Dell Sports – Nascar News

Here are the top candidates to replace LaJoie in Spire's flagship car:

JUSTIN HALEY

Haley collected the team's lone Cup Series win to date -- a rain-shortened race at Daytona in July of 2019 -- and drove for Chrevrolet from 2018 to 2023. While Haley said he wants to stay at Rick Ware Racing and build RWR's Cup Series program, a return to the team that he won with and the opportunity to work with Childers may be too good of an offer to pass up.

SAM MAYER

Like Haley, Mayer is a young driver who has spent most of his NASCAR career thus far under the Chevy banner. He has won six NASCAR Xfinity Series races over the last two seasons, and though he's quite Mayer seems to have the raw talent and speed to be a contender. Pairing a young talent with an experienced crew chief isn't a guaranteed fit, but it wouldn't hurt to pair an explosive young gun with a grizzly vet on top of the pit box.

CONNOR ZILISCH

Zilisch just turned 18 and only has one Truck Series start to his credit, but there's no denying that he's the most exciting NASCAR prospect the sport has seen in a long time. Zilisch wins in almost everything he touches, and while it may be a better idea for him to run a season or two in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he has the potential to be a Cup Series champion if put in the right situation.

CHRISTIAN ECKES

Along with Toyota prospect Corey Heim, Eckes makes up half of the Truck Series' two-headed monster. Eckes has three wins, nine top-5s and 14 top-10's to his credit through the first 15 races of the year, and will likely win the regular-season championship. At 23, Eckes is wise beyond his years, and has a bright future in NASCAR regardless of the outcome of the 2024 Truck Series season. If given the nod at Spire, he has the potential to build a fantastic career.

RAJAH CARUTH

Caruth's resume may suffer from a lack of polish -- unlike other candidates on this list, he doesn't boast Cup starts, Xfinity wins or a slew of wins -- but he has proven to be a championship contender in just his second Truck Series season. Caruth's first Truck Series win at Las Vegas was an extremely impressive drive, and since he currently drives for Spire in the Truck Series, those in the building already know of his talents.

KYLE BUSCH

Busch is easily the most "out-there" candidate to replace LaJoie -- Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass says he expects Busch to remain with Richard Childress Racing for 2025 -- but Spire has proven that they're not afraid to write a blank check if they think they can steal talent. Pairing one of the best drivers of all-time and one of the best crew chiefs of all-time may be a fever dream, but if Busch were to escape a flailing RCR, the final years of his career could gain exponential worth.

"I won't be driving the (No.) 7 car next year," LaJoie told The Athletic. "I take a lot of satisfaction from having an integral part of building Spire into a respectable team on the grid, but unfortunately, the future won't involve me.

"We will finish the remainder of 2024 strong, continuing to deliver for my partners, my guys who work hard to build good cars, family, fans and friends who have supported me since Day 1 in the Cup Series."

LaJoie, 32, recorded four top-5 finishes in 129 races during his four years with Spire in the NASCAR Cup Series. He made his Cup debut in 2014 and competed with BK Racing, TriStar Motorsports and GoFas Racing prior to Spire.

LaJoie sits 28th in points with four races remaining in the regular season.

As the first Cup race on the IMS oval since July 5, 2020, neared its finish, sixth-place Kyle Busch wrecked with three laps left to create the shootout scenario with leader Brad Keselowski.

However, Keselowski pulled off before the green flag due to a lack of fuel, and a big melee soon occurred just outside the top 10.

In the second two-lap shootout after a red-flag period, leader Larson pulled his No. 5 away from Ryan Blaney, who slowed dramatically. Larson beat polesitter Tyler Reddick before the 10th caution came out for Ryan Preece's spin to freeze the field and end the race.

Larson's series-leading fourth win was the 27th of his career and first at the 2.5-mile speedway.

It was Hendrick Motorsports' 11th career victory at IMS, a track record.

Rounding out the top-five finishers were Blaney, Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace.

In his 700th career Cup start, Busch brought his No. 8 Chevrolet home in 25th.

Reddick and his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota were quickest in Friday's practice and matched that on Saturday with his eighth career pole over team co-owner Denny Hamlin.

When the green came out Sunday, Reddick created a healthy gap on his boss and the rest of the field by leading them all before pitting on Lap 37 in the first of the two 50-lap stages.

Hamlin gained the lead for the first time when 2018 Brickyard winner Keselowski pitted with eight laps to go as the final driver who had not received pit service.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver kept a strong pace and beat Larson and Blaney at Lap 50, giving Hamlin his sixth stage win this season and first ever at IMS.

William Byron, one of four three-time winners in 2024, had a hard hit when his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet crashed into the inside wall on Lap 74 after contact in the back of the pack.

In his first segment win since 2022, Wallace received the full bonus points by beating Elliott and Hamlin to close Stage 2.

Fastest in both rounds of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Saturday, Reddick will lead the field to green in Sunday's Brickyard 400 presented by PPG (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Sunday's race marks both the 30th anniversary of the inaugural Brickyard 400 and the first time the Cup Series will race on the 2.5-mile "big track" since 2020.

