| Race details [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 18 of 36 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | July 2, 2023 | ||
| Location | Chicago Street Course in Chicago, Illinois | ||
| Course |
Temporary street course 2.2 mi (3.5 km) | ||
| Distance | 78 laps, 171.6 mi (276.163 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 100 laps, 220 mi (354.056 km) | ||
| Average speed | 60.281 miles per hour (97.013 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 1:28.435 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 37 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 91 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Steve Letarte (booth), Mike Bagley (Turns 1 & 6), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Turn 4) and Jeff Burton (Turn 11) | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.52 (4.795 Million Viewers) | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (Turns 1 & 6) and Kurt Becker (Turns 2–5) | ||
The 2023 Grant Park 220 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on July 2, 2023, at the Chicago Street Course in Chicago, Illinois. Originally scheduled for 100 laps, the race was shortened to originally 75 laps due to darkness before being extended to 78 laps due to an overtime finish on the 2.2-mile (3.5 km) street course. It was the 18th race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was the first street race contested for the series. [9] The race was won by reigning Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen, making his NASCAR debut.
Report
Background
The Chicago Street Course is a 2.2 mi (3.5 km) street circuit located in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. The track was initially a conceptual track on iRacing made for the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series in 2021.
The track for the actual race in 2023 ended up being the exact same layout as the version used in 2021 for the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. The start/finish line is located on South Columbus Drive in front of Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park. The cars will go south and then turn left onto East Balbo Drive and then right onto South Lake Shore Drive (also part of U.S. Route 41), which is alongside Lake Michigan. The cars will then turn right onto East Roosevelt Road and then make another right, which gets them back onto South Columbus Drive where they are going north. They will then reach the intersection of South Columbus Drive and East Balbo Drive again and will make a left turn. When they are back on East Balbo Drive, they will cross a bridge over the Metra Electric District tracks. Next, the cars will turn right onto South Michigan Avenue and go north, go onto East Congress Plaza Drive and back onto South Michigan Ave. Lastly, they will make a right turn onto East Jackson Drive, go back across the Metra Electric tracks, and right back onto South Columbus Drive to the start/finish line. [9]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
Note: Jimmie Johnson was due to enter the race in the No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet for Legacy Motor Club, but the team withdrew from the race after his mother-in-law committed a double murder-suicide. [10]
Practice
Shane van Gisbergen was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 1:29.419 and a speed of 88.572 mph (142.543 km/h). [11]
Practice results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 91 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 1:29.419 | 88.572 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1:29.732 | 88.263 |
| 3 | 15 | Jenson Button | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 1:29.734 | 88.261 |
| Official practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of and a 1:28.435 speed of 89.557 mph (144.128 km/h). [12]
Qualifying results
Race
Report
The NASCAR Cup in Chicago started in wet conditions after a delay of over an hour due to rain. Denny Hamlin started in the pole position on the starting grid.
Tyler Reddick made a move on Hamlin in a turn 1 and they were side by side for the next four turns before Reddick took the lead of the race.
Several incidents occurred in the first three laps. In the first lap, Aric Almirola lost control of his car and spun out, causing him to lose positions and struggle to stay in the race. Shortly after, in turn 6, a massive collision involving the two Legacy Motor Club cars and Brad Keselowski occurred. Meanwhile, Hamlin, one of the prominent drivers in the competition, crashed into the wall, slightly damaging his car.
On the other hand, Reddick managed to establish a five-second lead over his competitors in the following three laps. However, the lead faded away when Kyle Busch, who ended up under a tire barrier after losing control of his car in a turn, caused the first yellow flag.
The race restarted on lap 5, but Reddick couldn't pull away from Christopher Bell as before. In fact, on lap 8, Bell overtook him to take the first position.
The second yellow flag was shown on lap 12 after Noah Gragson crashed heavily into the tire barriers in turn 6, with significant damage and smoke coming out of the car.
The first stage ended with Bell winning it and earning 10 points. The top 10 was completed by Reddick, Shane van Gisbergen, Martin Truex Jr., Michael McDowell, Daniel Suárez, Kyle Larson, A.J. Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, and Jenson Button, who also received stage points. The track started to dry, and Chase Briscoe and Alex Bowman took advantage of lap 21 to enter the pits and put on slick tires, becoming the first ones to do so.
