Following a commanding win in Mexico City, Shane Van Gisbergen (SVG) continues to lead as NASCAR arrives at the Chicago Street Course. He outpaced his nearest competitor by nearly half a second, with Michael McDowell securing the second spot on the front row. Van Gisbergen expressed his excitement, praising the Weathertech Chevy team and highlighting his impressive achievement of winning both the Xfinity and Cup poles, showing great anticipation for the race ahead.
Behind Van Gisbergen and McDowell, Carson Josever qualified third, followed by Tyler Reddick in fourth and Chase Briscoe in fifth, with Kyle Bush, Ryan Place, Chris Buscher, Ty Gibbs, and Austin Dillon rounding out the top ten. In the first group, the SuperCars champion initially set the pace with a 1:31.045 lap but was soon surpassed by fellow champion SVG, who ended the session over six-tenths of a second faster than Briscoe. Meanwhile, Noah Gragson experienced a mishap, hitting a wall and injuring his toes, yet managed to stay off the track, minimizing disruption.
During Group B qualifying, Bubba Wallace spun near the finish line and later hit the tire barrier after another spin, while Brad Keselowski had a minor incident at Turn 7 but continued racing with minimal damage. No one could challenge SVG’s pace, with McDowell and Hocevar’s Spire Motorsports teammates close but still nearly a fifth of a second behind the road racing ace.
This race marks the first introduction of DNQ (Did Not Qualify) in seven years, excluding the Daytona 500. Brown struggled with the final grid spots against Katherine Legge, Corey Heim, Josh Billicki, and Austin Hill. Despite a slow start and hitting a wall, Brown returned with a visibly damaged car but remained the slowest overall. The battle for final spots saw Legge make a stunning upset, overtaking Heim by 0.138 seconds after escaping damage on her first attempt. Notably, Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Chase Elliott did not participate in the post-qualifying round, and Denny Hamlin was sidelined with an engine failure.
Fan Take: This qualifying session underscores the intensely competitive nature of NASCAR, especially on a challenging street course like Chicago. Shane Van Gisbergen’s dominance and the shock DNQ shake-up add an exciting layer of unpredictability that fans love, promising thrilling races ahead and fresh storylines for the sport.