In the intervening three years, NASCAR raced on the Grand Prix Course, and in 2022 -- the first season for the Gen 7 Cup race car -- Reddick won from the pole on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course.

The last driver to make a qualifying run in the final round of Saturday's time trials, Reddick will start from the top spot in his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota after knocking Chase Elliott off the provisional pole by 0.044 seconds.

Despite negotiating Turn 1 in less-than-perfect fashion, Reddick covered the 2.5-mile distance in 49.460 seconds (181.932 mph) to edge the Hendrick Motorsports driver (181.803 mph) for the top starting spot.

The Busch Light Pole Award was Reddick's second of the season and the eighth of his career.

"In Round 2, I knew what the target lap time was," said Reddick, who ran 182.637 mph (49.278 seconds) in the opening round. "I did not feel great about my Turn 1, but the rest of the lap was really, really stout.

"It's just really cool. I've been really fortunate to come here and have a lot of speed on the road course. It's great to be back on the oval here and have that speed again. I'm excited for (Sunday). We're going to have an awesome opportunity with pit selection, and obviously, our Toyota Camry is really fast."

Because the field is ordered -- the front row excepted -- with Group A drivers on the outside row and Group B drivers on the inside, Reddick will start next to his car owner, Denny Hamlin, the Group A driver who posted the fastest final-round lap at 181.492 mph.

Elliott will start from the inside of the second row beside teammate William Byron (180.155 mph).

The remaining starting spots in the top 10 were filled, respectively, by Kyle Larson (who also started fifth in the Indianapolis 500), Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and John Hunter Nemechek.

Stenhouse advanced to the final round of qualifying for the first time this year. Nemechek made the top 10 for the first time since the season-opening Daytona 500, where he also started 10th.

Ross Chastain, the last driver currently in a Playoff-eligible position on points (27 ahead of Bubba Wallace), qualified 28th to Wallace's 17th. There are five races left before the 16-driver Playoff field is set at Darlington Raceway.

The 26-year-old made the announcement Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he will drive in the Xfinity Series race for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Custer drove for Stewart-Haas Racing from 2020-22, winning once, but struggled and was sent to the Xfinity Series in 2023. He won the title last year and leads the points standings this season.

Custer got his first win of 2024 last week at Pocono.

Stewart-Haas Racing is shutting down at the end of 2024, but team co-owner Gene Haas is rebooting with his new team. In a statement Saturday, Haas said Custer was the right driver for the Haas Factory Team.

"He just wins, and he's proven that repeatedly," Haas said of Custer in a team news release. "On his way to winning the Xfinity Series championship last year, Cole really carved out an identity for himself, on the track and off. He brings home trophies and he races people clean. He's earned a lot of respect from his peers, and he's a genuine personality whose hard work resonates with our customers.

"The NASCAR Cup Series is tough, but Cole is coming back wiser and tougher. We're very happy to have him in our colors and in our race car."

Custer said he was happy, too.

"I've grown up with Haas Automation, and having their name on my fire suit is something I take a tremendous amount of pride in. I'm driven to win for Gene and everyone at Haas Automation because they've been such a big part of my career," Custer said. "Haas Factory Team will essentially be a new race team next year, and it's going to take all of us to build it into an organization that can go out and win races. I want this opportunity and I'm ready for this challenge."

After driver Ryan Blaney matched his June Iowa victory with his second checkered flag in five weeks last Sunday at The Great American Getaway 400, the reigning series champion and his team appear to be heating up before a lengthy break.

Following this Sunday's trek to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 28th running of the Brickyard 400 in the series' 22nd race, the Cup drivers will take a break as the Paris Olympics prepare to open.

This weekend's Indy race will be the first on the most famous oval in motorsports since COVID-affected 2020, when Kevin Harvick repeated his 2019 victory by beating Matt Kenseth by less than a second and then knelt to kiss the legendary bricks.

With two consecutive off weekends looming, the competition and the Indianapolis speedwar will attempt to cool down the red-hot Blaney on the 2.5-mile layout.

Winless through the season's first 16 points races, the third-generation driver showed last year's title-winning form by leading a career-high 201 laps in Iowa to beat William Byron and top Pocono's all-time wins leader, Denny Hamlin, last weekend in Pennsylvania.

"I think we are in a better spot at this time this year than where we were last year at this point," said Blaney, who grids fifth in the playoff standings as the only two-time race winner. "I feel like our speed is better. Our execution is great. We are doing everything as a 12 group the best that we can."

Only three drivers in Sunday's field have won the Brickyard 400 -- Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012), Kyle Busch (2015, 2016) and Brad Keselowski (2018).

Jeff Gordon, the inaugural race winner in 1994, holds the track record with five wins.

Johnson's four victories and Kasey Kahne's 2017 title bring Hendrick Motorsports to a speedway-record 10 wins of Chevrolet's 17 total in 27 Brickyard 400s.

Blaney is bidding to go to Phoenix in the season-ending race and become the first driver to win consecutive titles since Johnson, who did it with five straight from 2006-10.

Both of Blaney's wins this season have been filled with emotion.

