Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Grant Park 165

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at the Chicago Street Course in downtown Chicago, Illinois, going into the Grant Park 165 this Sunday, July 6 at 2 p.m. ET on TNT, HBO Max, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Chicago Street Course – Stats & Tidbits
TRACK & RACE DATA
Season Race #: 19 of 36 (July 6, 2025)
Race Purse: $11,704,450
Track Size: 2.20-miles
Number of Turns: 12
Track Type: Asphalt Street Course
Race Length: 75 laps (165-miles)
Stage 1 Length: 20 laps
Stage 2 Length: 25 laps (Ends on Lap 45)
Final Stage Length: 50 laps (Ends on Laps 75)

QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS

Track Qualifying Record:
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 90.496 MPH, 87.518 seconds (Round 1), July 6, 2024

Track Race Record:
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, 60.281 MPH, (2:50:48), July 2, 2023

2024 Pole Winner:
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 90.168 MPH, 87.836 seconds, July 6, 2024

2024 Race Winner:
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 54.921 MPH, (2:19:24), July 7, 2024 (rain shortened event)

HISTORY

• The first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street course race was held on Sunday, July 2, 2023, and the event was surrounded by music and entertainment options for all ages, truly making it one of the signature sporting and entertainment events of the year.
• Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue, Columbus Drive and select surrounding thoroughfares are transformed into a 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course, with the start/finish line and pit road located along South Columbus Drive directly in front of Buckingham Fountain.
• The course passes through the famed Grant Park, as well as approach the northern edge of Soldier Field, one of the most notable and recognizable sports venues in the country – and the site of the only other Cup Series race to take place in Downtown Chicago, in 1956.
• The first NASCAR national series race held at the Chicago Street Course was the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on July 1, 2023. The inaugural Xfinity Series event at the track was rain-shortened from its scheduled 55 laps to 25 laps and was won by Cole Custer driving a Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. He led all 25 laps from the pole enroute to the win (Time: 01:02:40; Average Speed: 52. 660 MPH).
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race held at the Chicago Street Course was July 2, 2023 and the event was won by New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen in his very first series start. Van Gisbergen was driving a Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet and only led nine of the 78 laps of the event. It was the first time Johnny Rutherford won at Daytona in 1963 had a driver won in their first Cup Series appearance.
• Shane van Gisbergen became the sixth different driver not from the United States to win in the NASCAR Cup Series with his Chicago victory; joining Marcos Ambros (Australia), Mario Andretti (Italy), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia), Earl Ross (Canada) and Daniel Suarez (Mexico).
• In total there have been two NASCAR Cup Series races (2023, 2024) held at the Chicago Street Race.

STARTS

• A total of 45 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race at the Chicago Street Course.
• Driver Shane van Gisbergen made his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at the Chicago Street Race on July 2, 2023. He started from third and won the race, becoming the first driver to win in their series debut since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 at Daytona. SVG is the only driver to make their series debut at the Chicago Street Race.
• Tyler Reddick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at the Chicago Street Race with a 3.0.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Chicago Street Race

POLES

• Two drivers have won the NASCAR Cup Series pole at the Chicago Street Race – Denny Hamlin (2023) and Kyle Larson (2024).

• • Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 89.557 MPH, 88.435 seconds, July, 1 2023
  • Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 90.168 MPH, 87.836 seconds, July 6, 2024

• No Cup drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at the Chicago Street Race.
• Youngest Cup pole winner at the Chicago Street Race: Kyle Larson (July 7, 2024 – 31 years, 7 months and 6 days).
• Oldest Cup pole winner at the Chicago Street Course: Denny Hamlin (July 2, 2023 – 42 years, 7 months and 14 days).
• Two organizations have won a pole at the Chicago Street Race in the NASCAR Cup Series – Joe Gibbs Racing (Denny Hamlin, 2023) and Hendrick Motorsports (Kyle Larson, 2024).
• Two manufacturers have won the pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Chicago Street Race – Toyota (2023) and Chevrolet (2024).

