NASCAR eero 400 takeaways: Chase Briscoe leads banner day for Toyota in return to Chicagoland

More importantly, Briscoe was one of seven Toyotas inside the top 10. According to NASCAR Insights, that is the most such finishers the manufacturer has ever had in a Cup Series race.

Toyota has simply been on rails all season, and Sunday was Briscoe's time to join the party. For a track that had not hosted a Cup Series race since 2019, it made sure to provide some fireworks to cap off America's 250th birthday celebration weekend.

Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick blow opportunities

After finishing runner-up in each of the last two races at Chicagoland and starting second, Larson appeared to be a contender for the win at one of his best tracks. Instead, he lost control from third on Lap 93 and finished two laps down in 34th.

For Reddick, who lost the points lead for the first time all season following Sonoma, his No. 45 Toyota dealt with a radiator issue, and he suffered his third finish of 25th or worse in the last four races after coming home 36th.

While Larson drops one spot in the standings to sixth, Reddick continues to lose ground to Hamlin, who has gone from a 129-point deficit to a 44-point lead after Chicagoland.

Alex Bowman's In-Season Challenge run marches on

It has been no secret that Bowman has struggled to put results together this season after missing four races due to vertigo. However, the last two weeks have provided some much-needed relief.

Bowman advanced past the No. 1 seed Reddick at Sonoma with a 10th-place finish and eliminated 13th-place finisher Austin Cindric with a solid fifth-place run at Chicagoland. With a quarterfinal matchup against No. 25 seed Todd Gilliland, who upset No. 9 Carson Hocevar, Bowman has a favorable path to the semifinals.

Drama in Stage 1

The opening stage of Sunday's race at Chicagoland featured a trio of cautions, two of which were for incidents that appeared to be retaliation from prior run-ins.

On Lap 32, Zane Smith got into the left rear of Carson Hocevar, sending both up the track and sideways.

Moments later on Lap 48, Shane van Gisbergen also drove into Austin Hill's left rear, leading to Hill making significant contact with the outside wall.

Not only do Smith and Hocevar have a history, but Richard Childress Racing wasted no time expressing its displeasure with van Gisbergen, who they believe intentionally wrecked Hill. Most usually don't associate speedy, 1.5-mile tracks for payback, but it looks like that was tossed out the window on Sunday just outside the "Windy City."