Cuervo 300
Chicagoland Speedway — July 4, 2026
Brandon Jones
Winner
201
Laps
16
Lead Changes
6
Leaders
Brandon Jones won the 2026 Cuervo 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 4, 2026, leading 12 of 201 laps. Chase Elliott finished second; Jesse Love rounded out the podium. The race had 16 lead changes among 6 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Saturday, July 4, 2026
Track
Season
2026
Winner
Lead Changes
16
Leaders
6 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | +28 | Brandon Jones |
| 2 | 11 | +9 | Chase Elliott |
| 3 | 6 | +3 | Jesse Love |
| 4 | 2 | -2 | Brent Crews |
| 5 | 16 | +11 | Austin Hill |
| 6 | 17 | +11 | Justin Allgaier |
| 7 | 25 | +18 | Taylor Gray |
| 8 | 9 | +1 | Sam Mayer |
| 9 | 21 | +12 | Cole Custer |
| 10 | 1 | -9 | Connor Zilisch |
| 11 | 3 | -8 | Carson Kvapil |
| 12 | 15 | +3 | Nick Sanchez |
| 13 | 10 | -3 | Sammy Smith |
| 14 | 5 | -9 | Parker Retzlaff |
| 15 | 18 | +3 | Harrison Burton |
| 16 | 8 | -8 | Sheldon Creed |
| 17 | 26 | +9 | Dean Thompson |
| 18 | 23 | +5 | Garrett Smithley |
| 19 | 4 | -15 | Corey Day |
| 20 | 22 | +2 | Jeb Burton |
| 21 | 31 | +10 | Leland Honeyman Jr. |
| 22 | 28 | +6 | Ryan Ellis |
| 23 | 12 | -11 | Myatt Snider |
| 24 | 32 | +8 | Rajah Caruth |
| 25 | 24 | -1 | Brennan Poole |
| 26 | 7 | -19 | Anthony Alfredo |
| 27 | 27 | — | Patrick Staropoli |
| 28 | 34 | +6 | Lavar Scott |
| 29 | 13 | -16 | William Sawalich |
| 30 | 33 | +3 | Kyle Sieg |
| 31 | 14 | -17 | Ryan Sieg |
| 32 | 30 | -2 | Blaine Perkins |
| 33 | 35 | +2 | Tyler Tomassi |
| 34 | 37 | +3 | Joey Gase |
| 35 | 20 | -15 | Jeremy Clements |
| 36 | 19 | -17 | Josh Bilicki |
| 37 | 38 | +1 | J.J. Yeley |
| 38 | 36 | -2 | Dawson Cram |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Love | 2 | 2 | — | 18 |
| Taylor Gray | 6 | 3 | — | 13 |
| Corey Day | 3 | 8 | — | 11 |
| Sam Mayer | 7 | 5 | — | 10 |
| Sheldon Creed | 5 | 7 | — | 10 |
| Justin Allgaier | 9 | 4 | — | 9 |
| Brandon Jones | — | 6 | — | 5 |
| William Sawalich | 8 | — | — | 3 |
| Brent Crews | — | 10 | — | 1 |
| Anthony Alfredo | 10 | — | — | 1 |
| Chase Elliott | 4 | 1 | — | — |
| Austin Hill | — | — | — | — |
| Cole Custer | — | — | — | — |
| Connor Zilisch | 1 | 9 | — | — |
| Carson Kvapil | — | — | — | — |
| Nick Sanchez | — | — | — | — |
| Sammy Smith | — | — | — | — |
| Parker Retzlaff | — | — | — | — |
| Harrison Burton | — | — | — | — |
| Dean Thompson | — | — | — | — |
| Garrett Smithley | — | — | — | — |
| Jeb Burton | — | — | — | — |
| Leland Honeyman Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Ellis | — | — | — | — |
| Myatt Snider | — | — | — | — |
| Rajah Caruth | — | — | — | — |
| Brennan Poole | — | — | — | — |
| Patrick Staropoli | — | — | — | — |
| Lavar Scott | — | — | — | — |
| Kyle Sieg | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Sieg | — | — | — | — |
| Blaine Perkins | — | — | — | — |
| Tyler Tomassi | — | — | — | — |
| Joey Gase | — | — | — | — |
| Jeremy Clements | — | — | — | — |
| Josh Bilicki | — | — | — | — |
| J.J. Yeley | — | — | — | — |
| Dawson Cram | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 11 matched drivers, the model averaged 10.7 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 9.2 | 2 | +7.2 |
| 3 | Jesse Love | 21.0 | 3 | +18.0 |
| 5 | Austin Hill | 22.9 | 5 | +17.9 |
| 6 | Justin Allgaier | 17.1 | 6 | +11.1 |
| 9 | Cole Custer | 21.4 | 9 | +12.4 |
| 10 | Connor Zilisch | 26.1 | 10 | +16.1 |
| 25 | Brennan Poole | 23.9 | 25 | -1.1 |
| 26 | Anthony Alfredo | 21.4 | 26 | -4.6 |
| 34 | Joey Gase | 22.9 | 34 | -11.1 |
| 36 | Josh Bilicki | 25.7 | 36 | -10.3 |
| 37 | J.J. Yeley | 28.8 | 37 | -8.2 |
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
- Brandon Jones: has 8 career starts at Chicagoland Speedway with a 7.8 avg finish (1 win) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Chase Elliott: was the model’s top pick based on 9 career starts at Chicagoland Speedway with a 8.0 avg finish (1 win), finishing P2 on the day.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 Cuervo 300?
Brandon Jones won the 2026 Cuervo 300 at Chicagoland Speedway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Where was the 2026 Cuervo 300 held?
The 2026 Cuervo 300 was held at Chicagoland Speedway on July 4, 2026.