WINS

• Two drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Race – Shane van Gisbergen (2023) and Alex Bowman (2024).

• • Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, 60.281 MPH, (2:50:48), July 2, 2023 – started from the third position.
  • Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 54.921 MPH, (2:19:24), July 7, 2024 (rain shortened event) – started from the eighth position.

• Youngest Cup race winner at the Chicago Street Race: Alex Bowman (July 7, 2024 – 31 years, 2 months and 14 days).
• Oldest Cup race winner at the Chicago Street Race: Shane van Gisbergen (July 2, 2023 – 34 years, 1 month and 23 days).
• One driver has won his first NASCAR Cup Series career race at the Chicago Street Race – Shane van Gisbergen (July 2, 2023)
• Two positions on the starting grid have led to wins in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Chicago Street Race – third-place starting position in 2023 and the eighth starting position in 2024.
• Two organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Chicago Street Course – Trackhouse Racing (Shane van Gisbergen, 2023) and Hendrick Motorsports (Alex Bowman, 2024).
• One manufacturer has won in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Chicago Street Course – Chevrolet in 2023 and 2024.

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• Justin Haley finished runner-up in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race the Chicago Street Race in 2023.
• Tyler Reddick finished runner-up in last season’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Race (2024).

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of 10 different drivers have finished in the top-five in the two NASCAR Cup Series races at the Chicago Street Race – 1. Shane van Gisbergen, 2. Justin Haley, 3. Chase Elliott, 4. Kyle Larson, 5. Kyle Busch, 6. Joey Hand, 7. Michael McDowell, 8. Tyler Reddick, 9. Ty Gibbs, 10. Alex Bowman.

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 17 different drivers have finished in the top-10 in the Cup Series at the Chicago Street Race.

LAP LEADERS

• A total of eight different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at the Chicago Street Race.

All-Time Lap Leaders at Chicago Street Course 

• Chistopher Bell leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at the Chicago Street Race with 51 laps led (38% of his laps completed).
• The most laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Race was nine laps led by Shane Van Gisbergen on July 2, 2023.
• The fewest laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Race was eight laps led by Alex Bowman on July 7, 2024.
• The most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Race by a driver that did not win the race was 37 laps of the scheduled 78 by Christopher Bell in 2023 – he started fourth and ultimately finished 18th in the race.

TRACK / EVENT STATS

• The closest Margin of Victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Chicago Street Race is 1.259-seconds – set by Shane van Gisbergen in the July 2, 2023 race over second-place Justin Haley.
• The largest Margin of Victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Chicago Street Race is 2.863-seconds – set by Alex Bowman in the July 7, 2024 race over second-place Tyler Reddick.
• The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course was not shortened due to weather, but last year’s event was, and it concluded on Lap 58 instead of the scheduled 75 laps.
• Qualifying has never been cancelled in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Chicago Street Course.
• The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course produced seven lead changes.
• The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course produced five different leaders.
• Last season’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course produced nine lead changes.
• Last season’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course produced six different leaders.
• The final lead change of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course took place with eight laps to go – Shane van Gisbergen passed Justin Haley for the lead and ultimately the win.
• The final lead change of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course took place with eight laps to go – Alex Bowman passed Joey Hand for the lead and ultimately the win.

NASCAR IN ILLINOIS

• There have been 104 NASCAR national series races among six tracks in the state of Illinois.

• The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Illinois was a NASCAR Cup Series race at Santa Fe Speedway in Willow Springs, Illinois. The event was held on July 10, 1954 and it was won by Dick Rathman (Hudson).

ILLINOIS IN NASCAR

• A total of 83 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Illinois.
• The driver from Illinois with the most NASCAR Cup Series starts is Danica Patrick from Roscoe, Illinois with 191 Cup career starts.
• A total of five different drivers from Illinois have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series for a total of 59 wins.

Winners from Illinois:

— NASCAR —