NASCAR winners and losers from Chicago as Shane van Gisbergen continues dominance
Shane van Gisbergen won a wreck-filled Chicago street race as the Kiwi continued his NASCAR dominance in the Windy City.
Since the street course was added to the race calendar in 2023, Shane van Gisbergen has won four of NASCAR's six races on the streets of Chicago. The 36-year-old Kiwi completed the sweep over the weekend, winning both the Xfinity and Cup races, reaffirming his status as NASCAR's best street and road course driver.
SVG finished ahead of Ty Gibbs, who posted a career-high finish of second, and 2024 Regular Season champion Tyler Reddick, after having his victory threatened in Stage 1 by Michael McDowell. The former Supercars champion's second Cup victory of the 2025 season followed his road course win in Mexico City last month.
He's heavily favored heading into Sonoma, which could put him level with Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell on the most wins (3) in the Cup this season. SVG's win lifted him to 27th in the Cup rankings, but his low position has no effect on his playoff status, with his postseason spot already confirmed following his win in Mexico City.
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His triumphs in the Windy City will only boost SVG's confidence as he continues to hone his oval racing craft alongside his clear dominance on streets and road courses. "What an amazing weekend for me," said van Gisbergen.
"Lucky guy to drive some great cars. I thank Trackhouse, WeatherTech Chevy and all these guys and girls here — what an amazing weekend. Thanks everyone for coming out, and hope we put on a good show."
WINNERS
Shane van Gisbergen
SVG was always expected to be in contention for the win in Chicago, and his results in both NASCAR series come as little to no surprise. He won from pole position and executed any challenges during the race. If SVG is in NASCAR for the long run, he could earn the reputation as the sport's best-ever street and road racer, if he hasn't already put himself in that conversation.
Katherine Legge
After enduring a torrid 2025 season, Brit Katherine Legge finally caught a break from her streak of bad luck. After dumping out open entry and 23XI Racing protégé Corey Heim from Sunday's grid, she was a surprise qualifier over the weekend.
Legge became the first woman to finish in the top 20 in a NASCAR Cup Series race, following in the footsteps of motorsport trailblazer Danica Patrick. The 44-year-old will continue to compete in NASCAR for the remainder of the season, and her 19th-place finish will serve as a real confidence boost.
DON'T MISS...
Ty Gibbs
The 2022 Xfinity Series champion is yet to win a Cup Series race. However, the 22-year-old has made significant progress this season and appears to be nearing a maiden win. Gibbs finished second in Chicago, a career-high result, following on from third-place finishes earlier this season at Bristol and Michigan.
LOSERS
Ross Chastain
The No. 1 car had a wreck-filled weekend and risked the wrath of defending champion Joey Logano after appearing to purposely wreck the Team Penske star with 12 laps to go. Logano has called on NASCAR to fine Chastain for the incident following their post-race confrontation over his on-track antics.
Michael McDowell
At one point, Michael McDowell looked like the driver to snap SVG's dominance in Chicago. He passed the Trackhouse star and won Stage 1, but a stuck throttle saw him miss 22 laps of Sunday's race and miss out on a battle for the win with Van Gisbergen.
Bubba Wallace
The 23XI star missed the NASCAR playoffs last year and has yet to win a race in 2025, leaving him at risk of missing the postseason for a second consecutive season. Wallace needed a strong points finish, but his spat with Alex Bowman cost him.
Wallace had to settle for a 28th-place finish after contesting a top-ten finish with Bowman until his wreck. It's been a poor campaign for the 23XI team, which is winless this season.
