chevrolet.

No driver has won more races in the Xfinity Series over the past 31 races than JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer winning six races across that span, including two wins this season (Texas, Iowa). However, Mayer has made himself known for his road course prowess including winning three of the eight road courses races last season (Road America, Watkins Glen, Charlotte ROVAL). This season through the first three road course races, Mayer finished ninth at COTA, 28th at Portland despite starting on the pole, and third at Sonoma.

While having two wins this season, Austin Hill looks towards grabbing his first victory on a road course. The Richard Childress Racing driver came close to his first road course victory at COTA earlier this season, finishing runner-up. In the most recent road course race at Sonoma, Hill led 21 laps, ultimately coming home in fifth-place. Hill is also scheduled to run in Sunday’s Cup race in the No. 33 Chevrolet for RCR.

Double duty drivers in Chicago

This weekend’s races at the Chicago Street Course will see in total nine drivers competing across both series to maximize their seat time. Amongst those nine are four NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers (AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, Josh Bilicki, and Shane van Gisbergen) alongside five NASCAR Cup Series drivers headlined by two former Cup Series champions.

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano returns to the Xfinity Series for the first time since 2019 driving the No. 15 Ford for AM Racing. The Connecticut-born driver ranks seventh all-time in the Xfinity Series wins list with 30 wins. His last win came at Watkins Glen in 2018.

2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is set to make his second appearance this season driving the No. 17 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. The 31-year-old California native sets his sights to return to Victory Lane as he did at COTA when he led his first and only lap on a last lap pass to win. Larson’s sole previous road course victory in the Xfinity Series came in 2022 at Watkins Glen.

2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Daniel Suárez will pilot the No. 36 Chevrolet for DGM Racing this weekend. The Mexican driver has two top fives in his Xfinity Series career on road courses, both coming in 2016 (Road America, Watkins Glen).

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs will make his fifth start of the season in the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Gibbs first busted onto the scene in the Xfinity Series by winning his debut race at the Daytona Road Course in 2022 at just 18 years old. Since then, Gibbs has accumulated another three wins on road courses (2021 Watkins Glen, 2022 Road America, 2023 Indianapolis Road Course.) This season, the now 21-year-old driver has finished 24th at COTA, and 35th at Sonoma in his two-road course starts.

John Hunter Nemechek is back behind the wheel of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend, aiming to improve on his runner-up finish from last year’s race. This marks Nemechek’s 10th start on the season, during which he has posted two wins (Las Vegas, Nashville), three top fives, and five top 10s.

Xfinity Playoff picture following Nashville

With a win by NASCAR Cup Series regular John Hunter Nemechek last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, the Xfinity Series Playoff picture remains the same with six Playoff spots earned by virtue of wins and with Cole Custer holding the points lead currently without a win he is guaranteed a spot as well, leaving just five open Playoff positions heading into Chicago.

The six drivers that have earned a spot in the Playoffs by virtue of wins are Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Sam Mayer, Shane van Gisbergen, Justin Allgaier, and Jesse Love. Cole Custer holds the seventh spot as the points leader.

The five drivers – Riley Herbst (+103), AJ Almendinger (+80), Sheldon Creed (+77), Parker Kligerman (+46), and Sammy Smith (+11) – currently hold the final Playoff spots on points.

Ryan Sieg (-11) is the first driver below the Playoff cut line, followed by Brandon Jones (-54), and Anthony Alfredo (-59) are the next two drivers on the outside looking in.

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.

Chicago Legend Buddy Guy to Join NASCAR Chicago Street Race for a Special Main Stage Performance on July 6 – NASCAR has announced that one of Chicago’s most beloved legends, Buddy Guy, will play a special set at the Chicago Street Race Weekend on Saturday, July 6. One of Rolling Stone’s “greatest guitarists of all time,” the hometown icon will bring his hallmark Chicago Blues sound to the main stage, following a special 40^th Anniversary Chicago House Music showcase.

“Last year’s Chicago Street Race was a great opportunity to put Chicago center-stage and I’m excited to join the lineup,” said Guy. “The Blues is like gumbo. I can tell you how good it is, but you won’t know until you taste it for yourself. I’m looking forward to the chance to introduce more fans to that Chicago feel, Chicago flavor, and most importantly – that Chicago sound.”

Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received eight GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 38 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone ranked him #23 in its “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

“Whether it’s our food and beverage, corporate sponsors, community partners, and certainly our entertainment, we want to make sure we’re showcasing Chicago to a global audience of millions,” said Julie Giese, Chicago Street Race President. “When you think about Chicago music, you think about Buddy Guy, so we know his set will add to the signature Chicago experience for our race attendees.”

Guy is set to perform on the main stage on Saturday, July 6 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT, following the conclusion of the House Music 40^th Anniversary Celebration, which includes Chicago icons Bad Boy Bill, Byron Stingily (Ten City), Chip E., Curtis McClain, Dajae, The Good Girls (DJ Lady D, Lori Branch & Vitigrrl), Lidell Townsell, Marshall Jefferson, Maurice Joshua, The Outhere Brothers, Ralphi Rosario, Wayne Williams of the Chosen Few, and White Knight.

Guy’s set will lead directly into the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, The Loop 110, which will be broadcast nationally on NBC. The Black Keys, one of the most successful rock bands of the last two decades, will take to the main stage from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. CT, before global superstars The Chainsmokers close out the evening from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CT. A special NASCAR Cup Series driver reveal will lead into the Chainsmokers set, as part of the group’s triumphant return to the Chicago Street Race.

The next day, global country superstars Keith Urban and Lauren Alaina will headline Sunday’s events at the Chicago Street Race in Grant Park.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year update – Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love further extends his lead in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings with 504 points following his third-place finish at Nashville this past weekend. The 19-year-old rookie this season has one win, four top fives, and eight top 10’s.

Ninety-eight points behind Love is Shane van Gisbergen with 406 points in total. Van Gisbergen is the only other rookie to reach Victory Lane with two wins to his name.

Leland Honeyman Jr. has earned 240 points throughout the season, while Hailie Deegan rounds out the rookie points standings with 174 points.