Van Gisbergen surpassed Reddick to take the second position and closed in on the leader Bell, although he was still two seconds behind.
The leaders started making pit stops to switch to slick tires. Bell and Reddick did so on lap 25, and van Gisbergen on lap 26. There were no changes in the top three positions.
Bell led with a 9-second advantage over the second-place driver when Gragson crashed again in turn 6 on lap 30, triggering the third yellow flag.
The race restarted on lap 33, with Bell leading and widening the gap with van Gisbergen, who was also overtaken by Reddick for the second position. Suárez and Larson moved up to fourth and fifth, surpassing Truex. Later, Larson climbed to fourth place by passing Suárez and to third place by overtaking van Gisbergen, who also lost position to Suárez.
Larson continued his progress and on lap 38, he moved into second place by overtaking Reddick. Only Bell remained ahead, leading by over 3 seconds.
Alex Bowman spun out in turn 11 on lap 40, due to contact with Denny Hamlin, causing the fourth yellow flag.
The race restarted on lap 43, with 2 laps remaining in the second stage. Suárez went wide in turn 1, hit the wall, and was overtaken by van Gisbergen, McDowell, and Gibbs. Larson went after Bell for the lead, but Stage 2 ended under yellow with Alex Bowman stopped alongside the track due to engine problems.
The second stage concluded with Bell in first place, followed by Larson, Reddick, van Gisbergen, McDowell, Gibbs, Suárez, Truex Jr., Allmendinger, and Chase Briscoe, who completed the top 10.
Due to the impending sunset and lack of natural light, NASCAR decided to shorten the race from 100 to 75 laps, which would create interesting strategies.
There were massive pit stops on lap 47. Bell came out first, followed by Larson and Reddick. Gibbs gained two positions to place himself in fourth, while van Gisbergen lost three positions and ended up in seventh.
The drivers who made their pit stops earlier occupied the top positions. The top three ( Justin Haley, Austin Dillon, and Chase Elliott) made their stops on lap 30 and hoped for yellow flags to make it to the end with enough fuel. The next eight drivers made their stops on lap 41, which allowed them to gain positions relative to the leaders. Among those who stopped on lap 46, the best was Bell, who restarted in 12th position.
The race restarted on lap 49, with Haley maintaining the lead. William Byron went wide in turn 11, and Corey LaJoie hit Kevin Harvick, blocking the track and causing traffic jam. Interestingly, Byron, Harvick, and LaJoie gave back their positions.
There was a restart on lap 52, with Haley still in the lead. Martin Truex Jr. spun out in turn 5 due to contact with Bubba Wallace but was able to continue, although he lost positions. Meanwhile, Suárez hit the wall and suffered damage to the front left, but remained on the track, losing positions. Gragson crashed into the wall in turn 6 for the fourth time in the race, and Bell spun out and hit the tire barrier in turn 1, losing all chances of making a comeback and winning the race.
Reddick, the best among the drivers who made their pit stop on lap 46, entered the top 5, but with 18 laps remaining, he crashed in turn 6 and couldn't continue, causing the seventh yellow flag.
The race restarted with 15 laps to go, with Austin Dillon pressuring Haley more than in previous restarts, but a lap later, Dillon crashed into the inner wall of turn 12 and then hit the outer wall. He reached the end of the main straight, reversed, and headed to the pits.
Van Gisbergen reached the third position with 10 laps to go, surpassing Kyle Busch, and began reducing the gap to Haley and Elliott, being the fastest driver at that moment. He managed to pass Elliott in turn 2 with 8 laps to go, and a few turns later, he attempted to overtake Haley, but Truex crashed and caused the yellow flag. Van Gisbergen passed him seconds after the yellow flag, so he returned the position to Haley.
There was a restart with 5 laps to go, with Haley leading into the first turn, but in the next turn, van Gisbergen overtook him and took the lead. Haley tried to pass him in turn 3, but van Gisbergen overtook him again in turn 4.