In a central Iowa homecoming last month, Blaney entered the 2024 win column in Newton in front of 80 relatives of his mother, who grew up just over an hour away in Chariton.

At Pocono, he was victorious at the track he scorched back in 2017 for his first career Cup win, a tight one over Harvick.

"It was super special to win here seven years ago with the Wood Brothers," Blaney said. "You love tracks that have special meaning to you, places where you get your first win and stuff like that."

Cup drivers, take notice: Last year's champ is following a pattern this season of clicking off sentimental triumphs, with another one possibly in November roaming out there in the Arizona desert.

Blaney's No. 12 Team Penske Racing Ford jetted away on a restart with 23 laps left and easily topped Denny Hamlin by 1.312 seconds to back up his win last month at Iowa Speedway that put him into the playoffs.

The victory was his second at Pocono in 15 starts and the 12th of his career. His first-ever win was June 11, 2017, at the Pennsylvania speedway while driving the Wood Brothers' iconic No. 21.

Alex Bowman, William Byron and Joey Logano followed behind the two frontrunners in the eight-caution race that featured eight leaders.

After securing his second career pole position Saturday, Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs drove away from the field for the first 17 laps before turning the point over to teammate Martin Truex Jr. in his No. 19.

Truex's Toyota pulled away to a strong lead, allowing the 2017 Cup champion to run away and claim his third stage win of 2024.

Sitting precipitously close to the points cut line, Ross Chastain popped the wall in his No. 1 Chevrolet on Lap 53 while running 21st and retired from the event in 36th.

Meanwhile, Hamlin gambled on a two-tire stop and found himself up front with Josh Berry and Gibbs in the middle portion of Stage 2.

On Lap 67, Hamlin put his Camry past Berry's No. 4 Ford and built a 2.25-second advantage over the next five laps around the triangular layout, with Chase Elliott passing Gibbs for third.

Hamlin continued his Stage 2 dominance by claiming the top points in the stage and beating runner-up Elliott by nearly six seconds.

With 44 laps left, the entire field pitted under caution, and Kyle Larson, Elliott, Gibbs and Daniel Suarez were all nabbed for speeding and lost track position.

The race's sixth caution flew immediately as Kyle Busch spun onto the apron after contact with Corey LaJoie on the Lap 121 restart.

Busch's No. 8 Chevrolet slid back up in Turn 1, banged into Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s No. 47 and created a small melee.

Gibbs brought out the eighth yellow when his No. 54 lost an engine on a restart with 29 laps remaining to set up the final run to the finish.

At the Chicago Street Race, hampered by persistent rain for the second straight year, NASCAR resorted to a time clock -- racing to 8:20 p.m. local time -- and saw Alex Bowman hold off a hard-charging Tyler Reddick for his first victory since March 2022.

This week, the series rolls into a track that is not new to NASCAR -- Pocono Raceway -- for Sunday's 21st race, with six more chances existing for non-winners to raise a checkered flag in Victory Lane and stake their claim to a title shot.

After The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono, the series will visit venerable Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 21 before taking a few weeks off for the Summer Olympics in Paris, returning on Aug. 11 at Richmond.

So far, 12 drivers have filled the 16-car field by qualifying for the postseason, with Bowman turning the trick Sunday in the Windy City.

Four of the past six races have resulted in 2024 first-time victors -- Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Bowman -- and given them a championship chance at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10.

The quirky, triangular Pocono features three distinct turns modeled after ones found at some of racing's most well-known tracks: Turn 1 after defunct Trenton (N.J.) Speedway, Turn 2 in honor of Indy and Turn 3 for the Milwaukee Mile.

Winless thus far, Martin Truex Jr., Chris Buescher and Kyle Busch would like to win again at the eastern Pennsylvania track.

The 2017 series champion, the 44-year-old Truex is a two-time winner (2015, 2018) on the 2 1/2-mile layout and rides 13th in the playoff standings as the top points earner among winless drivers.

Now in his final season of competition, the 10-time playoff qualifier from Mayetta, N.J., has turned many laps at Pocono but hasn't won since last July 17 in New Hampshire.

Both of his Pocono wins were with Furniture Row Racing in the No. 78, one a Chevrolet and the other a Toyota.

Fifteenth in the playoff standings, putting him currently in playoff position, Buescher said Bowman's win made the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford's plight that much harder.

"We didn't need another (new) winner," said Buescher, whose first career win was Aug. 1, 2016, at Pocono for Front Row Motorsports in a weather-shortened event. "It will make the points thing harder if it comes down to that, but it absolutely will not affect how we go about the next few weeks."

Winless Ty Gibbs and Ross Chastain round out the top 16 drivers presently holding a playoff spot, but Busch -- a four-time Pocono winner -- is 98 points behind 16th-place Buescher and could really use a fifth checkered flag to make the postseason.

A track-record seven-time winner at Pocono in 34 career starts, JGR's Denny Hamlin opened as Hard Rock Bet's favorite to win Sunday's 21st race of the season's 36 at +375.

