TRACK – Chicago Street Course (2.2-mile street course)
NXS RACE – The Loop 110 (50 laps / 110 miles)S
TUNE IN – CW, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 at 4:30 p.m. (ET)
- Coming off a runner-up finish at EchoPark Speedway, Carson Kvapil will make his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start on the Chicago Street Course.
- After working his way from the back of the field to a second-place finish last weekend, Kvapil is ranked fifth in quality passes according to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics.
- In celebration of the Fourth of July, Kvapil will once again be running a patriotic-themed Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Technologies scheme this weekend.
- Justin Allgaier will return to his home state of Illinois this weekend for his third NXS start on the Chicago Street Course. He has scored one top-five and one top-10 finish in his two previous starts.
- In 59 career starts on road courses in the NXS, Allgaier has earned three wins, 18 top-fives and 49 top-10s.
- Two of his road-course victories were earned behind the wheel of a JRM Chevrolet, both taking place in 2018 at Mid-Ohio and Road America.
- Sammy Smith will take to the streets of Chicago this Saturday for the third time in his NXS career.
- Smith has one top-10 finish on the Chicago Street Course, placing sixth in 2023.
- In 16 road course starts in the NXS, Smith has three top-five and six top-10 finishes.
- According to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics, Smith is fifth best of the NXS series for average running position of 9.74.
- In honor of racing on the Fourth of July weekend, the Allstate Peterbilt Group Chevrolet will feature a patriotic paint scheme
- Shane van Gisbergen will make his second NXS start on the streets of Chicago this weekend, piloting the No. 9 WeatherTech/Red Bull Chevrolet for the first time this season. Van Gisbergen is on a quest for his second Chicago NXS win. He also won the NASCAR Cup Series race there in 2023.
- Last year in Chicago, Van Gisbergen started from the pole position, led 14 laps and secured his second Xfinity Series career win, before going on to win at Sonoma the following weekend.
- In 2023, Van Gisbergen won his debut NASCAR Cup Series race with Trackhouse’s PROJECT91 at Chicago, becoming one of six foreign-born drivers to win a NCS race and the first driver since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 to win his first NCS start.
- In 2024, Van Gisbergen competed as a Trackhouse development driver, full-time in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing while also running a 12-race schedule in the Cup Series. He won three Xfinity Series races, including at the Chicago Street Course.
- Connor Zilisch enters this weekend’s race on the streets of Chicago riding a wave of success. Zilisch has reeled off five consecutive top-five finishes including a fourth-place finish this past weekend at EchoPark. His average finish during his recent hot streak is a sizzling 2.80.
- Zilisch’s performance this season on road courses has been impressive. In two races, Zilisch has won both pole positions and led the most laps (43 total). He has two victories in three career road-race starts and he has won all three pole positions.
- The driver of the Red Bull/WeatherTech Chevrolet leads all drivers with four pole positions this season – no other driver has more than two.
- Connor Zilisch enters this weekend’s race at Atlanta fresh off his second NXS win last weekend in Pocono. He won for the second time this season and the third time in his 19-race career. The victory was his first in his career on an oval. Zilisch also became the fourth driver to win multiple races this season.
Carson Kvapil: “The Chicago Street Course is different than any track I have run on before, so I am looking forward to getting out there and running some laps. Our No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Technologies Chevrolet has had speed on road courses this year, so I hope we can continue that this weekend. Our goal is to keep out of the mess and be upfront when it counts. We almost got it done last weekend, so we plan to keep up that momentum in Chicago.”
Justin Allgaier: “Being able to race in my home state of Illinois is always incredible, so I am really looking forward to heading back to the Chicago Street Course this weekend. We had a tough start to the weekend last year, so hopefully we can keep the nose clean and really show everything we have. I know this No. 7 team is going to bring a really fast BRANDT Professional Chevrolet capable of being out front. Being able to win in our home state would mean the world to Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) and me, so we are hoping to be contending for the win when it counts.”
Sammy Smith: “Racing on street courses adds another level of complexity with the imperfections of the surface. It requires a lot of consistency to hit your marks and avoid certain areas. We’ve only run in Chicago twice but JRM has always brought fast cars so I know we’ll have a competitive Allstate Peterbilt Group Chevrolet this weekend. I’m looking forward to it and debuting the patriotic scheme as well.”
Shane Van Gisbergen: “It’s going to be epic! I had a really awesome race there last year. I had a great Chevrolet and Kyle Larson and I fought it out for the win and we were giving each other thumbs up and stuff. The Xfinity cars are really raceable around a track like Chicago. There are some good guys in the Xfinity Series now, so I just want to make sure my No. 9 WeatherTech and Red Bull Chevrolet is in the battle and also have some fun. It’s going to be awesome to represent WeatherTech in their backyard and Red Bull on such a special event weekend. Thanks to JR Motorsports, Trackhouse and Chevrolet for giving me the opportunity.”
Connor Zilisch: “I’m looking forward to Chicago. I really appreciate WeatherTech and Red Bull coming together to make this happen. SVG and I are good buddies. I’ve never really had the opportunity to race head-to-head with him. We’re going to be in the same cars so it’s going to be up to the driver. It’s a track that Shane has a little more experience on, but I love street courses. I’ve won races on street courses so hopefully I can pick up Chicago quickly and have a shot at it.”
JRM Team Updates
- JR Motorsports at Chicago Street Course: JR Motorsports has competed at the Chicago Street Course a combined 10 times in the NXS since its first trip there in 2023. In those starts at the 2.2-mile street course, the organization has recorded one top-five and three top-10s, with an average finish of 15.1.
- JR Motorsports on Road Courses: JR Motorsports has tallied 12 victories on road courses in the NXS, with the most recent coming earlier this year with Daniel Suarez and the No. 9 Chevrolet in Mexico City in June