In what will likely be the final Chicago Street Race in the NASCAR Cup Series for a while, we finally got to see a majority of it not impacted by the weather. While the rain didn’t show up, quite a few wrecks and some car issues helped dictate a lot of the winners and losers on Sunday.
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from the Chicago Street Race on Sunday in the Cup Series.
Winner: Shane van Gisbergen sweeps the weekend
Shane van Gisbergen swept the weekend and demonstrated why he’s the best road course racer in NASCAR. After taking the pole in both the Xfinity Series and Cup Series on Saturday, then sweating it out in a faulty cooling suit to win the Xfinity race, SVG shined again on Sunday afternoon. He overcame the challenge and some chaotic driving from the field, consistently putting himself up front. It was simply a racing clinic put on by van Gisbergen.
Read More: NASCAR results for Xfinity Series, Chicago Street Race
Loser: William Byron and the No. 24 car
Sitting atop the NASCAR standings heading into the Chicago Street Race, both William Byron and the No. 24 car encountered problems early. A mistake during practice on Saturday required repairs that forced the No. 24 car to the back of the field to start Sunday’s race. Then, on Lap 1, Byron reported that the clutch was loose in the car and he couldn’t control it, which was immediately followed by speed issues. Byron is comfortably safe in the playoff field, but Sunday marked his third consecutive finish outside the top 20 and his fourth since Michigan.
Related: NASCAR predictions for final eight races
Winner: Ty Dillon’s Cinderella story
When the NASCAR In-Season Tournament began, everyone rightfully believed that the 32-seeded Ty Dillon would get knocked out immediately by Denny Hamlin. Instead, Hamlin was taken out early in Atlanta, punching Dillon’s ticket to the second round. A matchup against Brad Keselowski in the Round of 16 put Dillon in another underdog situation, but Carson Hocevar helped him out by taking Keselowski out in a wreck. Now, the No. 32 seed is headed to the “Elite Eight” of the NASCAR In-Season Tournament, giving him a legitimate shot at the $1 million prize.
Related: NASCAR points leaders after Chicago Street Race
Loser: Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar’s aggressiveness and decision-making on the track have already caused problems for a few of his competitors this season. At least on Sunday, he took himself out in the process. Hocevar was wiggling all over the place, then went into the turn on Lap 10 too hard and drove into the wall, causing a massive pileup that took out multiple other drivers, including Austin Dillon, Daniel Suárez, and Brad Keselowski. At least Hocevar gifted Tyler Reddick a free pass to the Round of 8 in the In-Season Tournament.
Related: NASCAR results from Chicago Street Race, stage winners
Winner: Tyler Reddick’s strong points day
Already sitting more than 100 points above the cutline, Tyler Reddick didn’t necessarily need a strong points day. However, with other playoff spots in the final seven weeks likely to be earned by winning, the No. 45 might’ve just ensured he’ll make the playoffs on points alone. Reddick finished with the most playoff points on the day (16), helping him finish among the point leaders on Sunday.
Loser: Chris Buescher’s engine
Coming into the Chicago Street Race over 50 points above the cutline, Chris Buescher just needed to give himself a little more breathing room with seven races to go in the regular season. Instead, the engine on the No. 17 car failed him. It became an issue quickly, requiring an early trip to pit road that unfortunately didn’t provide a solution. Stuck with a bad engine, Buescher finished outside the top 15 for the first time since Charlotte.
Winner: Denny Hamlin
It looked bleak heading into Sunday for Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 car had an engine failure in practice that forced him to the back of the field. Then, one of the best drivers in NASCAR showed why he is one of the all-time greats. Hamlin methodically worked his way through the field, ultimately finishing fourth. Just a great showing on a road course by Hamlin, especially given how things looked heading into the afternoon.
Loser: Michael McDowell
Everything looked great early. Michael McDowell coasted to a Stage 1 victory and remained the leader when the caution came out after a wreck on Stage 2. Then, the throttle cable got shredded up and that sent the No. 71 car to DVP. From a potential race-winner to dropped toward the back of the field, McDowell’s hopes of earning a playoff spot took a massive blow on Sunday in Chicago.
Loser: NASCAR officiating
As the TNT Sports camera showed the damage to the No. 21 car after he crashed into the wall, it was pretty evident he was going to be stuck there. As more and more cars passed him, it seemed obvious that a caution needed to be called. Instead, NASCAR’s officiating allowed the entire field to pass Josh Berry—enough time for Bubba Wallace and then Tyler Reddick to pit—before the caution was finally called. The length of time it took for officials to call the caution is absurd, further highlighting that NASCAR seems to pick and choose the application of its rules and has no real consistency in when it throws the caution. The late caution when Cody Ware crashed into the tire barrier, allowing Shane van Gisbergen to cross the white flag before the caution was thrown, further added to NASCAR’s poor officiating on Sunday.