Hamlin has 54 career victories, tied with Lee Petty for 12th place all-time and one shy of Rusty Wallace, and owns four poles at the 2 1/2-mile track.

Twelve drivers have won over the first 20 races of 2024, leaving open only four playoff spots with six regular-season races left. There are 22 other drivers vying for those berths, so there isn't a lap left that won't have some impact on who makes the postseason field.

Let's take a peek at the drivers on the playoff bubble and examine which four have the best chances to join their peers and fight for a championship.

Current playoff bubble (top 16 make the postseason):

13. Martin Truex Jr, +125

14. Ty Gibbs, +84

15. Ross Chastain, +53

16. Chris Buescher, +45

17. Bubba Wallace, -45

18. Chase Briscoe, -88

19. Kyle Busch, -98

20. Todd Gilliland, -121

The current playoff bubble may not seem too intriguing, but one win by a driver below 16th would make the points battle incredibly exciting down the stretch.

Truex might be the least stressed about his situation, as 125 points may seem like a solid buffer. If three first-time winners for 2024 were to emerge, a winless Truex would be the last man in. Four or more new drivers in Victory Lanes over the next six weeks, and Truex suddenly would be out of the playoff picture.

The season is shaping up in a similar fashion to 2022 for Truex, where he was a top-five driver in the regular-season standings but missed the postseason by being winless. In a system where winning trumps all, consistency is rarely rewarded on the big stage. If Truex isn't able to pick up a victory over the next six races, he again could be staring elimination in the face.

Just below Truex is Ty Gibbs, his 21-year-old teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing. After a hot start, Gibbs has cooled down considerably over the summer. A third-place finish at Chicago was a much-needed result for the No. 54 Toyota team, which has speed but lacks the "big game" experience needed in pressure-packed situations.

Just below Gibbs is Ross Chastain, who suddenly declared himself a championship contender when he signed with Trackhouse Racing in 2022. After four wins in two seasons, including a Championship Four appearance in 2022, Chastain has fallen on hard times in 2024. On the rare occasion that he's had winning speed, late-race incidents have relegated him to the back of the pack. It may take some more magic -- see Martinsville 2022 -- for Chastain to hang on to a playoff spot.

If you wondered why Chris Buescher was so upset after losing at Kansas and Darlington earlier in the season, this is why. After winning three times in 2023, Buescher already could be locked into the playoffs if either of those races went his way. Instead, he finds himself just 45 points to the good with a hungry field trying to chase him down.

So, of the drivers already in on points, who has the best chance to make the 16-driver field? Most seem to think Truex has the edge, as the veteran not only has the biggest points advantage but also experience under pressure when a big performance is needed. So, too, does Chastain, who is looking to make another late title run. Gibbs and Buescher certainly are capable of making the field, and have good chances, considering a win is likely needed for any driver below 16th place in the playoff picture. However, there could be plenty of fingernail biting going on in the No. 17 and No. 54 camps.

As for the drivers that sit below the cut line, Wallace is likely the only driver with a realistic shot to point his way in. The good news? Wallace was able to point his way into the playoffs in 2023, even advancing to the second round.

The bad news? Wallace did so from above the cut line, and he has had terrible luck when presented with opportunities for huge points days in 2024. Finishes of seventh and 13th over the last two races are a good sign, but 45 points is a steep climb for a No. 23 team that consistently falls short.

The other 17 drivers eligible for the postseason will all need a win, barring a miraculous string of races where they consistently garner upwards of 50 points. Don't look past drivers such as Busch, Briscoe, or Michael McDowell to snag a win in the final six races, and don't be surprised if a massive underdog -- such as Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Hemric or Zane Smith -- were to win at Daytona.

However, with the playoff bubble more strung out than usual, it would be surprising to see more than one driver from below the cut line vault into the 16-driver field.

This is certain: The pressure is on for the next six races. Teams that can handle the intensity of going for a playoff spot will be afforded the chance to fight for a championship, while those that wither in the heat will be remembered in an unflattering light.

Gragson, 25, is in his second season in the NASCAR Cup Series but needed a new home when Stewart-Haas Racing announced it was closing its operation at the end of this season.

Gragson won 13 races on the Xfinity Series, finishing second in the points race in 2022. He has 59 starts in the top circuit, recording seven top-10s and two top-5s.

Gragson's car number, crew chief and sponsors will be announced at a later date.

"We feel that this is a great opportunity and the perfect time to bring Noah to our organization," Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins said in a statement. "He has just the right amount of experience in the NASCAR Cup Series to breakout and become a winner for years to come. This season, Noah has started to get the finishes, and race consistently up front, which was expected from him."

He was fined for driving Alex Bowman into the wall during the cool-down lap. The post-race issue came on the heels of a Lap 25 incident in which Bowman's Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevy became tangled with Wallace's No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota.

NASCAR said Wallace violated Sections 4.4 B & D of its member code of conduct.

Bowman won the storm-shortened race to clinch a spot in the NASCAR playoffs. He also accepted blame for the incident on Lap 25 and said Wallace should not be fined for the latter exchange.