With two laps remaining, Wallace lost control of his car and collided with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in turn 1, causing the yellow flag. Van Gisbergen expressed concern about his engine, but the team told him that the data was fine. Van Gisbergen acknowledged that he was being paranoid.
An overtime was attempted, and van Gisbergen had a good start and managed his lead to cross the finish line and win for the first time in the category in his debut. Shane van Gisbergen was the second driver in Cup Series history to win in his debut joining Johnny Rutherford who did it in 1963 at Daytona.
Race results
Stage results
Stage One Laps: 20
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 91 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 15 | Jenson Button | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 25
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 91 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage results
Stage Three Laps: 30
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 91 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 78 | 55 |
| 2 | 37 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 78 | 35 |
| 3 | 26 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 34 |
| 4 | 7 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 46 |
| 5 | 18 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 78 | 32 |
| 6 | 31 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 78 | 31 |
| 7 | 6 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 78 | 42 |
| 8 | 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 78 | 29 |
| 9 | 12 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 78 | 35 |
| 10 | 15 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 78 | 27 |
| 11 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 78 | 26 |
| 12 | 24 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 78 | 25 |
| 13 | 22 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 24 |
| 14 | 19 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 23 |
| 15 | 28 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 78 | 22 |
| 16 | 21 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 78 | 21 |
| 17 | 10 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 78 | 25 |
| 18 | 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 78 | 39 |
| 19 | 25 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 78 | 18 |
| 20 | 16 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 78 | 18 |
| 21 | 8 | 15 | Jenson Button | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 78 | 17 |
| 22 | 34 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 78 | 15 |
| 23 | 27 | 78 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 78 | 0 |
| 24 | 20 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 78 | 13 |
| 25 | 23 | 42 | Noah Gragson (R) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 78 | 12 |
| 26 | 30 | 51 | Andy Lally | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 78 | 11 |
| 27 | 5 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 78 | 19 |
| 28 | 2 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 78 | 26 |
| 29 | 35 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 78 | 8 |
| 30 | 32 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 78 | 7 |
| 31 | 14 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 78 | 6 |
| 32 | 11 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 77 | 15 |
| 33 | 17 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 77 | 4 |
| 34 | 36 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | 3 |
| 35 | 33 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 2 |
| 36 | 29 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 62 | 1 |
| 37 | 13 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 7 among 5 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 9 for 21 laps
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 48 seconds
- Average speed: 60.281 miles per hour (97.013 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side, as part of a radio style broadcast for the race. Rick Allen and Steve Letarte called the race from the broadcast booth. MRN broadcaster Mike Bagley called the race from Turns 1 and 6 on South Columbus Drive and East Balbo Drive, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call from Turn 4 on DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Roosevelt Road, and Jeff Burton had the call on Turn 11 on South Michigan Avenue and East Jackson Drive. Dave Burns, Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane.
| NBC | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap:
Rick Allen Color-commentator: Steve Letarte |
Turns 1 & 6:
Mike Bagley Turn 4: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Turn 11: Jeff Burton |
Dave Burns Kim Coon Parker Kligerman Marty Snider |
Radio
Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle |
Turns 1 & 6:
Dave Moody Turns 2–5: Kurt Becker |
Steve Post Brienne Pedigo Chris Wilner |
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ "2023 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ Taranto, Steven (September 14, 2022). "NASCAR releases 2023 Cup Series schedule highlighted by new Chicago, All-Star race stops". CBS Broadcasting Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ "NASCAR unveils 2023 schedule for its national series". National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC. September 14, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "Grant Park 220 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ a b "Chicago to host first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street race in 2023". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 19, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "Jimmie Johnson, Legacy Motor Club withdraw No. 84 entry from Chicago". NASCAR.com. June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Utter, Jim (July 1, 2023). "Van Gisbergen leads Hamlin and Button in Chicago Cup practice". Motorsport.com. Chicago, Illinois: Motorsport Network. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ Utter, Jim (July 1, 2023). "Hamlin snags Chicago Cup pole ahead of Reddick and Van Gisbergen". Motorsport.com. Chicago, Illinois: Motorsport Network. Retrieved July 1, 2023.