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Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago

Originally posted on Racing America on SI | By Zach Evans | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 3:44 PM ET

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the streets of Chicago this weekend for the Grant Park 165. It marks the third annual running of the Chicago Street Race, the lone street circuit

Fast Facts: Grant Park 165 at Chicago

Date: July 6, 2025
Track: Chicago Street Course (Chicago, Illinois)
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Stages: 20/45/75
Defending Winner: Alex Bowman

Grant Park 165 Schedule

The In-Season Challenge Hits the Streets

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The NASCAR In-Season Challenge rolls into the second round, with 16 drivers remaining after a chaotic opening race at EchoPark Speedway. The second round creates some intriguing matchups with back-to-back road course races up next for the NASCAR Cup Series.

With many of the drivers high in the NASCAR Cup Series points or already boasting wins this season collected in calamity at the former Atlanta Motor Speedway, some new faces are shining in the bracket. Competitors such as the bottom two seeds in the tournament, Noah Gragson and Ty Dillon, both scored upsets, now facing Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski, respectively.

The winners in Round 2 move on to the third round on July 13 at Sonoma Raceway, another winding road course that will challenge the quarterfinalists.

An Eye Towards the Skies

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In the first two years of the Grant Park 165, weather has been a factor at some point during the race, challenging the NASCAR stars with wet-weather racing. While the forecast has plenty of time to change between now and Sunday, there is the potential for another rainy race day on Sunday.

On the already tight and twisty Chicago Street Course, this adds another layer of difficulty for the drivers in the race. Rain naturally lessens both grip and visibility around the 2.14-mile track.

Shane Van Gisbergen Looks For Another Win

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Of course, you can't go to Chicago without mentioning Shane Van Gisbergen. The New Zealand native announced his presence to the NASCAR audience by winning the inaugural event on the streets of Chicago in 2024.

He parlayed that into an Xfinity Series campaign in 2024, which included, you guessed it, a win at Chicago. Now, he's contending for Rookie of the Year in the Cup Series with a win under his belt on another road course, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

Can Van Gisbergen add another road course win to his rookie season? Or did Alex Bowman's win last year show the field has caught up to the international star?