"I'd be mad, too," Bowman said of Wallace. "I ruined his day. The restart was chaotic. I just made every wrong decision that I possibly could. I was fighting with my windshield wiper switch trying to get it working and I couldn't get it working. I was focused on that, missed the corner.

"I locked all four tires and just slid right into him. I just messed up and absolutely ruined his day.

"I'm pretty hard on myself when I make mistakes like that and I've been embarrassed about it since it happened. The rain delay was a lot of me just sitting there being embarrassed and being mad at myself.

"He has every right to be mad."

Wallace finished in 13th place and resides one spot outside of the 16-driver playoff field.

Deegan is in 28th place in the Xfinity Series standings midway through her rookie season.

"There are always several reasons within a race team as to why things do or do not work, but sadly our goals no longer align," Deegan said Monday in a post on X.

The move comes less than a week after AM Racing replaced Deegan in the No. 15 Ford with two-time Cup champion Joey Logano to run the Chicago Street Course race.

The Temecula, Calif., native had been behind the wheel for the team's No. 15 Ford for the first 17 races, earning an average finish of 26.8 with only four finishes of 20th or better.

"The only thing I am focused on is getting back to being competitive," Deegan's post continued. "That is ALL that matters to me. I'm working as quick as possible to find the best opportunities to get back on the track."

Deegan, who turns 23 on July 18, is the daughter of famed extreme sports star Brian Deegan.

"We are grateful for Hailie's contribution and dedication as the driver of the No. 15 Mustang during her time with the race team," AM Racing said in their statement on X. "We wish Hailie the best in her future endeavors and look forward to her continued success on and off the track."

Bowman's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet restarted with 4 1/2 minutes left and beat Reddick by 2.863 seconds for his eighth career win and first since March 2022 in Las Vegas.

He broke an 80-race winless streak and became the 12th different winner in the Cup Series this season.

Ty Gibbs, Joey Hand and Michael McDowell rounded out the top five drivers.

Polesitter Kyle Larson was involved in a single-car wreck and finished 39th.

With the race going green despite some light rain, some teams starting outside the top 10 opted for wet-weather tires on the 2.2-mile track that employed sections of Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive.

Defending winner Shane van Gisbergen worked his way to the front and passed Gibbs on Lap 13 and was aiming for a Stage 1 win when Corey LaJoie spun by himself.

As a downpour arrived on the 12-turn circuit, the New Zealand native held the lead at the 20-lap mark and recorded his first career stage win. Christopher Bell, Gibbs, Chase Briscoe and Larson followed to round out the top-five finishers.

The race favorite who won the Xfinity Series race Saturday, van Gisbergen had his chances of repeating his Windy City win from a year ago go south as he entered soaked Turn 6.

After Gibbs slipped by leader Zane Smith on the Lap 25 restart, Briscoe's No. 14 clipped van Gisbergen's No. 16 Chevrolet in the turn before the Ford smacked the tire barrier.

The slight contact caused van Gisbergen to miss his corner and crash into the wall, knocking him out in 40th.

After a two-hour red-flag condition for hard rain, drivers were called back to their cars with the knowledge that the race would run until 8:20 p.m. local time -- about one hour of competition.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Gibbs and Bell raced side-by-side on the Lap 31 restart, but Bell, who ran away from the field two weeks ago on wet-weather tires in New Hampshire, muscled his way by Gibbs' No. 54.

Bell pulled away before Larson locked up his tires and buried one-third of his No. 5 Chevrolet under the tire barrier on Lap 34 in Turn 6.

Hand's No.60 Ford claimed Stage 2 for his first career segment win.

When the Grant Park 165 takes the green flag Sunday for the second running of the Chicago Street Race, all eyes will be on the New Zealander's return engagement in the Windy City.

van Gisbergen, 35, is the +200 favorite to do so at BetMGM, where he has been backed by the most total bets (13.8%) and money (27.5%) to win since opening at +550. That makes him the book's biggest liability this week despite his short odds as the favorite.

The Trackhouse Motorsports driver shocked the NASCAR world one year ago when he won the inaugural Chicago race, locking down the victory as street lamps came to life and darkness descended on the city by the lake.

Nicknamed SVG for brevity's sake, the Project 91 Chevrolet road-racing specialist worked his way past Justin Haley to win the race, which was shortened by 25 laps due to impending darkness.

The Auckland, New Zealand, native became the first driver to win his debut in NASCAR's top series in 60 years. Johnny Rutherford won in 1963 at Daytona in a qualifying race, then considered a points event.

van Gisbergen is only driving a handful of Cup races this season, but he already has left an indelible mark on the Xfinity Series, where he races the No. 97 Chevrolet full time for Kaulig Racing alongside teammate AJ Allmendinger.

In the first Xfinity Series race of June at Portland Raceway, he beat Justin Allgaier on a restart with four laps to go. The three-time Australian Supercars champion then repeated the following weekend at Sonoma Raceway with another victory, leading 32 of 79 circuits and beating Sheldon Creed for his second career series triumph.

Kaulig team president Chris Rice has been impressed with van Gisbergen and said his style is different from that of Allmendinger, a road-racing ringer.

