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NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Chicago Street Course Preview
Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #97 WeatherTech Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 at Chicago Street Course on July 06, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

NASCAR’s Xfinity Series returns to tackle the challenging Chicago Street Course this Saturday. Here is everything you need to know about The Loop 110 in Chicago.

NASCAR Xfinity Series At The Chicago Street Course Preview

From the unforgiving high banks of EchoPark Speedway to the unforgiving tight streets of Chicago, for the third street course race since 2023, The Loop 110 on the Chicago Street Course. Last year, it was a great battle between the inaugural race winner, Shane Van Gisbergen, and Kyle Larson. It would be Larson who would concede the victory to Van Gisbergen, his third road course victory in 2024.

Race Preview:

The Loop 110 is a 50-lap, 110-mile race around the 2.2-mile road course in downtown Chicago. Stage cautions will come out on laps 15 and 30, with the checkered flag on lap 110. The prize purse for the race is a total of 1,651,939 dollars. Teams will have 4 sets of tires, 3 fresh and 1 from qualifying. These are the same tires previously used in Mexico City and at COTA. In case of weather, Goodyear is bringing wet-weather tires. Teams will have three sets for the race.

The Track- Chicago Street Course:

The Chicago Street Course is a 2.2-mile road course that features 12 turns, utilizing iconic downtown Chicago streets like Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. With its long straightaways and tight corners, it demands perfection from all drivers, or else you’ll end up in the tire barriers. This unforgiving road course truly makes NASCAR’s first street course unique.

With only two Xfinity races run on the course, there is a tie for the most wins: Cole Custer and Shane Van Gisbergen. Van Gisbergen set the lap record in 2024, a 1:30.879 lap time.

Xfinity Series Point Standings:

Here are the point standings following the race at EchoPark Speedway:

1. Justin Allgaier: 624
2. Sam Mayer: 561
3. Austin Hill: 548
4. Jesse Love: 541
5. Connor Zilisch *: 526
6. Carson Kvapil *: 488
7. Brandon Jones: 466
8. Taylor Gray *: 453
9. Jeb Burton: 445
10. Nick Sanchez *: 436

Notable Drivers:

We have a lot of drivers joining the field for this race. Here is the list:

  • Alex Labbe, #07 Chevrolet for SS-Greenlight Racing
  • Shane Van Gisbergen, #9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports
  • Connor Mosack, #14 Chevy, SS-Greenlight Racing
  • Jack Perkins, #19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Perkins is a veteran of the Australian V8 Supercars series.
  • Kaz Grala, #24 Toyota for Sam Hunt Racing
  • Austin Green, #32 Chevy for Jordan Anderson Racing. Green competes in Trans Am’s TA2 Class
  • Brad Perez, #45 Chevy for Alpha Prime Racing.
  • Sage Karam, #53 Toyota for Joey Gase Racing. Karam won a championship in both F2000 and Indy Lights
  • Josh Bilicki, #91 Chevy for DGM Racing

Who Will Win?

There are lots of good road racers in the field for this race, but when you see those two guys on the entry list, Shane Van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. It is almost a lock as to who the two battling for the victory will be. Not to mention, they’ll both be in Red Bull liveries this race.

While the odds heavily favor the two JRM cars, I don’t think we should count out either of the Haas Factory Team cars or Taylor Gray. Haas got the first victory here in 2023, and Taylor Gray was right on Suarez’s bumper in Mexico City.

How To Watch The Xfinity Series in Chicago:

Here is the schedule for Saturday’s Loop 110 in Chicago:

Saturday, July 5th:

  • Practice:
    • 10:30 AM Eastern
    • Coverage is on the CW App
  • Qualifying:
    • 11:30 AM Eastern
    • Coverage continues on the CW App
  • The Loop 110 at Chicago
    • 4:30 PM Eastern
    • Coverage switches to the CW, radio coverage is on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, provided by MRN

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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