NASCAR Cup Series Race at Chicagoland
Chicagoland Speedway — July 5, 2026
Chase Briscoe
Winner
267
Laps
28
Lead Changes
13
Leaders
Chase Briscoe won the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Chicagoland at Chicagoland Speedway on July 5, 2026, leading 51 of 267 laps. Christopher Bell finished second; Denny Hamlin rounded out the podium. The race had 28 lead changes among 13 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, July 5, 2026
Track
Season
2026
Winner
Lead Changes
28
Leaders
13 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | +6 | Chase Briscoe |
| 2 | 6 | +4 | Christopher Bell |
| 3 | 1 | -2 | Denny Hamlin |
| 4 | 10 | +6 | William Byron |
| 5 | 12 | +7 | Alex Bowman |
| 6 | 8 | +2 | Bubba Wallace |
| 7 | 14 | +7 | Ryan Blaney |
| 8 | 5 | -3 | Ty Gibbs |
| 9 | 28 | +19 | Corey Heim |
| 10 | 18 | +8 | Riley Herbst |
| 11 | 9 | -2 | Chase Elliott |
| 12 | 31 | +19 | Joey Logano |
| 13 | 23 | +10 | Austin Cindric |
| 14 | 26 | +12 | Daniel Suarez |
| 15 | 22 | +7 | Erik Jones |
| 16 | 29 | +13 | Todd Gilliland |
| 17 | 11 | -6 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 18 | 19 | +1 | Ross Chastain |
| 19 | 3 | -16 | Chris Buescher |
| 20 | 27 | +7 | Ty Dillon |
| 21 | 4 | -17 | Brad Keselowski |
| 22 | 15 | -7 | Carson Hocevar |
| 23 | 17 | -6 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 24 | 25 | +1 | Austin Dillon |
| 25 | 30 | +5 | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 26 | 24 | -2 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 27 | 32 | +5 | Noah Gragson |
| 28 | 16 | -12 | Zane Smith |
| 29 | 38 | +9 | Michael McDowell |
| 30 | 37 | +7 | Cody Ware |
| 31 | 33 | +2 | Cole Custer |
| 32 | 20 | -12 | Ryan Preece |
| 33 | 34 | +1 | Josh Berry |
| 34 | 2 | -32 | Kyle Larson |
| 35 | 36 | +1 | J.J. Yeley |
| 36 | 13 | -23 | Tyler Reddick |
| 37 | 35 | -2 | Austin Hill |
| 38 | 21 | -17 | Connor Zilisch |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Byron | 1 | 1 | — | 20 |
| Chase Briscoe | 5 | 2 | — | 15 |
| Denny Hamlin | 8 | 3 | — | 11 |
| Ty Gibbs | 9 | 4 | — | 9 |
| Austin Cindric | 4 | 9 | — | 9 |
| Kyle Larson | 2 | — | — | 9 |
| Bubba Wallace | 3 | — | — | 8 |
| Ryan Blaney | — | 5 | — | 6 |
| Christopher Bell | — | 6 | — | 5 |
| Chris Buescher | 6 | — | — | 5 |
| Riley Herbst | 7 | — | — | 4 |
| Chase Elliott | — | 7 | — | 4 |
| Alex Bowman | — | 8 | — | 3 |
| John Hunter Nemechek | — | 10 | — | 1 |
| Tyler Reddick | 10 | — | — | 1 |
| Corey Heim | — | — | — | — |
| Joey Logano | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| Erik Jones | — | — | — | — |
| Todd Gilliland | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Chastain | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Brad Keselowski | — | — | — | — |
| Carson Hocevar | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Shane van Gisbergen | — | — | — | — |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Noah Gragson | — | — | — | — |
| Zane Smith | — | — | — | — |
| Michael McDowell | — | — | — | — |
| Cody Ware | — | — | — | — |
| Cole Custer | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Preece | — | — | — | — |
| Josh Berry | — | — | — | — |
| J.J. Yeley | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Hill | — | — | — | — |
| Connor Zilisch | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 38 matched drivers, the model averaged 7.7 positions off — better than the season average of 8.5. Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Briscoe | 10.7 | 1 | +9.7 |
| 2 | Christopher Bell | 11.2 | 2 | +9.2 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 6.2 | 3 | +3.2 |
| 4 | William Byron | 10.7 | 4 | +6.7 |
| 5 | Alex Bowman | 16.2 | 5 | +11.2 |
| 6 | Bubba Wallace | 13.1 | 6 | +7.1 |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney | 8.2 | 7 | +1.2 |
| 8 | Ty Gibbs | 11.9 | 8 | +3.9 |
| 9 | Corey Heim | 18.3 | 9 | +9.3 |
| 10 | Riley Herbst | 19.1 | 10 | +9.1 |
| 11 | Chase Elliott | 9.2 | 11 | -1.8 |
| 12 | Joey Logano | 14.5 | 12 | +2.5 |
| 13 | Austin Cindric | 15.4 | 13 | +2.4 |
| 14 | Daniel Suarez | 12.7 | 14 | -1.3 |
| 15 | Erik Jones | 13.2 | 15 | -1.8 |
| 16 | Todd Gilliland | 19.9 | 16 | +3.9 |
| 17 | A.J. Allmendinger | 17.0 | 17 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Ross Chastain | 14.0 | 18 | -4.0 |
| 19 | Chris Buescher | 10.1 | 19 | -8.9 |
| 20 | Ty Dillon | 23.4 | 20 | +3.4 |
(showing top 20 finishers)
Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.
Historical Context
- Chase Briscoe: has 4 career starts at Chicagoland Speedway with a 6.8 avg finish (1 win) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Denny Hamlin: was the model’s top pick based on 20 career starts at Chicagoland Speedway with a 13.8 avg finish (1 win), finishing P3 on the day.
- Alex Bowman: was the biggest surprise, finishing P5 vs predicted P16. Track history: 9 starts, 17.4 avg finish.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Chicagoland?
Chase Briscoe won the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Chicagoland at Chicagoland Speedway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Where was the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Chicagoland held?
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Chicagoland was held at Chicagoland Speedway on July 5, 2026.