"It's a different special," Rice said. "AJ came into our place and has been one of the best road course racers ever in this sport. His driving style and SVG's driving style is so different that SVG is going to be the best racer from Australia and the way they do it and he's got to learn these cars."

After van Gisbergen won the Xfinity pole, Kyle Larson went out and topped the chart for Sunday's Cup Series race around the 2.2-mile temporary circuit by turning a lap in 127.836 seconds. His speed of 90.168 mph barely nipped Ty Gibbs' of 90.158.

Michael McDowell and Tyler Reddick will occupy Row 2, while SVG and Bubba Wallace will line up behind them.

"SVG is a special driver," Rice added. "He has more talent than we've seen in a long time come from anywhere else. He's going to do very well, but when you get to the Cup side, it's way harder than showing up in Xfinity.

"He has so much car control, it's unbelievable."

LARSON'S ON POLE

Kyle Larson has also seen his odds shorten since charging to the pole during Saturday's qualifying.

After opening at +600, Larson's odds had shifted to +310 by Sunday morning. He has also been backed by the second most total bets (9.4%) and money (12.0%).

"It wasn't perfect," said Larson, who ran a track-record 90.496 mph (87.518 seconds) in the opening round. "It was better than my first lap (in the final round), but I think I had better grip potential on the first lap, so I wish I could have had a couple corners back there.

"Judging by the reaction from my spotter, it had to be pretty close on lap time, so really awesome to get a pole here in Chicago ... (We've) checked the first box and, hopefully, we can keep it going."

It's Larson's series-best fifth pole of the season and the 21st of his career.

LONGSHOT PICK

Joey Logano (+10000): The two-time Cup Series champion is languishing at 14th in this season's standings with a lone win and three top-5 finishes. However, that win came last week in five overtimes in Nashville after Logano started 26ths.

Logano, who has three top-6 finishes in his past five races, is also the book's third-biggest liability this week, having drawn 2.9 percent of all money wagered on the race winner with his longshot odds.

On his final lap in the final round of time trials on the tight 2.2-mile course, Larson's No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet covered the distance in 87.836 seconds (90.168 mph) to outrun Gibbs (90.158 mph) by .010 seconds.

"It wasn't perfect," said Larson, who ran a track-record 90.496 mph (87.518 seconds) in the opening round. "It was better than my first lap (in the final round), but I think I had better grip potential on the first lap, so I wish I could have had a couple corners back there.

"Judging by the reaction from my spotter, it had to be pretty close on lap time, so really awesome to get a pole here in Chicago ... (We've) checked the first box and, hopefully, we can keep it going."

The Busch Light Pole award was Larson's series-best fifth of the season and the 21st of his career. His three victories this year, however, have come from starting positions of second, fourth and fifth.

Michael McDowell qualified third at 90.141 mph, followed by Tyler Reddick (89.923 mph) and defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen (89.813 mph).

"I was trying to get my Ford Mustang on the pole," said McDowell, who won last year's road race on the Indianapolis Grand Prix Course. "We were close, right? So proud of everybody. We made good changes in between Round 1 and 2 because I felt like Larson and SVG (van Gisbergen) sort of had everybody covered there.

"Then we went into that next round and made some gains and got close. You know what it means to get a pole and track position and all that. So we're starting up front. We'll have a great shot at it with the White Sox Ford Mustang."

Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski claimed starting positions six through 10, respectively, though Keselowski spun into the wall during his first final-round lap and was off the pace when he finished the circuit.

Denny Hamlin, last year's pole winner for the Chicago Street Race, narrowly missed the final 10 and will start 11th on Sunday.

William Byron, a three-time winner this season, suffered a power steering failure in the first round, requiring a complete replacement of the steering system. Byron will start from the rear of the field on Sunday after repairs.

Harrison Burton, in his final season in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford, ended the first round with a spin into a tire barrier, requiring a tow truck to remove the car. Josh Berry, named earlier in the week as Burton's replacement next year, spun during the opening round and will start 36th in the 40-driver field.

When the Grant Park 165 takes the green flag Sunday for the second running of the Chicago Street Race, all eyes will be on the New Zealander's return engagement in the Windy City.

The Trackhouse Motorsports driver shocked the NASCAR world one year ago when he won the inaugural Chicago race, locking down the victory as street lamps came to life and darkness descended on the freeways traversing the city.

Nicknamed SVG for brevity's sake, the Project 91 Chevrolet road-racing specialist worked his way past Justin Haley to win the race, which was shortened by 25 laps due to impending darkness.

The Auckland, New Zealand, native became the first driver to win his debut in NASCAR's top series in 60 years. Johnny Rutherford won in 1963 at Daytona in a qualifying race, then considered a points event.

van Gisbergen, 35, is only driving a handful of races in Cup this season, but he has already left an indelible mark on the Xfinity Series, where he races the No. 97 Chevrolet full time for Kaulig Racing alongside teammate AJ Allmendinger.

In the first Xfinity Series race of June at Portland Raceway, he beat Justin Allgaier on a restart with four laps to go. The three-time Australian Supercars champion then repeated the following weekend at Sonoma Raceway with another victory, leading 32 of 79 circuits and beating Sheldon Creed for his second career series triumph.

Kaulig team president Chris Rice has been impressed with van Gisbergen and said his style is different from that of Allmendinger, a road-racing ringer.

"It's a different special," Rice said. "AJ came into our place and has been one of the best road course racers ever in this sport. His driving style and SVG's driving style is so different that SVG is going to be the best racer from Australia and the way they do it and he's got to learn these cars."

The oddsmakers don't think his Chicago victory was a fluke.

Via Draft Kings odds, SVG opened as a favorite at +500 followed by Kyle Larson (+600), Christopher Bell (+600), Tyler Reddick (+650) and last year's third-place finisher Chase Elliott (+800).

"SVG is a special driver," Rice added. "He has more talent than we've seen in a long time come from anywhere else. He's going to do very well, but when you get to the Cup side, it's way harder than showing up in Xfinity.

"He has so much car control, it's unbelievable."

On the news front, Stewart-Haas Racing's Josh Berry will leave the No. 4 Ford and climb in to the legendary No. 21 one of the Wood Brothers in 2025, replacing second-year driver Harrison Burton.

Berry becomes the second SHR driver to find a ride for next season, joining Chase Briscoe, who will replace the retiring Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece are the two remaining SHR drivers who do not have a ride for next season, while Cole Custer appears to be the frontrunner to drive the new Haas Factory Team entry in 2025.

Understandably, Bell would be just as happy to race on wet pavement in Sunday's Grant Park 165 Chicago Street Race (4:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Bell recently demonstrated his comfort level on a wet track in winning the June 23 rain-interrupted NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led the final 64 laps on wet-weather tires to score his third victory of the season.

That win, however, didn't constitute the only successful wet work Bell has done in the Cup Series. In last year's Chicago Street Race, he led a race-high 37 laps, won the first two stages and at one juncture built a lead of almost nine seconds.

But Bell's performance was all but lost in the hoopla surrounding New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen's victory in his NASCAR debut. As the Chicago streets began to dry, the driver known as "SVG" drove like lightning and stole the thunder from the Cup regulars with a late charge from 18th to take the checkered flag.

So don't blame Bell for hoping for wet conditions on Sunday, despite a forecast that promises mostly sunny skies and a minimal chance of rain throughout the weekend.

"Yeah, I think at this point, I'd probably prefer the rain," Bell said. "Going into the Chicago Street Race (last year), we had a really good practice, and I was looking forward to a dry race. And then the wet, and when we started the race, we just took off and were really good.

"The track is very, very technical, very high-risk and high-reward. I think it's Turn 4, which is a very fast section of the race track, gets very tight and you have to push hard there to make some lap time. And I don't know the turns very well, after we come through that half-circle (Turns 8, 9 and 10) on the backside of the race track, that's another section that's super-fast, super-rough.

"Really easy to throw it into the wall there. The race track is filled with a lot of very high-risk, high-reward corners, and if you want to do good, you have to push the car hard and be right on the edge."

It's not that Bell hasn't been fast on both wet and dry tracks this season. He won decisively at Phoenix earlier this season, by 5.465 seconds over runner-up Chris Buescher.

In last Sunday's Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway, Bell won the first two stages to take a one-point edge over regular-season leader Kyle Larson in Playoff points before spinning out in the final stage.

Joey Logano's five-overtime victory at Nashville shifted the Playoff bubble to Alex Bowman in the last Playoff-eligible position. Heading for Chicago, Bowman holds a 51-point edge over Bubba Wallace, the first driver below the current cut line.

Bowman hopes to preserve his standing with better luck than he had in last year's Chicago Street Race.

"Chicago's honestly pretty fun from the driver's seat," said Bowman, who fell out after 40 of 78 laps last year and finished 37th. "We had a failure there last year, so I'm excited to go back there and run that whole race, hopefully, and have a good day, ‘cause we were pretty good there, I felt like."

van Gisbergen is a slight favorite over Larson and Bell entering Sunday's race, but if the Kiwi hopes to repeat his success, he'll have to do so with a different team. Last year, SVG won in the No. 91 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing. This year, he's driving the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro.

Shane van Gisbergen goes for third straight NASCAR Xfinity road course win

Last year, New Zealand's Shane van Gisbergen won the NASCAR Cup Series' Chicago Street Race in his NASCAR debut.

This year, the three-time Australian Supercars champion will try to add a NASCAR Xfinity Series victory to his resume in The Loop 110 on the 2.14-mile, 12-turn course on the streets of the Windy City (3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

"I'm looking forward to racing the Xfinity car on this Chicago Street Course," said van Gisbergen, who is competing full-time in the series for Kaulig Racing. "Obviously, I have already raced the Cup car here, but these cars (Xfinity and Cup) are not comparable.

"So, it's going to be another massive challenge for me but (crew chief) Bruce (Schlicker) and my 97 Kaulig Racing team always bring fast cars to the track. Happy to have (sponsor) WeatherTech on board with us this weekend in their home city and hopefully park it in Victory Lane."

van Gisbergen is seeking his third straight Xfinity victory on courses with both right and left turns, having won back-to-back races at Portland (June 1) and Sonoma (June 8). With the two triumphs, van Gisbergen is guaranteed a spot in the Xfinity Playoffs in his rookie season.

van Gisbergen will have plenty of competition in Saturday's race. Defending series champion Cole Custer also is the defending race winner, having led all 25 laps in last year's inaugural race, which was shortened because of drenching rain.

The Xfinity event also features a handful of excellent road course racers doing double duty, among them Xfinity regular AJ Allmendinger and full-time NASCAR Cup drivers Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, Joey Logano and Daniel Suarez.

The team announced Wednesday that Berry signed a multi-year contract to take over the No. 21 Ford Mustang from Harrison Burton.

Berry, 33, currently pilots the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, which is shutting down at the end of this season.

Berry has recorded four top-10 finishes in his last seven races, including third-place showings at New Hampshire (June 23) and Darlington (May 12).

"Josh brings a wealth of talent and determination, evident through his success in every level of competition, from grassroots NASCAR to present day," team president Jon Wood said.

Previous drivers of the Wood Brothers' No. 21 include Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison, Buddy Baker, Dale Jarrett and Michael Waltrip.

"When you think of the history and legacy of NASCAR, it's hard to not think of the Wood Brothers and the incredible impact they've made on the sport. It's an honor and a privilege to be a small part of carrying on that legacy," said Berry. "To be able to add my name to the list of drivers who have piloted the iconic No. 21 is something I don't take lightly."

Berry currently ranks 19th in the Cup Series standings.

He also has five career wins, 52 top-10 finishes and four poles in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The reigning series champion broke a 17-streak winless streak by taking two tires on his No. 12 Ford on the final pit stop while most of the field took four, including runner-up finisher William Byron.

But in the season's 17th event, the 30-year-old Blaney became the 10th different winner by beating Byron's No. 24 Chevrolet by 0.716 seconds.

The Team Penske driver went winless in 2022 and now has 11 victories -- two on a short track.

Following Byron were Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The tire problems that surfaced in Friday's practice, when a few teams had their cars blow tires and hit the wall, finally showed up with 19 circuits to go in the 70-lap Stage 1.

As polesitter Kyle Larson topped the field around the 0.875-mile short track, AJ Allmendinger's No. 16 Chevrolet popped a right front tire and smacked the Turn 1 wall.

Larson emerged from the ensuing pit stops in third as Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski stayed out on their original tires to win stage points.

However, that strategy largely failed as Larson and Blaney easily passed the duo. Blaney beat Larson for the top playoff bonus points in the 70-lap segment, while Suarez managed third and Keselowski eighth.

Tire failures took place for Larson, Ross Chastain and Erik Jones as pitting began at Lap 166. Leader Blaney came in on Lap 172 and the fifth caution waved on Lap 182 before pit stops cycled around.

Larson regained the point late in Stage 2 and pulled away for his series-high eighth stage win, while Josh Berry and Elliott followed him to the line.

However, Larson's chances of winning came to an end on a Lap 219 restart when he went three-wide in the middle and bumped Suarez's No. 99, turning the No. 5 into Denny Hamlin's Toyota. Larson's Chevy subsequently banged the Turn 4 wall.

His wish wasn't granted, but in the end, it didn't matter. Larson will start from the front of the field in Sunday's Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol, the inaugural Cup race at Iowa Speedway (7 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Under the metric qualifying system, a canceled session would have put Larson, last Sunday's winner at Sonoma Raceway, on the pole for the debut race. Instead, the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had to earn his fourth Busch Light Pole Award of the season and the 20th of his career.

The last driver to make a qualifying run, Larson covered the 0.875-mile distance in 23.084 seconds (136.458 mph), edging Ryan Blaney (136.311 mph) for the top starting spot by 0.025 seconds.

"It was challenging, but it wasn't as challenging as I thought it would be," said Larson, who had the benefit of watching 35 other drivers make attempts ahead of him. "It helps going out last. It helps being able to watch everybody.

"But I was hoping for rain."

Blaney felt he left some speed on the table during his two-lap run.

"I wish I could have picked up on the second lap a little more," said the reigning series champion, who added that he missed Turns 3 and 4 slightly on his second circuit.

With the qualifying session delayed for 45 minutes because of track-drying efforts from a storm that blew through during lunchtime, drivers ran only one round, with the top five drivers from Group A and the top five from Group B making up the top 10 starting positions.

The Group B drivers ran second and had a clear advantage, with all of the top five starting positions going to drivers from that group. Josh Berry (135.916 mph) will start third, followed by William Byron (135.595 mph) and Brad Keselowski (135.338 mph).

Chase Briscoe led Group A at 133.046 mph and will start sixth, followed by Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell (though Bell will drop to the rear in a backup car after crashing in Friday's practice).

The remainder of the field is ordered by group in alternating numbers. Joey Logano, sixth in Group B, starts 11th beside Denny Hamlin, sixth-fastest in Group A.